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[mzunderstanding]

Freeware?

Difficult to download and use?

Could I run it from my USB drive?

I should search for these responses, but the CHE search function hates me. :)

[namazu]

Try here: http://www.ctan.org/starter.html

Note: TeX and its variants aren't software, per se, but rather "typesetting systems" (like HTML is a markup "language").  You do, however, need software to render the typeset text (just as browsers, for example, render HTML).  There are several software packages that do this in different computing environments.  The website above provides links to examples for Windows, Mac, and UNIX/Linux.

Freeware: yes, you can find it as freeware.

Difficulty: depends on your comfort level with mark-up languages or similar typesetting systems.

USB: possibly, but I don't know for sure.  [Edit: tug.org has a "USBTeX" implementation somewhere]

[mzunderstanding]

Thank you very much, Namazu! I've seen several blog posts about the effectiveness and time saving of using TeX. And with the bizarre changes going on around my campus between Office 2003 and Office 2007 I think I need to make the change and hopefully run something from my USB drive.

(Note, I tried using my Blackberry as my USB drive... bad bad idea!)

[vortex]

Freeware?

Difficult to download and use?

Could I run it from my USB drive?

I should search for these responses, but the CHE search function hates me. :)

Yes, freeware.  I use Miktex (miktex.org), and an editor called LEd (latexeditor.org), both of which are freeware and stress free.  Some of my colleagues like to use a wysiwyg editor like scientific workplace, but I like to know exactly what latex is doing, so I code it by hand.

They're not difficult to download and usually not hard to install if you follow instructions carefully.  You do have to learn the ropes.  For this, rely on the Not-So-Short Guide: www.ctan.org/tex-archive/info/lshort/english/lshort.pdf, and a great deal of other web resources you can google.

I've never run it from a USB drive.  Google "miktex usb drive", and you'll find some pages like this one: http://www.ctan.org/tex-archive/info/MiKTeX+Ghostscript+GSview+USB-drive-HOWTO.txt.  That should get you on your way.

[doctor_torrseal]

If you just need something that works like Word, look at Openoffice, which is a free open source office software suite.  It can sometimes be a bit clunkier than MS Office and sometimes better, and suffers fewer upgrade traumas because unlike MS it doesn't use closed file formats that are incompatible between versions.

Latex is a full-blown typesetting program that can do more or less anything from a cover letter to a thesis to producing camera-ready copy for a book.  It is very smart about good typesetting, for example, it places footnotes properly, doesn't leave orphan section headings at the bottom of a page, and a lot of other subtle things.  In its simplest form it is not WYSIWYG, you use a text editor to write your file with Latex commands embedded.  The key is usually finding a style file that produces the type of document that you want, then you don't need to become an expert on the nitty-gritty of Latex commands.  I wrote my thesis using a Latex style file that was designed for my university's thesis rules, and all the stuff like margins and sizes was automatically correct.  Every time I read someone moaning about Word screwing up formatting and footnotes, I silently thank Latex.

[dept_geek]

I use MikTex as well. On Windows, I use TexMaker as the editor - makes it really pretty simple. It's free.

I also installed Ghostview & GSView to make the postscript stuff easier. Some of the journal people seem to want .ps files and these make that a bit easier.

Painless set up, really. But LaTeX ca be a bit like hitting an spider with a sledge hammer. Solves the problem, but sometimes, there is an easier way.

[britasstprof]

Yep. LaTeX is sometimes like using a sledgehammer to crack a nut, but I find it much better than MS Word for anything that contains mathematical symbols and formula. It takes a while to learn the syntax, but it is worth it and there is plenty of help available on the web.

I work in LaTeX almost entirely, but it really depends on what you are wanting to write.

[mzunderstanding]

Thank you all so much. I really appreciate the knowledge sharing of my fellow forumites. :)

[jackit]

Hi Mz -

I used LaTex extensively for several years before switching to Word.

Word now has a very easy to use equation editor that can lay out any equation just as fast as any LaTex GUI.

Where LaTex excels is in producing very nice looking typeset manuscripts.  As Don Knuth said, TeX is not for everything, it's when you want to send the very best.

Having said that, I would never, ever go back to that.  These days the serious competitors to Word are the online apps (google apps, Zoho, ...?) and the open source Word-alikes, esp. OpenOffice, which can save in word format.

So, unless you have a need to make very pretty docs (i.e. camera-ready dissertation chapters or journal articles), I would stick with Word.

Some things that Word has that often become important are the ability to track changes among multiple authors, produce nice PDF output (LaTeX's font is not optimized for online reading, IMHO; the letters are too thin), WYSIWYG figures and tables, and integration with commercial citation software (e.g., EndNote).

FWIW.

- Jackit

[hollow_man]

After the "husband likes breast milk" thread, I was expecting something else in this thread...

[galactic_hedgehog]

Where LaTex excels is in producing very nice looking typeset manuscripts.  As Don Knuth said, TeX is not for everything, it's when you want to send the very best.

Having said that, I would never, ever go back to that. 

Ah, so you're a groff person!

[galactic_hedgehog]

I think I need to make the change and hopefully run something from my USB drive.

If you do decide to go the OpenOffice.org route, there's a portable version that will run from your USB drive (assuming you're running on a Windows platform).

[jackit]

Where LaTex excels is in producing very nice looking typeset manuscripts.  As Don Knuth said, TeX is not for everything, it's when you want to send the very best.

Having said that, I would never, ever go back to that. 

Ah, so you're a groff person!

lex, yak, groff.

It's enough to make ya sick.

;-)

[mzunderstanding]

I may have to go back to open office. After doing some looking at the sites provided I don't think TeX is for me. I don't have a need for equations or scientific notations. (Being of the soft sciences and huggy feely student affairs type.)

Google docs and Zoho I've experimented with. Perhaps it's just a matter of picking one and spending time getting adjusted to it.

Thanks again, all.

[bubbahotep]

I may have to go back to open office. After doing some looking at the sites provided I don't think TeX is for me. I don't have a need for equations or scientific notations. (Being of the soft sciences and huggy feely student affairs type.)

Google docs and Zoho I've experimented with. Perhaps it's just a matter of picking one and spending time getting adjusted to it.

Thanks again, all.

Latax is a dog, Im afraid. Why should we do all the work? Its a hangover from the 1980's beloved by geeks. Use a regular wp, save as RTF and you are at the races.