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From: amgreene@athena.mit.edu (Andrew Marc Greene)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.misc
Subject: Re: TeX: its purpose? Other applications?
Message-ID: <1991Mar6.213752.18731@athena.mit.edu>
Date: 6 Mar 91 21:37:52 GMT
References: <1991Mar3.084437.13412@odin.diku.dk> <1991Mar6.121713.11453@sugar.hackercorp.com> <52823@cornell.UUCP> <27D554A7.10243@ics.uci.edu>
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Organization: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
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In article <27D554A7.10243@ics.uci.edu>, dcoteles@bonnie.ics.uci.edu (David Domenick Cotelessa) writes:
|> What does TEX do? Someone replied to me that it converts Postscript
|> to dot matrix/inkjet graphics, but as I searched through ftp sites for
|> stuff, TeX seems to do more than just that!!!!

TeX has nothing to do with PostScript (except that you can print its output
on PS printers....)

|> Can someone please inform me of all the functions and applications of TeX,
|> as well as how to use with other programs/applications (like word processors,
|> publishing,.....)

The applications are too numerous to mention here.  (Did you know that
parts of TV Guide are typeset using TeX?)  Basically, TeX is a very
powerful typesetting language that was tuned for technical and mathematical
documents of any length.  It requires a seperate editor (such as Emacs)
to create/edit the files.  AmigaTeX (an outstanding implementation!) can
import IFF graphics.  Your output can be printed on virtually any output
device, from a 9-pin printer to a 2400dpi phototypesetter.  Additionally,
your file will be readable by users of ANY computer (I*M PC, M*c, VAX, RT,
Sun, Cray, etc.) because TeX is such a widespread standard.

|> As long as I'm askin', what is LaTeX and other program that specifically use
|> TeX?

LaTeX is a macro package that fits on top of TeX and gives you the ability
to do structural markup (such as "chapter", "section", etc.)  It comes 
standard with all TeX setups.

|> This may be a large order, but I appreciate the help.

If you have any more questions, you can send them to me email.  (I'm a
member of the TeX User's Group, and I'm also employed by MIT's Project
Athena to do TeX and LaTeX support for the Project).

- Andrew Greene