[math-fun] math paper tool = latex
hihi, all - i've used latex for some decades now (well, maybe two), and found it to be superb for what i need it runs on unixen and on windows it is free it is supported by a wide community more later, cal
I used Latex for my one and so far only published math paper (in the AMM, 3/03) and did get it to do a good job. But learning it was no fun, and I will have to relearn most of it for my next paper (due out before the end of the decade: I work slowly). The basic mode of Latex, of interleaving text with obscure commands, was largely obsolete interface-wise at least 15 years ago. The fact that it's not wysiwyg is a huge handicap. There's gotta be something wrong with a situation where the software goes bananas if you so much as leave out one dollar sign. I encourage you to try (without having done it previously) to format a complicated table in Latex. It's user-hostile geekware. If it were easier to use I would have already sent off my long-promised entries to Eric's Math Encyclopedia. I'm amazed that no enterprising programmer has undertaken to provide a friendly interface for it at a low price. Until then, I am tempted to write in Word (which has some lousy features and quite a few bugs) and Eequation, and translate it to Latex using one of the apps on the market. They don't handle certain complexities well, but neither do I when using Latex. Note: I am known for being very critical and quite intolerant of lousy interfaces. I make no exception for Knuth's stuff. I expect this message to generate more than its share of (polite) sneering and derision. Steve Gray ----- Original Message ----- From: "Chris Landauer" <cal@rush.aero.org> To: <math-fun@mailman.xmission.com> Cc: <cal@rush.aero.org> Sent: Tuesday, March 01, 2005 1:38 PM Subject: [math-fun] math paper tool = latex
hihi, all -
i've used latex for some decades now (well, maybe two), and found it to be superb for what i need
it runs on unixen and on windows
it is free
it is supported by a wide community
more later, cal
_______________________________________________ math-fun mailing list math-fun@mailman.xmission.com http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/math-fun
As an alternative to Microsoft Word, you might want to try Open Office.org, which can be downloaded from http://www.openoffice.org/ . The equation editor is a markup language, and a friendly one. You have the choice of typing the markup text, or mouse clicking. Your final document can be exported into PDF. There is also MathML, but I have never used it, and so I can't comment. Gene --- Steve Gray <stevebg@adelphia.net> wrote:
I used Latex for my one and so far only published math paper (in the AMM, 3/03) and did get it to do a good job. But learning it was no fun, and I will have to relearn most of it for my next paper (due out before the end of the decade: I work slowly). The basic mode of Latex, of interleaving text with obscure commands, was largely obsolete interface-wise at least 15 years ago. The fact that it's not wysiwyg is a huge handicap. There's gotta be something wrong with a situation where the software goes bananas if you so much as leave out one dollar sign. I encourage you to try (without having done it previously) to format a complicated table in Latex. It's user-hostile geekware. If it were easier to use I would have already sent off my long-promised entries to Eric's Math Encyclopedia. I'm amazed that no enterprising programmer has undertaken to provide a friendly interface for it at a low price. Until then, I am tempted to write in Word (which has some lousy features and quite a few bugs) and Eequation, and translate it to Latex using one of the apps on the market. They don't handle certain complexities well, but neither do I when using Latex. Note: I am known for being very critical and quite intolerant of lousy interfaces. I make no exception for Knuth's stuff. I expect this message to generate more than its share of (polite) sneering and derision.
Steve Gray
----- Original Message ----- From: "Chris Landauer" <cal@rush.aero.org> To: <math-fun@mailman.xmission.com> Cc: <cal@rush.aero.org> Sent: Tuesday, March 01, 2005 1:38 PM Subject: [math-fun] math paper tool = latex
hihi, all -
i've used latex for some decades now (well, maybe two), and found it to be superb for what i need
it runs on unixen and on windows
it is free
it is supported by a wide community
more later, cal
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The basic mode of Latex, of interleaving text with obscure commands, was largely obsolete interface-wise at least 15 years ago. Like XML? ;)
Many journals require TeX, so if you intend to publish more than one paper, you'll have to learn. It's not wysiwyg, but there are some systems that get pretty close, re-rendering at a single keystroke. Writing a book in MS Word is masochistic. It was designed for short documents (around 50 pages) and documents begin to crumble under their own weight after that. The equation editor in word is mostly mouse driven, so if you want to be able to just type an equation, it's painful. OpenOffice has a different approach that allows you to type an expression that gets rendered as math. -- Mike Stay staym@clear.net.nz http://www.cs.auckland.ac.nz/~msta039
Some other options: Bare html -- it now supports subscripts & superscripts. It is readable by MS Word, which can then convert it to other formats. Rich text format (RTF) -- it's about as easy as html (or Lisp -- replace () with {}); use MS Word to view result (but _not_ to generate RTF -- it puts in a huge load of c**p that isn't necessary).
I agree with this 1000%. I converted a 160-page document to MS Word, and I almost got carpal tunnel syndrome because MS Word has no way to automate certain operations. I'll never do that again. At 04:32 PM 3/1/2005, M. Stay wrote:
Writing a book in MS Word is masochistic. It was designed for short documents (around 50 pages) and documents begin to crumble under their own weight after that.
This page explains exactly how to set up a very fine LaTeX/emacs/dvi-previewer and PDF-writing system on Windows with an absolute minimum of fuss. I just consulted it a month ago in setting up a new laptop. The instructions are simple, and flawless, as far as I can tell. In particular, it's possible to write PDF without paying Adobe. http://www.math.aau.dk/~dethlef/Tips/introduction.html The trouble of learning emacs and LaTeX is repaid many times over in mathematical writing. TeX itself is a miraculous piece of software that's well worth studying even if you never use it (!). So is emacs. Thane Plambeck http://www.plambeck.org/ehome.htm Chris Landauer wrote:
hihi, all -
i've used latex for some decades now (well, maybe two), and found it to be superb for what i need
it runs on unixen and on windows
it is free
it is supported by a wide community
more later, cal
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participants (6)
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Chris Landauer -
Eugene Salamin -
Henry Baker -
M. Stay -
Steve Gray -
Thane Plambeck