You use Google for research? Seriously?

But that's just not practical when you want a current overview of a huge field. With EndNote, you typically dump the entire list of search results from the database, and then start reading abstracts (included in the reference file), sorting relevant from irrelevant, and then download PDFs to read (which are then stored along with the references). It's a research tool and a retrieval tool. BibTeX isn't.

Exactly. The ability to view the database, sorted in any order imaginable, or ordered into groups, either manually or through live searches. It's a very useful tool when writing a review with hundreds or references, and is nice to have even if you've got just a few dozens.

Yeah, BibTeX is more reliable than EndNote, but it's cumbersome to use and extremely poor at, well, managing references. Perhaps there are frontends with dupe control, sorting by arbitrary fields, grouping, etc., but then you're into the old Unix problem of having the choice of a gazillion applications that do one thing each, usually poorly, and with different combinations everywhere. A monstrosity like EndNote does pretty much everything you can want from a reference manager (much of it in a confusing manner, granted), which means you can get help: it's the same everywhere.

BibTeX might have most styles you can think of -- in English. When I last used it, I had to hack my own, not something I would recommend to your average researcher. Keep in mind that most of them are quite poor with computers. Asking them to use LaTeX is like asking Unix programmers to think of the end user: it's neither relevant to them, nor helpful.

Typesetting isn't a process computers excel at. LaTeX is good, but not nearly as good as a good designer equipped with InDesign and loads and loads of time. It's faster and cheaper, yes, and certainly good enough for most academic journals (probably not Nature). Unfortunately, it also offers nothing (except decent typesetting) for fields that don't deal much with maths, whereas Microsoft Word offers a few nice tools, is somewhat easy to use, and has rubbish typesetting.

> it is indeed the case that nonlocal businesses are more likely to use Maersk for shipping, since there are so many more of them.

Thanks for the confirmation. You really are an idiot.

I'm sorry, I didn't realise I was talking to an idiot. If local businesses are more likely to use Maersk for shipping, then it would be better for Maersk to use local businesses, for its own sake. Clearer now?

Supporting local business tends to increase local business, increasing local business. This is good for business. Do Korean shipyards get their ship parts shipped by Maersk?

Linux isn't tied to systemd, and you don't even know how to spell systemd (hint: it's not SystemD). Still, you're modded up by the muppets who know less.

The hatred is mostly due to internet communities creating circle-jerks where some really retarded opinions get reinforced due to their mere popularity. People who have no idea what you're talking about think your comment is "insightful" just because it's marked as such, and adopt them as their own.

Unlikely. I've got a Windows 7 install myself, running in dual boot for gaming. I believe it's from 2010, and since then moved first to an SSD and then from AMD to Intel (which takes a bit of time and magic, but is possible). It still runs just fine, but I almost only install software I need (i.e. games).

Come to think of it, I actually did end up with some garbage that took over my IE start page and search engine at one time. The problem with Windows is that it encourages bad usage, and that crapware is so much more readily available than good free software tools.

My parents both use Windows 7, and both computers have slowed to beyond frustration. Perhaps the reason why yours still works is that you learnt how to use Windows. Most people never do.