Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!rpi!zeno1.rdrc.rpi.edu!jvmiller
From: jvmiller@zeno1.rdrc.rpi.edu (Jim Miller)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga
Subject: Re: Tools for writing manuals...
Summary: TeX, LaTeX, BibTex, etc
Message-ID: <5928@rpi.edu>
Date: 11 Jul 89 13:58:48 GMT
References: <8155@bsu-cs.bsu.edu> <3161@wpi.wpi.edu>
Sender: usenet@rpi.edu
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TeX for the Amiga comes with several sets of macros that
enable it to perform various typsetting operations automatically.
The macro packages include the plain TeX macros, LaTeX macros,
BibTeX macros, and a couple of others I believe.

TeX (using the vanilla macros) is pretty difficult to use.
LaTeX, however, allows the user to easily create
tables and mathmatical equations.  It does however take away
one the more useful tabbing environments from TeX in favor
of two other tabbing environments.

I have used TeX for 6 months now on the Amiga.  It can get
a little frustrating processing the TeX files due to the
limited error messages, but it is well worth it.

The way Tex works is that you type in commands along with your
document (like the old word-processors that did not imbede the
commands).  Then you run your file through TeX, creating a dvi
file (device independent).  The file can then be printed on 
any printer with the suitable printing program.  It can even be
uploaded to a mainframe with TeX, and printed there.

TeX costs about $300 (with the Laser Printer support) and is well
worth the investment.  It comes with thousands of fonts in different
sizes that can be scaled to fit your needs.  It is the first program
I have seen that makes it easy to write mathematical equations
that not only look good on paper but are also understandable
in the TeX syntax (\alpha means place an alpha here, etc).

If you want professional looking output, without having to specify
where everything has to located (like in a word processor or a
desk top publisher), then TeX is the answer.

(I believe TeX was originally written to process books.  It definately
has the capability.  My largest TeX document was 200 pages (senior
project).)



Jimmy Miller