Using TeX

The original version of TeX is now called plain TeX. In addition to plain TeX, there is LaTeX, which is a set of macros that run on top of plain TeX. These macros make the process of using TeX much easier. Although there are still some diehards who insist on using plain TeX, most users are now using LaTeX.

If you are using a PC, a short introduction to TeX by David Arnold will be useful. It not only tells you how to use LaTeX, but it gives instructions for downloading and installing the necessary software. You can find a complete software installation for TeX consisting entirely of freeware. You can also spend a lot of money for a commercial version. Try the freeware.

There is a complete TeX installation on the UNIX computers in owlnet. Unfortunately, this does not seem to be the case for the PCs amd Macs.

Another approach to LaTeX is contained in the software package Scientific WorkPlace. Many people find it much easier to use the interactive features of this program to to learning all of the TeX macros.

A longer description of LaTeX can be found in The Not So Short Introduction to LaTeX2e, by Tobias Oetiker, Hubert Partl, Irene Hyna, and Elisabeth Schlegl.

If you insist on using plain TeX, you can get a good introduction in A Gentle Introduction to TeX.by Michael Doob.

Inserting graphics into LaTeX is not difficult. An introduction to doing this can be found in Using Imported Graphics in LaTeX2e by Keith Reckdahl.

Probably the best book on LaTeX is A Guide to LaTeX by Helmut Kopka and Patrick Daly and published by Addison-Wesley.

The TeX language was invented by Donald Knuth of Stanford University. His book, The TeXbook, published by the American Mathematical Society, is a classic. It does an excellent job of explaining plain TeX.

LaTeX was written by Leslie Lamport. His book LaTeX, A Document Preparation System. User's Guide and Reference Manual is published by Addison Wesley.