Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!yale!mintaka!mit-eddie!uw-beaver!ubc-cs!alberta!calgary!news
From: news@calgary.UUCP (Network News Manager)
Newsgroups: comp.text
Subject: Re: Thesis formatting program for word processors??
Message-ID: <2355@cs-spool.calgary.UUCP>
Date: 17 Jan 90 18:23:06 GMT
References: <481@iceman.jcu.oz> <4173@csv.viccol.edu.au>
Reply-To: sharp@ksi.cpsc.ucalgary.ca.UUCP (Maurice Sharp)
Organization: Knowledge Science Lab, U. of Calgary, Calgary, Canada.
Lines: 40

From: sharp@cpsc.ucalgary.ca (Maurice Sharp)
Path: cpsc!sharp

In article <4173@csv.viccol.edu.au> dougcc@csv.viccol.edu.au (Douglas Miller) writes:
>In article <481@iceman.jcu.oz>, ccmlh@iceman.jcu.oz (Michael L Hope) writes:
   stuff about style/formats for a thesis
>> stuff about using LaTeX for the purpose

I must throw in my 2 cents worth.  I used to use LaTeX for things,
then I discovered the joy of Word.  Around this department, people use
both for thesis writing.  Yes LaTeX has styles for thesis, it is also
horrible to use.  It is like writing code in C and compiling.

With LaTeX you can get the overall appearance right, but the fine
points are an absolute bi*ch to get the way they should be.  And if
you are thinking of diagrams, dream on.  You can do it, but you need a
LaTeX guru/hack to get them right.

In Word you have to set it up yourself.  On the other hand, we  have
had people do it quite succesfully.  Also, diagrams, tables, figures,
etc. are very easy to put in.  

A difficulty with a 'standard' thesis
format is that there is NOT one.  Every institution has their own
little quirks.    

My suggestion is find someone who has completed a thesis for the
institution on a machine you want to use, using an editor you like,
then find out how they did it.  If you want to use Word, then
hopefully the person used style sheets and glossaries.  If so, you can
copy them which gives you as much (if not more) power than LaTeX.
Remember, LaTeX is not at all WYSIWYG.  You have to 'compile' it to
view what you have done.  In Word, just type it (on PageView) or at
worst, go into a page preview.

	maurice
Maurice Sharp MSc. Student
University of Calgary Computer Science Department
2500 University Drive N.W.			      sharp@ksi.cpsc.UCalgary.CA
Calgary, Alberta, T2N 1N4	                   ...!alberta!calgary!sharp