Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!van-bc!ubc-cs!alberta!alberta!simon
From: simon@alberta.uucp (Simon Tortike)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac
Subject: Re: MSWord4 eqns stink
Keywords: Word4 equations
Message-ID: <1990Feb22.183436.16819@cs.UAlberta.CA>
Date: 22 Feb 90 18:34:36 GMT
References: <7748@tank.uchicago.edu>
Sender: news@cs.UAlberta.CA (News Administrator)
Reply-To: simon@alberta.UUCP (Simon Tortike)
Organization: Petroleum Engg, U of Alberta
Lines: 29

In article <7748@tank.uchicago.edu> rtp1@tank.uchicago.edu (raymond thomas pierrehumbert) writes:
>I started using Word some time ago basically because it was the only 
>word processor with a built in equation facility.  I don't like
......... lots of groans about equation processing.

I agree with you wholeheartedly.  I use TeXtures from Blue Sky
because I don't mind a little masochism with my desire for
as-perfect-as-possible mathematical typesetting.  The previewing is not
as bad as one might think, although a handy laserwriter is probably a must.
If TeX is too much like self-flagellation, try MathType (latest is v2.0 or
thereabouts) as an equation-preparing DA.  It inserts all spaces for you,
like TeX, and can generate bold and italic Greek, something a colleague
could not make Expressionist do.  I have used both MathType and Expressionist,
and prefer MathType.  I am sure Expressionist has a few features not
available in MathType, but it was the ones missing from Expressionist which
bothered me the most.

I see lots of theses prepared with Word, with or without the aid of 
Expressionist or MathType, and the mathematics are OK if you are not too
perfectionist, but the poorer the math typesetting, the more difficult it
is to follow the equations.  Try following some of the published lecture notes
on sparse matrix algebra that were typed using a typewriter, to see what I 
mean.  It depends what you want the reader to feel!
-------------------
W. Simon Tortike,                         | tel    : 403/492-3338
Dept of Mining, Metallurgical             | fax    : 403/492-7219
      and Petroleum Engineering,          | CDNnet : simon@cs.UAlberta.CA
University of Alberta,                    | uucp   : simon@alberta.uucp
Edmonton, AB, CANADA T6G 2G6.             |