diff options
Diffstat (limited to 'Master/texmf-dist/doc/latex/guide-to-latex/exercises/chap5/exer5-3.tex')
-rw-r--r-- | Master/texmf-dist/doc/latex/guide-to-latex/exercises/chap5/exer5-3.tex | 97 |
1 files changed, 97 insertions, 0 deletions
diff --git a/Master/texmf-dist/doc/latex/guide-to-latex/exercises/chap5/exer5-3.tex b/Master/texmf-dist/doc/latex/guide-to-latex/exercises/chap5/exer5-3.tex new file mode 100644 index 00000000000..92c67d1e25a --- /dev/null +++ b/Master/texmf-dist/doc/latex/guide-to-latex/exercises/chap5/exer5-3.tex @@ -0,0 +1,97 @@ +\documentclass{article} +\begin{document} +\section*{PREFACE TO THE \LaTeX-GUIDE} + +A new edition to ``A Guide to \LaTeX'' begs the fundamental question: +Has \LaTeX\ changed so much since the appearance of the third edition in 1999 +that a new release of this manual is justified? + +The simple answer to that question is `Well \dots.' In 1994, the \LaTeX\ +world was in upheaval with the issue of the new version \LaTeXe, and the +second edition of the `Guide' came out just then to act as the bridge +between the old and new versions. By 1998, the initial teething problems had +been worked out and corrected through semi-annual releases, and the third +edition could describe an established, working system. However, homage was +still paid to the older 2.09 version since many users still employed its +familiar syntax, although they were most likely to be using it in a \LaTeXe\ +environment. \LaTeX\ has now reached a degree of stability that since 2000 +the regular updates have been reduced to annual events, which often appear +months after the nominal date, something that does not worry anyone. The old +version 2.09 is obsolete and should no longer play any role in such a manual.% +\footnote{With the result, that all maintance for \LaTeX\ 2.09 has been stopped +with the occurance of \LaTeXe\ as well as any further developement.} +In this fourth edition, it is reduced to an appendix just to document its +syntax and usage. + +But if \LaTeX\ itself has not changed substantially since 1999, many of its +peripherals have. The rise of programs like pdf\TeX and \texttt{dvipdfm} for +PDF output adds new possibilities, which are realized, not in \LaTeX\ +directly, but by means of more modern \emph{packages} to extend the basic +features. The distribution of \TeX/\LaTeX\ installations has changed, such +that most users are given a complete, ready-to-run setup, with all the +`extras' that one used to have to obtain oneself. Those extras include +user-contributed packages, many of which are now considered indispensable. +Today `the \LaTeX\ system' includes much more than the basic kernel by Leslie +Lamport, encompassing the contributions of hundreds of other people. This +edition reflects this increase in breadth.\footnote{In between many hundreds +of supplements and extensions in form of packages have been developed for +\LaTeXe. Only the most important will be presented in this book.} + +The changes to the fourth edition are mainly those of emphasis. +\begin{enumerate} +\item The material has been reorganized into `Basics' and `Beyond the Basics' + (`advanced' sounds too intimidating) while the appendices contain + topics that really can be skipped by most everyday users. Exception: + Appendix H is an alphabetized command summary that many + people find extremely useful (including ourselves). + + This reorganizing is meant to stress certain aspects over others. For + example, the section on graphics inclusion and color was originally + treated as an exotic freak, relegated to an appendix on extensions; in the + third edition, it moved up to be included in a front chapter along with the + \texttt{picture} environment and floats; now it dominates + Chapter 6 all on its own, the floats come in the following + Chapter 7, and \texttt{picturer} is banished to the later + Chapter 13. This is not to say that the picture features are no good, + but only that they are very specialized. We add + descriptions of additional drawing possibilities there too. + +\item It is stressed as much as possible that \LaTeX\ is a \emph{markup} + language, with separation of content and form. Typographical settings + should be placed in the preamble, while the body contains only logical + markup. This is in keeping with the modern ideas of XML, where form and + content are radically segregated. + +\item Throughout this edition, contributed packages are explained at that point + in the text where they are most relevant. The `fancyhdr' package + comes in the section on page styles, \texttt{natbib} where literature + citations are explained. This stresses that these `extensions' are part of + the \LaTeX\ system as a whole. However, to remind the user that they must + still be explicitly loaded, a marginal note is placed at the start of their + descriptions. + +\item PDF output is taken for granted throughout the book, in addition to the + classical DVI format. This means that the added possibilities of `pdf\TeX' + and `dvipdfm' are explained where they are relevant. A separate + Chapter 10 on PostScript and PDF is still necessary, and the + best interface to PDF output, the \texttt{hyperref package} by Sebastian + Rahtz, is explained in detail. PDF is also included in + Chapter 15 on presentation material. + + On the other hand, the other Web output formats, HTML and XML, are only + dealt with briefly in Appendix E, since these are large topics + treated in other books, most noticeably the \textsl{\LaTeX\ Web Companion}. + +\item This book is being distributed with the \TeX Live CD, with the kind + permission of Sebastian Rahtz who maintains it for the \TeX\ Users Group. + It contains a full \TeX\ and \LaTeX\ installation for Windows, Macintosh, + and Linux, plus many of the myriad extensions that exist. +\end{enumerate} + +We once again express our hope that this \textsl{Guide} will prove more than +useful to all those who wish to find their way through the intricate world of +\LaTeX. And with the addition of the \TeX Live CD, that world is brought even +closer to their doorsteps.\footnote{Information for installation details are +given in the self documentation for the \TeX Live CD.} +\end{document} + |