Re: What Software to Type Math In?

In article <ds3l1c$4at$1@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>, Justin <no@xxxxxxxx> wrote:
LuckyOne <gwlucky@xxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

: Did LaTex put something in everyone's coffee? You folks remind me of
: religious converts who constantly have to convince themselves they like
: their new religion. You protest and protect far too much. Use what
: you like and I'll get on with my life never having had a problem with
: the equation editor I have.

The difference being that religions are all relative whereas with
typesetting there are some tangible measurements.

Latex is more powerful and more flexible than any other typesetting method
out there. That's not to say that others won't fit the bill in small
applications or if your needs are fairly limited, but if you need the
maximum amount of kick it's Latex or bust, basically. This is why it's
grown to be the default in mathematics, and this is what the original
poster was asking anyway.

The problem is that Latex, and the others, are typeSETTIMG
methods, and this is always complicated. Very often, one
wants typing methods which do not necessarily produce good
looking output, but produce readable output quickly, and
without using horrible notational strings. Typing 100
characters when 10 will do is not a good idea. I frequently
type mathematics without writing it first, and TeX, which I
have used, and its derivative Latex, which I have not, just
require too much window-dressing.

Another advantage of at typewriter rather than a typesetter
is that the author has easy control of line breaks. Also,
fixed width fonts are necessary for easy communication.
This goes completely against the typesetting mentality.

If Microsoft Word, for example, has worked for you then that's fine, but I
wouldn't recommend it because I have no idea of the needs and goals of the
original poster and by recommending Latex I am 99.99% sure he will be
satisfied.





--
This address is for information only. I do not claim that these views
are those of the Statistics Department or of Purdue University.
Herman Rubin, Department of Statistics, Purdue University
hrubin@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Phone: (765)494-6054 FAX: (765)494-0558
.

Relevant Pages

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