YDL in Mac OS X Hints today

[Stefan Bruda]

Hi.

At 20:58 -0800 on 2004-2-27 Clinton MacDonald wrote:
 >
 > > Not sure about support of forms, but have you
 > > ever tried LyX? It's generally very cool for
 > > writing technical documents.
 > 
 > I have heard of LyX (and the somehow related TEX and
 > LaTEX). I am attracted by the openness and
 > cross-platformness (to coin a word) of its ASCII-based
 > format, while being simultaneously repulsed by the
 > thought of having to learn a page layout language.

LaTeX is a wonderful system.  Once you become proficent it is
virtually impossible to go back to a word processor--the document
quality is really nonexistent by comparison, and so is the
flexibility.  There are also add-ons to LaTeX that let you do anything
(from diagram drawing to overhead presentations).

The downside is the learning curve, LaTeX is a programming language so
you'll have to learn it first.  If you want to use it really quickly
the "LaTeX: A Document Preparation System" (by Leslie Lamport, Addison
Wesley, 1994) is a must (learning by examples tends to be slower).  In
terms of Linux installation you will have to set down and hour or two
to configure the interface to your liking (e.g., XEmacs + TeTeX +
preview), but after this you will smile.

LyX could be the best next thing for a beginner.

 > What are your experiences with LyX? Is there a Mac OS
 > X incarnation you can recommend that I can play with
 > until I fix my YDL Wallstreet PowerBook?

Take a look at http://www.18james.com/lyx_on_aqua.html for an OS X
version.  There is an installation howto too.  As for documentation,
go to the main Web site (http://www.lyx.org/about/) and start digging
from the links therein.

Stefan

P.S.  Incidentally, my successful NSERC grant application was written
a year ago in LaTeX (except the forms that generate themselves over
the Web), though I would hesitate to claim that it was successful
_because_ was written in LaTeX. ;-)

-- 
If it was so, it might be; and if it were so, it would be; but as
it isn't, it ain't. That's logic.
    --Lewis Carroll, Through the Looking-Glass