Introduction to

1
Introduction to

Thomas Madsen
2
I am not an expert

• I am still a beginner

3
I am not an expert

• I am still a beginner
• Many people know much more about this than me!

4
I am not an expert

• I am still a beginner
• Many people know much more about this than me!
• Everyone has their way of doing this

5
What is LaTeX?

• LaTeX is a way that one can type up math in a way
  that "looks nice
• Philosophy LaTeX is based on the idea that
  authors should be able to focus on the meaning of
  what they are writing without being distracted by
  the visual presentation of the information.
• It is alive and changing

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Why use LaTeX?

• It looks pretty (compare with MS Word)
• If you want to write articles you "need" to use
  LaTeX
• If you want to write a thesis you "need" to use
  LaTeX anyway

7
Why use LaTeX?

• It looks pretty (compare with MS Word)
• If you want to write articles you "need" to use
  LaTeX
• If you want to write a thesis you "need" to use
  LaTeX anyway
• It is free (compare with M)

8
You need

• A computer with Windows (or Linux or another
  operating system)
• LaTeX iteself        - there are many versions
• Editor (where you type the "code")
• A program to view pdf-files (and maybe ps-files)

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Where to get LaTeX

• One version good for starters is MikTeX. Get it
  here         http//miktex.org/
• Other good version for Windows is proTeXt
          http//www.tug.org/protext/       
  (includes Ghostscript, and GSview)
• Other "distributions" go to the official LaTeX
  webpage        http//www.latex-project.org/    
      (Official LaTeX webpage)

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The Editor

• Winshell (free) http//www.winshell.de/     
• WinEdT(not free) http//www.winedt.com/ (WinEdT
  is on the math computers)

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Dvi viewer

• The program Yap is used to view .dvi files -
  comes with the MikTeX package (I think)

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PDF-viewer

• Foxit reader (free, fast, light)
  http//www.foxitsoftware.com/pdf/rd_intro.php
• Adobe reader (free, slow, heavy)
  http//www.adobe.com/

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Maybe You Want

• GhostScript http//pages.cs.wisc.edu/ghost/doc/G
  PL/gpl860.htm        (needed for GSview)
• GSwiew http//pages.cs.wisc.edu/ghost/gsview/get
  49.htm        (to view ps-files)

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Other Useful Links

• http//www.ctan.org/"collection of materials
  related to the TeX typesetting"
• http//www.tug.org/The TeX Users Group web site
• http//www.google.com/There are already tons of
  web sites out there
• http//math.ou.edu/tmadsen/latex.htmlThe
  department page on LaTeX to be placed under the
  new MGSA web site
• http//www.latex-project.org/guides/Guides for
  LaTeX. In particular The (Not So) Short
  Introduction to LaTeX2eExcellent place to start!

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The process

• You write the .tex file in the editor
• The program LaTeX creates a .dvi file
• You can view this .dvi file
• Or you can create a .ps or .pdf file
• .tex --gt .dvi --gt .ps or .pdf