From Pitman to Gregg

Hi everyone - this is my first post here.

Back when I was but a lad, I was into codes and cyphers and "secret" writing. The local library had books on Pitman and Gregg, and for whatever reason, I gravitated to Pitman. Short forms aside, I found it easier to read.

However, I've recently discovered the beauty and elegance of Gregg. I've heard people on both sides say their favorite system is prettier, but for me, I find myself quite drawn to Gregg's more flowing look and feel. I still find it harder to read -- less straighforward somehow -- but that may simply be my inexperience.

I'm thinking about using Gregg mostly for personal journaling and note-taking. I like using pen and paper, but I am easily frustrated at how long it takes to write down an idea in longhand (compared to typing). My concern about Gregg is something I remember reading somewhere on the Internet a while back: that Pitman is better suited for long-term use, and Gregg generally needs to be transcribed while it's still fresh in the mind of the person who wrote it. Someone said they discovered in their attic a diary written in Pitman, and they were able to read it just fine. And yet I hear that there is literature out there written in Gregg. So I can only assume the person making that particular Pitman-is-better-than-Gregg comment was wrong.

Or maybe they were referring to a version of Gregg that is less-suited to long-term use. I saw an example of Anniversary the other day, and saw the vowel markers for the first time in my life. I never knew that was once part of Gregg. Maybe that's the difference, I don't know.

Anyone care to comment?

P.S. - This is a great group, I'm very happy to have found you all.

P.P.S. - I loved the idea someone had of writing a padlock combination in Gregg right on the lock. Very clever and actually pretty funny!


(by mikemcmichael for everyone)

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