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From: gsg0384@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu
Newsgroups: comp.text
Subject: LaTeX's {eqnarray} is braindamaged.
Message-ID: <113600018@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu>
Date: 8 Jan 90 10:38:34 GMT
Lines: 56
Nf-ID: #N:uxa.cso.uiuc.edu:113600018:000:2151
Nf-From: uxa.cso.uiuc.edu!gsg0384    Jan  6 12:18:00 1990



Hi,

My biggest complaints about LaTeX are as follows:

1.  When the \begin{eqnarray} ... \end{eqnarray} comes after any equation
   environment such as \[ ... \], LaTeX reserves too much white space
   between the two.   It is really annoying.  Any cure for this?

2.  LaTeX does not like to start a new page with an equation.  It always
   takes one text line preceding the equation with it when it starts a new
   page.   Why not start a new page with an equation?

3. Inside \begin{eqnarray} ... \end{eqnarray}, column aligning symbol &
   researves too wide white space.  So the result looks like this:

                 a    =    b + c + d

                      +    e + f + g.                                     ( 1 )

   Any cure for this?

4.  Inside \begin{eqnarray} ...  \end{eqnarray} and when we use \lefteqn{ .. },
   LaTeX assumes the finishing position of the equation-line after 
   \lefteqn{ .. } is physically longer than the finishing position of 
   the equation line inside \lefteqn{  ... }.  If it's not the case, the 
   result becomes like

                       a = b + c + d + e + f + g + h + i + j + k + l + m + n

                          + o + p + q + r + s.                               ( 2 )

	Any cure for this?

5. After processing a multiline equation by \begin{eqnarray} ... \end{eqnarray}
   and when the last line is exceedingly long, Latex does not position the 
   equation mumber in the correct position as it does under a one-line
   environment \begin{equation} .. \end{equation}.   So the result looks like

   a = b + c

      + d + ........................................................ + y +(z3.)

	I of course want the equation number to be positioned below 'z.' as
	\begin{equation} ... \end{equation} does.   Any cure for this?

All these are about \begin{eqnarray} ... \end{eqnarray}.  The conclusion is
that I do not like this environment.   If LaTeX had provided a way to 
set the equation position style parameter 'fleqn' in the middle of a 
document, it would ease my complaints.
TeX/LaTeX is supposed to be the best in equation handling.

Thanks for any cure or info about these.

	Hugh