Overleaf vs. TextPad

Overleaf is good to use in a lot of scenarios where something is to be written as a group. However, I believe that it is only good up to a certain amount of people working on the document at once. While I am unsure when it becomes too much, I got no doubt that there is a limit for when it is that good. Though normally, our group size of up to six people has been fine to work with in Overleaf.

Incentivized

I like the macro feature for transforming text. For example, taking a CSV file of data and quickly turning it into a set of SQL "insert" statements. Also, useful for this is the find/replace feature using regular expressions such as taking a URL QueryString and breaking all the parameters into separate lines and perhaps sorting them for review.

Incentivized

• Easy to get started and compile documents
• Collaborative scientific writing
• Latex documentation
• Built in templates
• Comments and chat features

Incentivized

• Quick to load.
• Very fast searching algorithm for finding and replacing text.
• Macros are very useful.

Incentivized

• IEEE benefits were removed
• Commenting system could be better
• Project organization could be better

Incentivized

• I would like a "delete non-bookmarked lines" so I can skip the "invert bookmarks" step.
• The "Compare Text Files" could be streamlined to compare text in 2 tabs without going through the save steps.

Incentivized

It's easy to use for a variety of skill levels. It has most features you could want from an text editor and LaTeX editor. Collaboration is easy for all skill levels including for first time users. The UI is pleasant enough and the website is quick to load. All the packages you need are available.

Incentivized

I never had to use support, so I can't answer this. I would hope that it is good though.

Incentivized

Alongside Overleaf, we have tried using Microsoft Word and Google Docs to write reports. While they all let you write in the same document at once, Overleaf just works better for us. Microsoft Word locks the paragraph someone else is working on to avoid others messing with it before the original writer is done. However, it is often slow to open those paragraphs up for others to edit. Google Docs is the hardest one of them to make a good layout on, though with the app, it can be good for proofreading on the go.

Incentivized

When you want to quickly edit a file, TextPad starts up quickly and has many features over Microsoft Notepad. Visual Studio Code is an alternative in that it is full-featured and will edit text files but is slower at startup. I prefer the macro feature in TextPad due to its simplicity.

Incentivized

• Easier to collaborate with team members
• Easy reviewing of papers by colleagues
• Simple to use latex publishing which promotes the use of it

Incentivized

• Made my job easier, so I would say it had a positive return on investment. Especially for it's overall low cost.

Incentivized