Do you use Latex?

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02-05-2008, 09:13 PM
ninja9578

Do you use Latex?

I'm curious because my professor is introducing us to it and it seems that tech users use it. My textbooks are seem to be all written in Latex. It looks really nice, but I'm wondering how easy it is to learn.
02-05-2008, 09:31 PM
dsr

Docbook XML is probably easier to learn and better for automated parsing, but LaTeX is, well, LaTeX, and it won't be disappearing anytime soon. There is a free document processor called LyX that does (almost) all the LaTeX work for you. It's a really great program, and there's an Aqua version available.
02-06-2008, 02:50 PM
Identity X

Quote:

Originally Posted by dsr

Docbook XML is probably easier to learn and better for automated parsing, but LaTeX is, well, LaTeX, and it won't be disappearing anytime soon. There is a free document processor called LyX that does (almost) all the LaTeX work for you. It's a really great program, and there's an Aqua version available.

Better still is TeXMacs, which does do all the LaTeX stuff for you. It's a great program in itss own right; I use it for all my essays, reports etc. Writing mathematical equations in it - and anything in general - is easy and flawless.

You'll find it in Synaptic in Ubuntu, and their's a native Windows port, too. OS X is supported, too (though not quite as easily).

http://www.texmacs.org/Samples/texmacs-1.png

You can export staight to PDF, too.
02-07-2008, 04:47 AM
ninja9578

Looked at TeXMac and I knew about LyX. I don't want a WYSIWYG editor, that's why I'm considering using LaTeX. I have iWork for that. I'm looking at MacTeX right now, it might be nice.
02-07-2008, 11:42 PM
dsr

Identity X, TeXmacs looks cool. It doesn't appear to run as well as LyX does on Windows and Mac OS X, but its UI is a lot more appealing than that of LyX. What you see on screen is actually what you get (WYSOSIAWYG, anyone? :D ).

Quote:

Originally Posted by ninja9578

I don't want a WYSIWYG editor, that's why I'm considering using LaTeX. I have iWork for that.

LyX and TeXmacs are not like WYSIWYG word processors. Instead of formatting text manually, you just tell the program what kind of content it's supposed to be, and the program does the formatting automagically. LyX is a lot more practical than LaTeX and gives you just as much power because you can insert raw LaTeX code if you feel like it. I assume TeXmacs is similar.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ninja9578

I'm looking at MacTeX right now, it might be nice.

I've heard that MacTeX is good. As a back-end to LyX, I use the older teTeX instead of MacTeX and it works just as well. You can install it with Fink via "sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get upgrade && sudo apt-get install tetex".