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authorNorbert Preining <norbert@preining.info>2019-09-02 13:46:59 +0900
committerNorbert Preining <norbert@preining.info>2019-09-02 13:46:59 +0900
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+\documentclass{report}
+\begin{document}
+\title{Availability of \LaTeX{} systems}
+\addcontentsline{toc}{subsection}{Availability of \LaTeX{} systems}
+\author{}\date{}\maketitle
+The traditional \TeX{} implementation is a Command-Line Interface (\textsc{cli})\index{CLI@\textsc{cli}|textbf}\index{\textbf{Acronyms}, defined!CLI@\textsc{cli}|textbf}, that is, a
+ `console' program which you run from
+ a Unix or Mac shell window or an MS-DOS command window by
+ typing the command \verb+tex+ or
+ \verb+latex+ followed by the name of your
+ document file. In automated (unattended) systems,
+ this command is issued from within a Unix shell script or
+ MS-DOS/Windows batch file. All the popular distributions for
+ Unix and MS-DOS/Windows, both free and commercial, deliver
+ this interface as standard (te\TeX{}, fp\TeX{}, MiK\TeX{},
+ PC-\TeX{}, Turbo\TeX{}, etc).
+
+While it is quite possible to run \TeX{} and \LaTeX{} this
+ way, it is more normal to use an editor as your interface to
+ the program as well as to your document. This allows you to
+ control \LaTeX{}, the typeset display, and other related
+ programs with a mouse-click or menu item. This is the method
+ assumed in this booklet. In both the editors used for
+ examples (\product{Emacs} and
+ \product{WinEdt}) the typesetting process
+ is logged visibly in an adjoining text window so that you
+ can see the progress of pages being typeset, and any error
+ messages that may occur.\footnote{Some recent versions of
+ \product{Emacs} hide this window by
+ default but it is easily revealed.} This method is called
+ \textbf{\textit{asynchronous}}\index{asynchronous@\textbf{\textit{asynchronous}}}
+ because the typeset display only updates
+ \emph{after} you have typed the text and
+ processed it, not \emph{while} you type
+ it.
+
+\label{synchro}%
+Some commercial implementations of \TeX{}
+ offer a \textbf{\textit{synchronous}}\index{synchronous@\textbf{\textit{synchronous}}}
+ typographic interface: \product{Textures}
+ for the Apple Macintosh from Blue Sky Research,
+ \product{Scientific Word} from MacKichan
+ Software, and \product{V\TeX{}} from
+ MicroPress, Inc (both for Microsoft Windows) are three examples.
+ At least one free version for Linux and MS-Windows
+ (\product{Lyx}) offers the same kind of
+ interface. In these, you type directly into the typographic
+ display, as with a graphical wordprocessor, using the font
+ controls of whatever Graphical User
+ Interface (\textsc{gui})\index{GUI@\textsc{gui}|textbf}\index{\textbf{Acronyms}, defined!GUI@\textsc{gui}|textbf} are appropriate.
+
+With a synchronous display you get your instant textual
+ gratification, but for complete control of the formatting
+ you still need access to the \LaTeX{} language. There are
+ several methods available free for Unix and some other
+ systems for close-to-synchronous updates of the typeset
+ display (such as Jonathan Fine's \product{Instant
+ Preview} and the \TeX{} daemon), and for
+ embedding typographic fragments from the typeset display
+ back into the editor window (David Kastrup's
+ \package{preview-latex} package).
+
+Whatever method you choose, the \TeX{} Live CD-ROMs and
+ the \textsc{ctan}\index{CTAN@\textsc{ctan}} are not the only source
+ of software. The following vendors offer robust commercial
+ implementations of \TeX{} and \LaTeX{}, and if you are in a
+ position where their enhanced support and additional
+ features are of benefit, I urge you to support them. In most
+ cases their companies, founders, and staff have been good
+ friends of the \TeX{} and \LaTeX{} communities for many
+ years.
+\end{document}