\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 The old version 2.09 is obsolete and should no longer play any role in such a manual. In this fourth edition, it is reduced to an appendix just to document its syntax and usage. The developement of \LaTeX\ between 1992 until now will be best demonstrated by the four editions of the \LaTeX-Guide textbook. The first edition \cite{dal92} describes and teaches the old version 2.09, which is now obsolete. With the occurance of \LaTeXe\ the second edition \cite{dal95} was presented, explainig and teaching both versions in parallel. In the third edition \cite{dal99} the \LaTeX\ presentation was mainly restricted to \LaTeXe\ and still more restricted with the present edition \cite{dal03} But if \LaTeX\ itself has not changed substantially since 1999, many of its peripherals have. The rise of programs like `pdf\TeX' and `dvipdfm' for PDF output adds new possibilities, which are realized, not in \LaTeX\ directly, but by means of more modern `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. The changes to the fourth edition are mainly those of emphasis. 1. 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 picture environment and floats; now it dominates Chapter 6 all on its own, the floats come in the following Chapter 7, and `picture' 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. 2. It is stressed as much as possible that \LaTeX\ is a 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. 3. 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, `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. 4. 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 `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 `\LaTeX\ Web Companion'. 5. 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. 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. \newpage \begin{thebibliography}{\hspace{1.5cm}} \bibitem[abr90]{abr90} Abraham P. W., with Hargraves K. A. and Berry K. (1990). \textsl{\TeX\ for the Impatient.} Reading MA: Addison-Wesley \bibitem[bec93]{bec93} Bechtolsheim, S. von (1993) \textsl{\TeX\ in Practice, Vol.\ I--IV,} New York: Springer \bibitem[bec93a]{bec93a} Vol.\ I: Basics \bibitem[bec93b]{bec93b} Vol.\ II: Paragraphs, Math, and Fonts \bibitem[bec93c]{bec93c} Vol.\ III: Tokens, Macros \bibitem[bec93d]{bec93d} Vol.\ IV: Output Routines, Tables \bibitem[dal92]{dal92} Daly P. W. and Kopka H. (1992) {A Guide to \LaTeX.} Workingham, UK: Addison-Wesley \bibitem[dal95]{dal95} Daly P. W. and Kopka H. (1995) {A Guide to \LaTeX,} 2nd ed. Workingham, UK: Addison-Wesley \bibitem[dal99]{dal99} Daly P. W. and Kopka H. (1999) {A Guide to \LaTeX,} 3rd ed. Workingham, UK: Addison-Wesley \bibitem[dal03]{dal03} Daly P. W. and Kopka H. (2003) {A Guide to \LaTeX,} 4th ed. Workingham, UK: Addison-Wesley \bibitem[eij92]{eij92} Eijkhout V. (1992). \textsl{\TeX\ by Topic, a \TeX nician's Referenc.} Harlow: Addison-Wesley \bibitem[goo94]{goo94} Goossens M., Mittelbach F. and Samarin A. (1994). \textsl{The \LaTeX\ Companion.} Reading MA: Adddison-Wesley \bibitem[goo97]{goo97} Goossens M., Rahtz S. and Mittelbach F. (1997). \textsl{The \LaTeX\ Graphic Companion.} Reading MA: Addison-Wesley \bibitem[goo99]{goo99} Goossens M. and Rahtz S. (1999). \textsl{The \LaTeX\ Web Companion.} Reading MA: Addison-Wesley \bibitem[knu91]{knu91} Knuth D. E. (1991) \textsl{Computers and Typesetting Vol A--E.} Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley \bibitem[knu91a]{knu91a} Knuth D. E. (1991a) Vol. A: \textsl{The \TeX book.} 11.~ed. Reading MA: Addison-Wesley \bibitem[knu91b]{knu91b} Knuth D. E. (1991b) Vol. B: \textsl{The Program.} 4.~ed. Reading MA: Addison-Wesley \bibitem[lam94]{lam94} Lamport L. (1994) \textsl{\LaTeX---A Document Preparation System}, 2nd ed. Reading MA: Addison-Wesley Addison-Wesley-Longman (Deutschland) GmbH. Bonn 1995 \end{thebibliography} \end{document}