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Word processor vs. LaTeX or TeX

Discussion in 'Techno-Magic' started by Ragusa, Mar 1, 2008.

  1. Ragusa

    Ragusa Eternal Halfling Paladin Veteran

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    [​IMG] I have been using XML intensively for a while now, I'm well familiar with markup languages and the like and I have always been somewhat unhappy with MS Word type programs, and Open Office for that. So I consider to give LaTeX or TeX a try, and I am curious whether anyone here has some experience with that and whether the change is worth the effort of getting into something rather new?
     
  2. Kitrax

    Kitrax Pantaloons are supposed to go where!?!?

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    I've got to be honest with you...I've never even heard of the two you listed.

    I've used Open Office, M$ Office 2003, M$ Office 2007, and one of the Corell programs, and of those Office 2003 was my favorite...however, they all do the same thing in the end.

    What's the big selling point for LaTeX or TeX? :hmm: :rolling:
     
  3. henkie

    henkie Hammertime Resourceful Adored Veteran New Server Contributor [2012] (for helping Sorcerer's Place lease a new, more powerful server!)

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    That you don't have to worry so much about the layout, as LaTeX does that for you. Which is not to say that it's not fully customisable, should you wish so.

    The main reason I switched from Word to LaTeX is that it always seems to be intent on doing something to the layout which I did not want it to do. For example, if in LaTeX I put \end{center}, I know that text will return to default alignment from that point onward. If I want to accomplish the same in Word, I need to use an extra empty line or Word will simply ignore my wishes, which is especially aggravating when trying to keep the formatting of a header to just the header, and not to spill over to the previous page.

    Another good thing about LaTeX is that it is very easy to make a reference to a certain figure, table, equation, bibliography, chapter, or whatever. You can simply create a label for it and refer to that label ever after and it will just work, no matter what changes you make to the document afterwards.

    A thing which has been annoying me about Word again lately (I have to use it at work, sadly), is the way it handles figures, and the way they bound across pages as I type. Because you work in a script-like environment with LaTeX, the only time I have to watch pictures bound across pages, is if I compile the document, and then I can still rest assured in the knowledge that I can always put it exactly where I want by simply copy pasting the code for the figure to another location and optionally altering the parameters which determine where the figure will be positioned.

    Lastly, equations look far prettier in LaTeX than in Word, plus that entering the code for the equations in LaTeX feels more natural to me than using the point-and-click Microsoft Equation Editor.

    If you're running Windows, MikTeX is a quick and easy way to install LaTeX on your system, plus the full install basically has all the packages in it you'll ever need, so you needn't go look for them afterwards.

    A very good document to start your introduction to the wonderful world that is LaTeX is The Not So Short Introduction to LaTeX2e
     
  4. Ragusa

    Ragusa Eternal Halfling Paladin Veteran

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    Point is, you can read any LaTeX text in a normal text editor, much unlike a word document. The formatting is through markup, and not through special coding, which is the stuff that you cannot read when you open a word document in an editor. That keeps documents compact, and gives you a great deal of interoperability with other programs.

    I'm still trying to worm myself into it, but the amount of time I am willing to invest is somewhat limited. So far, it looks good and comprehensible to me, although I haven't yet managed to generate an output of text I wrote on TeXnicCenter, a package (freeware) for TeX.
     
  5. henkie

    henkie Hammertime Resourceful Adored Veteran New Server Contributor [2012] (for helping Sorcerer's Place lease a new, more powerful server!)

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    If you post some of the document here (or PM some of it), I can check if I can get it to work on my side.

    For simple documents, LaTeX is very simple. An occasional \section or \chapter together with a proper preamble will get you a long way.
     
  6. Ragusa

    Ragusa Eternal Halfling Paladin Veteran

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    I managed to properly install all the plugins from miketex into Texmaker. I'm currently writing my first text with TeX, and thus far it is pretty ok, but I miss the formatting I made a habit of doing 'on the fly' while writing on Word.

    Is there anything like a complete list of Tex formatting instructions? How can I write crazy signs like per mill? Is there a set of How can I make a table of contents automatically without it saying 'Contents' which is preposterous in a document written in German.
     
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