Looking for an inexpensive, but powerful and flexible publishing system? Then look no further than TeX. It might be the the solution to your publishing needs.
The personal computer has in many ways put a lot of power into
the hands of ordinary people. This is especially true of
publishing. Whereas you once needed tens of thousands of dollars
worth of equipment to do any sort of publishing, now all you need
is some over-the-counter software and a printer.
The desktop publishing programs you find at your favourite
software store are a mixed bag. Some, like Microsoft Publisher, are
rudimentary. Others, like FrameMaker and QuarkXpress, are expensive
and require powerful processors and a lot of memory in order to
run.
One option that people either ignore or don't know about is
TeX.
What is TeX?
TeX (pronounced "tek") is the brainchild of Stanford professor Donald Knuth. Annoyed at the way in which his books on mathematics were being typeset, Knuth took matters into his own hands. The result was a typesetting system that produces high-quality documents with the minimum of effort.
TeX itself is a freely-available group of programs, fonts, supporting files, and processes that produce beautifully typeset pages. Aspects of the pages, like
justification, inter-word spacing, hyphenation, etc. are handled
automatically. There's no need for any manual fiddling.
Creating Documents
For TeX to create these pages, you have to fashion an input file containing the text to typeset, as well as the commands that tell TeX how the
document will look. These commands perform the same function as tags in HTML and
SGML. The file is then run through TeX, which produces what is called a DVI
(DeVice Independent) file is output. The DVI file contains instructions for a variety of output devices, from printers and photo typesetters, to dedicated DVI file viewers. There are even tools for converting DVI files to other formats, like PostScript. There are also tools for converting TeX files directly to HTML and Acrobat PDF.
Because of its power and flexibility, TeX is widely used in scientific publishing. But that doesn't mean you can't produce other documents with it. You can use TeX to author and typeset books, articles, reports, letters, brochures, and business cards. With a few add-ons, you can even output sheet music and
slides for presentations.
Why Use It?
TeX's greatest strength (besides being free) is its
portability. With most other publishing applications, you're confined to Windows or the Mac OS. TeX on the other hand, runs on Linux, Windows, MacOS, and other operating systems. And you don't need an ultra-fast box with loads of memory and lots of hard drive space in order to get publishing.
The TeX input files aren't in some proprietary format the can only
be read by the application that created them. They're straight
text. You can edit TeX documents using any text editor, like Notepad, SimpleText or Emacs. Even the final output is readable on multiple operating systems.
Like the raw input files, DVI files can be viewed and printed
on any platform without a loss of formatting. You only need the proper
fonts, which you already have - they come with any TeX system. The same applies to TeX files that have been converted to other formats, like Postscript, PDF, or HTML.
If there are any errors during typesetting, TeX notes the errors and stores them in a log file. This log file will help you quickly track down and fix any problems that exist in your input file.
Unlike, for example, Microsoft Word (whose format changes with each release), TeX is stable. The format of TeX source and output files aren't likely to change
between now and the year 2067. You can use documents produced with TeX now and in the future.
Considering the program's roots, it's not surprising that TeX is practically unsurpassed in its ability to typeset mathematics. The results you get are far better than what you'd get with applications like Equation Editor (bundled
with Microsoft Office) or even a specialized program like Mathematica.
Getting Information
Information about TeX is freely available over the Internet. There are a number of Web sites containing a wealth of TeX related documentation. Then there's the
TeX User's Group (TUG), devoted to spreading the TeX gospel. The comp.text.tex newsgroup contains a lot of useful information and gives you access to a number of TeX gurus.
On the Downside
Okay, TeX isn't perfect. It has a few drawbacks, the foremost of which is that it's difficult to learn. TeX's learning curve isn't as vertical as, say,
that of FrameMaker, but it can take a while to pick up. Of course,
if you're familiar with a markup language like HTML, then
things are a bit easier.
TeX's graphics support leaves a lot to be desired. Anyone who has used a WYSIWYG application under Windows or the Mac OS knows how easy it is to insert and manipulate graphics. TeX lacks this simplicity. You generally have to
specify the image's height, width and position on the page. This can be tricky and takes a lot of work.
For all its power and speed, TeX demands a bit of knowledge from is user. You have to know some basic typesetting terminology and have to become familiar with some TeXspecific nomenclature. This includes terms like "badness," "boxes and glue," and "control sequence." Knowing what these terms mean will come in handy when reading a TeX error log.
TeX isn't a WYSIWYG application. You have to typeset your TeX file in order to see if you've made a mistake somewhere. From there, you either have to print the DVI file or view it in a DVI viewer. This can become a bit of a chore after a while. Some TeX systems (notably Textures for the Mac) can dynamically update the output, allowing you to see your changes as you make them.
LaTeX
While TeX is fairly difficult to learn, LaTeX makes things easier.
LaTeX is a set of macros that works on top of TeX. LaTeX makes it easier
to add graphics, build tables, include headers, footers, marginal notes and tables of contents, and more. Whereas TeX often requires a sequence of
commands, LaTeX can do the job with just one or two. On top of that, LaTeX comes
with several pre-defined document layouts (letter, book, report, and
article). The overall look of each page is set, although you can
change it with a little tweaking.
LaTeX is the fastest way I can think of for beginners to start using software. Still, some hardcore TeX gurus that I know sneer at LaTeX; they say it's "too touchy-feely!"
Getting TeX
You don't have to spend hundreds or thousands of dollars for a
complete TeX system. You can download one off the Web if you're willing to burn up a little connect time. And if you use UNIX or Linux, chances are TeX is already installed. Windows users have an excellent free TeX system available to them in the form of MikTeX.
Configuring TeX can be a chore. To avoid the inevitable frustration, many people turn to commercial implementations. These set up the system and offer a familiar work environment. For Windows, the best commercial TeX packages I've
come across are PCTeX and Y&Y TeX. On the Mac side of the fence, check out Textures.
Unfortunately, this article only touches on TeX's power. You really have to try it to see what it can do. Like many people around the world, you may find it's the perfect choice for all your publishing needs.
External Links:
The TeX User's Group - The organization that "represents the interests of TeX users worldwide"
PCTeX - A commercial Windows implementation of TeX