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From: inm501@csc.anu.edu.au
Newsgroups: comp.text.tex
Subject: Why use TeX if ...
Message-ID: <1991May4.165602.1@csc.anu.edu.au>
Date: 4 May 91 05:56:02 GMT
Sender: news@newshost.anu.edu.au
Organization: Computer Services, Australian National University
Lines: 51


	I am using OzTeX on the Macintosh.  I've almost come to a conclusion 
that is not worth learning about TeX, LaTeX if:

(1)  you already have the program mentioned below;
(2)  you don't mind paying for the program; 
(3)  you don't want to transfer you documents to other platforms; or,
(4)  you are just an average user who doesn't require much sophisticated 
     typesetting.

Things that TeX is supposed to be good for:

(1)  Cross-referencing:
	I can do what BibTeX can do with things like EndNote and ProCite.
I believe that with a little bit of fiddling, I can get EndNote to cross
reference my diagrams, or probably equations as well.

(2)  Typesetting equations:
	I think MathType is doing a pretty good job and it is fool-proof.
Incidentally, MathType comes with a TeX interface which converts equations 
into TeX commands.

(3)  Macros:
	If you like to automate things, Nisus doesn't look bad at all. I've
played with the demo and it seems to be pretty powerful.



Things that I don't like about TeX and OzTeX (no flame intended!!):

(1)  It doesn't support background printing in OzTeX so that the Mac is 
held up when the document is waiting to be printed.

(2)  It is a *PAIN* to incorporate PS, EPS  diagrams in OzTeX document if you 
want to center it automatically.  Larry Siebenmann wrote a macro for BoxedEPSF 
for this purpose. It is pretty good but I had yet to get it to work for PS 
files.

(3)  A few files are generated along the way.  They usually add up to be bigger
than the corresponding Word file.

(4)  Most WP programs on the Mac do come with spelling checker these days.
To spell check a TeX files, you will have to detex it first or to find a 
spelling checker that will ignore TeX commands.  I don't think there is
such a spelling checker on the Mac yet.

	I am looking for someone to convince me otherwise.  Could someone give
me some concrete examples that TeX is superior than a combination of the Mac
programs mentioned above?

Ida