@Skillmon this is probably the battle between vim/emacs users and vscode or other newer tools which are less keyboard based. As for my experience, the more I am getting through the linux, vim, emacs, etc, the more I understand the comfy of using and working with those older tools. I can easilly see how I learn things faster and how easy the workflow is designed there. This is absolutely a problem when newer tools are about to do the stuff.

@enthu yep. I'm relatively young myself (oh no, I can't say "I'm young" anymore :O) and can't get me to work with those IDEs that supposedly make working in them so easy. The only good thing about some IDEs is that they make debugging easier (but with the right config this is possible in VIM as well), but the editing experience in them is usually just painful.

@Skillmon My beard is turning white but no worries! :)) The procedure of using and understanding the older tools is indeed tough. But enthusiastic user can find the way they work and improve their skills in. That is why I sometimes ask a few questions here and I indeed love the way David and Barbara answer them. Specifically by reading Barbara's answers which she sometimes makes it clear why at the time (for instance in 80's) a tool is invented.

By understanding that, I can easily learn how things work and what the philosophy is.

For instance it was too tough for me to install things in Linux. Later I learnt about repositories. Now I am working on compiling from the source. Learning VIM helped me so much to gain confidence in learning more in Linux and programming. Simultaneously I worked with GIT. Little by little I am learning more and I enjoy this journey.

It is really so great to see, every one has their own learning pattern. I may enter the Linux from a way, the other may find it hard.

And it is amazing, I used to work with GIT and program Latex and Python. I used to code in NPP and VSCODE. And dragged my files in browser. Now that I am using the terminal to do things, and pull the updates in git, and edit my codes in vim and run them from the terminal. I can never go back to my older procedures. There is no logic behind those gui usages and the way I used to worked. Working from the terminal has a great logic and philosophy behind.

@enthu agreed. Now tell my employer :P I'm stuck with Windows (and since I'm an engineer will be like forever, because even though there are great tools in Linux, somehow the industry seems to be stuck on those that aren't).

WSL is a good escape way and virtual machines... :)) BTW I used to work in a company which where all traditional engineers who where not interested to use newer tools. They had outdated excel sheets to do the calculations. Little by little I codes newer software for them and after a while they agreed to automate a bigger part of their projects. So probably meeting their expectations and getting them familiar with better tools is a good way. Even to start with a very small project.

@enthu no WSL for me (Windows build is pretty old, could only use WSL1, but even that is not installed, I don't have local admin rights, and company IT is absolutely Linux-allergic, nothing Linuxy is allowed in the network)

@Skillmon ah I see. pretty similar to that company. we were only allowed to use two internet hours per day because they thought it decreases efficiency! :)) The result? I moved to another company with much more appreciation and a little higher payment!

@enthu it's not that bad for me. I actually like working here, I'd just enjoy it more if I could use a real Linux environment, instead of this crude hack of a user-mode installed MSYS2/MinGW with path mangling to get NeoVim (and a few other tools) working in all the different contexts it might get started in.

@DavidCarlisle I used the similar italic font and it seemed ok.

@Skillmon I'm sure @DavidCarlisle can give you some tips on how to use windows without ever using windows :P

@samcarter boot up in to msdos, use demacs emacs via the djgpp 32bit memory extension then have the pleasure of using split screen via emacs buffers, without wasting all those resources on the Windows system.

@DavidCarlisle sounds like a good plan, unfortunately it'll not support all those Windows programs that I don't want but have to use.

The internet never disappoints.

@AlanMunn you learn something new every day

@DavidCarlisle :)

@DavidCarlisle It is good to have some fun while we are here. :)

We got new stickers for our suitcases. If you want one you‘ll have to come to Bonn in July:

@UlrikeFischer Oh, globetrotters :)

\documentclass{article}
\usepackage{fontspec}
\usepackage{amsmath}
\usepackage{unicode-math}
\setmathfont[]{STIXTwoMath}
\begin{document}
$[\mdsmblkcircle\text{\textsc{f}}\mdsmblkcircle]$

$[\smblkcircle\text{\textsc{f}}\smblkcircle]$

$[\ast\text{\textsc{f}}\ast]$
\end{document}

What's the best way to scale the black circle? The small version is too small but the medium small version is too big. I want it to look approximately the same size as the asterisk (which optically probably means a bit smaller since the circle is so dense).

@AlanMunn (a) blame @barbarabeeton (b) \circle*{something} ?

@TeXnician nyxt just froze on me when I first opened stackexchange. Had to SIGKILL it...

@DavidCarlisle Not sure what you mean about \circle*. Where is that defined?

@AlanMunn latex format, ask @samcarter about picture mode

@AlanMunn -- \bullet was supposed to have the same "weight" as the asterisk. Whether that actually happened was out of my control. Under the circumstances, I guess I'd pack the smallest circle i a box and scale it down. (Or scale \cdot up.)

@barbarabeeton \bullet seems to be the same as \smblkcircle which is too small.

@AlanMunn -- Tried to run your test file, but the system I use (not under my control; no TeX on my laptop because I don't want to be a sysadmin) hasn't got STIXTwoMath set up that way.

@barbarabeeton You can try it at texlive.net Just make sure you have the % !TEX TS-program = LuaLaTeX magic comment line at the top.

@AlanMunn -- I just ran a plain TeX test with \bullet and \ast, and the bullet is weightier than the \ast. So this is a problem of long standing. I think the two symbols have the same diameter, but since the bullet is solid, ...

@barbarabeeton Yes, I think that's the problem for sure.

What is even "mdsmblkcircle"? Z notation spot?

@mickep you don't speak Z? en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Z_notation

@DavidCarlisle Haha, apparently not. But LaTeX is mentioned there, so maybe you are.

@DavidCarlisle I thought of Z-transformations...

@barbarabeeton Heiko has a nice solution to scaling the dot here which I can adapt.

@AlanMunn -- It seems I looked at that some time ago (upvote). Yes, that looks like a good approach.

@mickep well the same way I know about vim, as wikipedia says, "VDM-SL, the main alternative to Z" I was in a big VDM group in a previous life, so Z was the enemy:-)

@DavidCarlisle Oh, you have really been involved.

@mickep -- When the STIX project to add math symbols to Unicode was underway, there was an explicit request from the Unicode Technical Committee to include the Z notation. I don't know for sure, but guess that the Z project already had a standing request. Anyhow, it was added in. All the records were left at AMS when I retired.

@barbarabeeton I guess they only wanted to add it to tease @DavidCarlisle

@UlrikeFischer That's the one and only disadvantage of having TUG23 in Bonn: no need for you to carry around this beautiful suitcase :P

@samcarter I can use it to transport the LaTeX Companion books ...

@UlrikeFischer oh, that will be heavy :)

Folks, a quick question: How do you add a number line on top of a gantt chart? I'm not sure if there is a name for it..

The second image is what I'm looking for

Is it possible using gantt? or is there an easier way to create it?

The text in the line are not necessarily in any order, they could be anything, and some points need not have text above them

Would appreciate any help/ pointers to draw this

@GermanShepherd You'll probably get a faster answer on the main site for this question since the majority of regular chat users are the LaTeX development team rather than regular users. It seems that you might be able to do this via the title of the chart; alternatively the tikzmark package is likely another easy way.