Tips and tools for managing LaTeX
Learning LaTeX
A full description of LaTeX literally takes a book. But, once you understand how it works, designing a LaTeX document is mainly a matter of patience. Dozens of websites are designed to educate new users, and, although some are outdated in various details, the basic structure has not changed over the years. LaTeX's consistency is strong enough that, with the examples given here, you should quickly understand what you are doing.
While you are learning LaTeX, it may be helpful to start each document by noting the formatting you will need and then bookmarking useful sites. Additional features, such as captions, tables, and bibliographies should be structurally consistent to those given, differing only in the resources summoned by the file [5].
If LaTex has a fault, it is that only an experienced user can hope to customize it completely. However, in most cases, its packages do most of the work for you. Almost always, the result is a professional, if unvaried design. Aficionados sometimes over-estimate LaTeX's ability to customize compared to LibreOffice Writer, but, in experienced hands, it is definitely more versatile than Microsoft Word or Google Docs.
Bruce Byfield
Bruce Byfield is a computer journalist and a freelance writer and editor specializing in free and open source software. Bruce's most recent book, Designing with LibreOffice, was released under a Creative Commons License in March 2016. You can buy or download his book at http://designingwithlibreoffice.com/download-buy/. In addition to his writing projects, he also teaches live and e-learning courses. In his spare time, Bruce writes about Northwest Coast art. You can read more of his work at http://brucebyfield.wordpress.com.
Infos
- LaTeX: http://www.latex-project.org/
- TeX editors: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_TeX_editors
- LyX: http://www.lyx.org
- Document classes: https://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/LaTeX/Document_Structure#Document_classes
- Getting to grips with LaTeX: http://www.andy-roberts.net/writing/latex/page_layout
« Previous 1 2
Buy this article as PDF
(incl. VAT)
Buy Linux Magazine
US / Canada
UK / Australia
Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Support Our Work
Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you’ve found an article to be beneficial.
News
-
Ubuntu 24.04 Comes with a “Flaw"
If you're thinking you might want to upgrade from your current Ubuntu release to the latest, there's something you might want to consider before doing so.
-
Canonical Releases Ubuntu 24.04
After a brief pause because of the XZ vulnerability, Ubuntu 24.04 is now available for install.
-
Linux Servers Targeted by Akira Ransomware
A group of bad actors who have already extorted $42 million have their sights set on the Linux platform.
-
TUXEDO Computers Unveils Linux Laptop Featuring AMD Ryzen CPU
This latest release is the first laptop to include the new CPU from Ryzen and Linux preinstalled.
-
XZ Gets the All-Clear
The back door xz vulnerability has been officially reverted for Fedora 40 and versions 38 and 39 were never affected.
-
Canonical Collaborates with Qualcomm on New Venture
This new joint effort is geared toward bringing Ubuntu and Ubuntu Core to Qualcomm-powered devices.
-
Kodi 21.0 Open-Source Entertainment Hub Released
After a year of development, the award-winning Kodi cross-platform, media center software is now available with many new additions and improvements.
-
Linux Usage Increases in Two Key Areas
If market share is your thing, you'll be happy to know that Linux is on the rise in two areas that, if they keep climbing, could have serious meaning for Linux's future.
-
Vulnerability Discovered in xz Libraries
An urgent alert for Fedora 40 has been posted and users should pay attention.
-
Canonical Bumps LTS Support to 12 years
If you're worried that your Ubuntu LTS release won't be supported long enough to last, Canonical has a surprise for you in the form of 12 years of security coverage.