The Typesetting
Wizard
Quick Links: MikTEX, lshort (pdf), Cheat Sheet (pdf)
What is LaTeX?
First, you need to know something about TeX. TeX is a typesetting program created by Donald E. Knuth. It is very popular in the mathematics, physics and computer science communities.
LaTeX is a document preparation system for TeX. It has inherited the nice typesetting features of TeX, and added in many other powerful automating functions such as numbering and cross-referencing, tables and figures, page layout, bibliographies, and much more. LaTeX was originally written in 1984 by Leslie Lamport and has become the dominant method for using TeX.
The Brilliant Idea of LaTeX
LaTeX is based on the brilliant idea of separating the logical and visual markup of the document so that authors can concentrate on writing within the logical structure of their document, rather than spending their time on the details of formatting. LaTeX encourages the separation of formatting from content, whilst still allowing manual typesetting adjustments where needed.
Why should I use LaTeX?
Being a member of SPS, you have to be able to type your long reports. If you have tried to type a 30-page report without the help of LaTeX, you must have gone through the trouble of checking the numbering of sections and sub-sections, getting the line spacing right, generating a content page, settling the fonts in bibliography and so on. Things get worse if you need to make some change in the middle of the paper. With LaTeX, you don't have to worry about such problems any more! LaTeX gives you more time to think about refining the contents of your report, rather than worrying about the format of the document.
Can I prepare presentation slides using LaTeX?
Of course! Without LaTeX, typing equations in your presentation slides could be a nightmare. You can install TexPoint to typeset equations in a powerpoint document using LaTeX, or generate PDF presentation slides using a special LaTeX class called beamer.LaTeX2ε, LaTeX3, PCTeX, MiKTeX, teTeX ... which is which?
You don't need to know exactly what they are before you can start trying LaTeX. The following is just for your information:
- LaTeX2ε
is the current version of LaTeX and LaTeX3
is the next version.
- teTeX is a complete TeX
distribution for UNIX compatible systems.
- MiKTeX is a free version of TeX
for Win32 systems. It consists of
many other components besides the classic TeX, such as pdfTeX, MetaPost,
Yap, etc.
If you are considering installing LaTeX in your own Windows
PC, MiKTeX is the right choice.
- PCTeX is
another TeX distribution working in Microsoft Windows environment. However,
it is NOT FREE! By the way, all other versions of (La)TeX mentioned
here are free and open source.
- If you are a Mac lover, TeXShop is for you!
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