tony@joshua.math.ucla.edu (04/06/89)
Can someone recommend a program that can handle equations with "relative" ease, either PD, shareware or Commercial? I've been using Wordperfect 5.0 to type my thesis and am now completly fed up with the way it handles multiple line equations. I've looked at TeX but it seems so hard to use. Is there something Macintosh'ish for the PC/XT/AT class computers? BTW I have an AT clone with EGA so I think I should be able to display the equations on the screen... Thanks in advance. Tony Lei INTERNET: tony@math.ucla.edu UUCP: ..!ucbvax!ucla-cs!math.ucla.edu!tony
smithj@marlin.NOSC.MIL (James Smith) (04/06/89)
Try Lotus Manuscript (2.0). The program is a lot easier to use than
Tex. Manuscript provides considerable flexibility in incorporating graphics,
and equations are entered in an 'eqn'-like language.
(I have no affiliation with Lotus Corp., other than as a satisfied user of
ONE of their products.)
--
Jim Smith +-----------------------------------+
| If we weren't crazy, we'd all go |
DDN: smithj@marlin.nosc.mil | insane - Jimmy Buffett |
UUCP: ...nosc!marlin!smithj +-----------------------------------+ecf_udwo@jhunix.HCF.JHU.EDU (Douglas W O'Neal) (04/07/89)
In article <753@sunset.MATH.UCLA.EDU> tony@MATH.UCLA.EDU () writes: >Can someone recommend a program that can handle equations >with "relative" ease, either PD, shareware or Commercial? > >I've been using Wordperfect 5.0 to type my thesis and am now >completly fed up with the way it handles multiple line equations. > I just finished typing by dissertation (theoretical chemistry) using CHIWRITER (tm) and am very happy with it. It is a WYSIWYG editor with the ability to have user defined fonts. The most current info I have is: Horstmann Software Design Corporation 140 East San Carlos Street, Suite 200 P.O. Box 5039, San Jose, CA 95150 (408) 298-0820 The price is about $90 which includes CGA and 9 pin printer support. EGA, Hercules, and ATT6300 support disks are $19.95, HP laserjet (excellent) or 24 pin printer support disks are $49.95, and a Wordperfect -> ChiWriter converter is $49.95. I have seen PD fonts floating around in addition to the 14 "standard" fonts (small, bold, italic, greek, math 1&2, linedraw, etc.). Hope this helps.
jimb@hpmcaa.HP.COM (Jim Belesiu) (04/07/89)
I have used Lotus Manuscript in the past. It handles multiple line equations fairly well. The only complaints I have with the program is 1) it tends to be slow (the program is very large), 2) there is a steep learning curve to get started with Manuscript and 3) it's expensive. Concerning the speed issue, if you have access to a 80386 clone Manuscript runs OK (and the speed issue is only a problem when printing or previewing the pages). Jim B.
kevinc@aurora.AthabascaU.CA (Kevin Crocker) (04/09/89)
In article <200022@hpmcaa.HP.COM>, jimb@hpmcaa.HP.COM (Jim Belesiu) writes: > I have used Lotus Manuscript in the past. It handles multiple line equations > fairly well. The only complaints I have with the program is 1) it tends to > be slow (the program is very large), I have not found it to be slow at all but then I am comparing it to our VAX 785 with about a zillion users. I also have about 2Mb of EMS so it zings along very nicely. A complicated graphic will preview in about 5 seconds -- printing is slow but this has nothing to do with Manuscript it is all in the printer. >2) there is a steep learning curve to get started with Manuscript I really must take exception to this. We have many users here that are up and running with it almost instantly. To start using it takes no time at all. To access all the advanced features does take some time but so does every other word processor in the PC market. The steep learning curve may be very shallow here as we also use many other Lotus products (not exclusively though) like 123, GraphWriter II, HAL, Freelance Plus, Agenda, and Metro. >and 3) it's expensive. > Expensive is in the eyes of the purchaser. Educational prices are not very steep and their upgrade costs are very reasonable. > Jim B. Kevin Crocker (A three year veteran of using Manuscript) -- Kevin "auric" Crocker Athabasca University UUCP: ...!{alberta,ncc,attvcr}!atha!kevinc Inet: kevinc@cs.AthabscaU.CA
16016_1127@uwovax.uwo.ca (John Palmer) (04/10/89)
In article <753@sunset.MATH.UCLA.EDU>, tony@joshua.math.ucla.edu writes: > Can someone recommend a program that can handle equations > with "relative" ease, either PD, shareware or Commercial? > > I've been using Wordperfect 5.0 to type my thesis and am now > completly fed up with the way it handles multiple line equations. > > I've looked at TeX but it seems so hard to use. Is there something > Macintosh'ish for the PC/XT/AT class computers? > > BTW I have an AT clone with EGA so I think I should be able to > display the equations on the screen... My colleagues, who use a lot of math in their papers, all swear by t-cubed. We got a site license for our dept., and it is the official department word-processing software. It's wysiwyg, runs in graphics, and apparently has good printer support. I use less math, myself, and have just gotten used to WP5.0. I'm not about to switch again soon. "Take this job and shove it!" -- Johnny Paycheque
sullivan@phyllis.math.binghamton.edu (fred sullivan) (04/12/89)
In article <753@sunset.MATH.UCLA.EDU> tony@MATH.UCLA.EDU () writes: >Can someone recommend a program that can handle equations >with "relative" ease, either PD, shareware or Commercial? > >I've looked at TeX but it seems so hard to use. Is there something >Macintosh'ish for the PC/XT/AT class computers? > 1. TeX is much easier to use than it "seems". Our secretaries learned TeX and wouldn't trade it for anything (they were using a Mac before). 2. The AMS has adopted TeX as its standard for journal submissions. It is extremely unlikely that they will accept any other currently existing format for the next several years. A colleague of mine recently submitted a manuscript to the Transactions by electronic mail. Try that with a technical word processing program. I suggest that you put in the (not so considerable) time investment and learn it. It is well worth the time you'll spend. Fred Sullivan SUNY at Binghamton Dept. Math. Sciences Binghamton, NY 13903 sullivan@marge.math.binghamton.edu First you make a roux!
terry@eecea.eece.ksu.edu (Terry Hull) (04/12/89)
In article <2057@uwovax.uwo.ca> 16016_1127@uwovax.uwo.ca (John Palmer) writes: > My colleagues, who use a lot of math in their papers, all >swear by t-cubed. We got a site license for our dept., and it is the official >department word-processing software. It's wysiwyg, runs in graphics, and >apparently has good printer support. We also have a site license for t-cubed, and we are not pleased with it. Our faculty find that it is not worth the hassle to use it. The people who want math support are going to TeX (and I use troff), and the folks who do not need math support use WordStar (gag) or WordPerfect. We only have 3 t-cubed users on staff and one of those people is a secretary. Our people say it is no more difficult to get up to speed in TeX than it is in t-cubed. Obviously, your mileage may vary. . . -- Terry Hull Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Kansas State University Work: terry@eecea.eece.ksu.edu, rutgers!ksuvax1!eecea!terry Play: tah386!terry@eecea.eece.ksu.edu, rutgers!ksuvax1!eecea!tah386!terry
RUSS@kcgl1.eng.ohio-state.edu (Keith Russ) (04/13/89)
In article <753@sunset.MATH.UCLA.EDU> tony@MATH.UCLA.EDU () writes: >Can someone recommend a program that can handle equations >with "relative" ease, either PD, shareware or Commercial? > >I've looked at TeX but it seems so hard to use. Is there something >Macintosh'ish for the PC/XT/AT class computers? > This isn't Macintosh'ish, but... We use WordMARC Composer in our department. It isn't perfect, but it is fairly powerful and handles equations quite well (with 7 levels of superscripts and 7 of subscripts). It comes with downloadable fonts for the Epson printers (draft on FX-85, LQ on the LQ-500,800,1500 etc), and deals with two "alternate" character sets: Greek/Math and Chemistry/Math. Selecting the alternate characters is a matter of one keystroke to enter the alternate set (or two keystrokes for the current version, Composer +), and if you have a graphics screen you will get the character onscreen as well. Super/Subscripts are also easy, and take up full lines onscreen (and half lines on paper). So, it isn't WYSIWYG. On the other hand, it really isn't that hard to learn or use. The program is available for MS-DOS and VMS. I believe they are giving an educational discount of 85% (!), or in real ($) terms, the full program and manuals for $75 (+$10 S&H, CA residents add sales tax). Address is: MARC Software International, Inc. 260 Sheridan Ave. Palo Alto, CA 94306 If you want an example of what the program can do, see if you can find a copy of "Gas-Liquid-Solid Fluidization Engineering" from Butterworths Publishers (future tense, it will be released the end of this week). The text was all done using Composer +, and printed on an HP LaserJet II using the B and J cartridges. Keith M. Russ Department of Chemical Engineering The Ohio State University 140 W. 19th Ave. Columbus, OH 43210
murphy@pur-phy (William J. Murphy) (04/13/89)
In article <618@eecea.eece.ksu.edu> terry@eecea.eece.ksu.edu (Terry Hull) writes: >In article <2057@uwovax.uwo.ca> 16016_1127@uwovax.uwo.ca (John Palmer) writes: >> My colleagues, who use a lot of math in their papers, all >>swear by t-cubed. We got a site license for our dept., and it is the official >>department word-processing software. It's wysiwyg, runs in graphics, and >>apparently has good printer support. > >people who want math support are going to TeX (and I use troff), and I personally am sold on TeX as the only way to do equations/math text on a printer. LaTeX makes TeX very easy to learn. In addition to the flexibility of creating your own typesetting styles, you get the extra advantage of being supported on almost any UN*X box with a licensed version of TeX, PC's have TeX available, the Amiga has AmigaTeX (which I personally prefer because is comes with a previewer). I won't talk about the MACINTOSH, they seem to have oodles of word processors, of which MS-WORD is not adequate for producing mathematics, (however, I have seen that MathType is available with a TeX interface option. As well, Mathematica has a TeX interface.) I read earlier that AMS (American Mathematical Society?) supports the submission of articles in TeX format. In addition, a journal called Complex Systems accepts papers in TeX format. To be truthful, I haven't used T-cubed. If Terry Hull is correct that it takes just as long to get up to speed with T-cubed, then why waste time with it when TeX is as widely accepted as it is? Just my 5 cents worth. (inflation you know!) Bill Murphy
gswan@watpix.waterloo.edu (Geo Swan) (04/13/89)
SoftQuad, a firm in Toronto, modified troff a few years ago. Two main differences between their version and AT&Ts version are that they replaced ditroffs device independent language with a (better) one of their, and that they modified the the input language so that it would understand names longer than two characters. This is a very solid product. The changes they made were well thought out, not a hack. The documentation is very good. There is an MSDOS version available. I have used it. I liked it. The work I did using it was for an University press. I helped translate books that had been written using (Yuch) WordStar into good-looking type. (trickier than you might imagine!) The two books I worked on contained many tables but no equations. The package comes with eqn, pic & co. I have no commercial connection with SoftQuad. Their address is: SoftQuad 720 Spadina Toronto Ontario Cordially, Geo Swan
akk2@uhura.cc.rochester.edu (Atul Kacker) (04/14/89)
In article <2067@bingvaxu.cc.binghamton.edu> sullivan@phyllis.math.binghamton.edu (fred sullivan) writes: >In article <753@sunset.MATH.UCLA.EDU> tony@MATH.UCLA.EDU () writes: >>Can someone recommend a program that can handle equations >>with "relative" ease, either PD, shareware or Commercial? >> >>I've looked at TeX but it seems so hard to use. Is there something >>Macintosh'ish for the PC/XT/AT class computers? >> > >1. TeX is much easier to use than it "seems". Our secretaries learned >TeX and wouldn't trade it for anything (they were using a Mac before). I second that wholeheartedly. TeX is fairly easy to use. Now mastering it is another thing. Most users can get by knowing about 30 control sequences, unless your document is very complex. New users may also find it is easier to use one of the macro packages like LaTeX which pack most of the power of TeX with easy to use control commands. Add a screen previewer to TeX and you have an excellent system. Most people who say TeX is too difficult to learn 1) have spent five minutes evaluating it, or 2) had to have their documents done yesterday, or 3) or have been coddled by word processors on toy operating systems ;-)
dross@umn-d-ub.D.UMN.EDU (david ross) (04/15/89)
In article <2144@pur-phy> murphy@newton.physics.purdue.edu.UUCP (William J. Murphy) writes: [...quotes discussion of T3 vs. TeX for technical word processing...] >I personally am sold on TeX as the only way to do equations/math text [stuff deleted] > >To be truthful, I haven't used T-cubed. If Terry Hull is correct that >it takes just as long to get up to speed with T-cubed, then why waste >time with it when TeX is as widely accepted as it is? > While T3 is a big, powerful, intricate tech word processor, it is by no means difficult to learn. It has been used at two departments where I've been, and I've seen several technophobic secretaries up and running on it in a few hours. Novices are aided by on-line help, (bypassable) menus, and a nice tutorial included in the manual. What *is* hard is customizing the file arrangement, especially when it will be used by > 1 person. TeX produces nicer output, but (until we have *fast* previewers for our PCs) is d*****d hard to debug, and turns the user into a typesetter, which isn't the way I (for one) care to spend my time. TeX is also available on more machines, but it won't run very well on a cheapie XT clone, while T3 will ( and note the newsgroup:-). The bottom line is that T3 is both WYSIWYG and a stand-alone word processor, while TeX is a page-description language. While I have great respect for the latter, I just can't see using it to whip off a quick quiz or a note (with math in it) to a colleague, especially when I'm in a hurry, the way I do every day using T3. (disclaimer: I have no affiliation with TCI, though I *have* been using T3 since pre-release days 5 years ago.) -- _ _ _ David A. Ross (Dept.Math.&Stat.,U.ofMN,Duluth) / \/ \/ \ BITNET: dross@umndul THISNET: dross@ub.d.umn.edu / /--/--/ (...all the opinions expressed herein are facts, /__/ / \ hence they belong to nobody, least of all me...)