[texhax] Summary and thanks re Importing R graphics

[doug waud]

Hi again

Peter Flom wrote:

> well, I was under the impression it should allow one to read graphics, 
> On pae 29 of the LaTeX Graphics Companion, it lists a bunch of drivers,
> and, for (e.g.) dvips says that it allows 'all functions' for graphics
> importation.

The key notion here is that dvips is not a simple dvi viewer. It has 
been designed to take a dvi file with \specials to deal with the eps 
part and give and output which is ps. This can then be viewed by a 
viewer/printed which speaks ps. Dvi viewers do not.

In fact, the Graphics Companion's raison d'etre was to fill the gap left 
by the inability of a simple dvi file to deal with anything beyond 
graphics constructed from text characters such as with PicTex).

Perhaps this summary will help:

First generation	TeX/dvi
Second generation	dvips/ps
Third generation	acrobat/pdf

If you don't need graphics, then first generation works fine. If you 
want graphics, you have to decide between ps or jumping a generation 
directly to pdf. I have been trying to do the latter and have not yet 
come to regret it despite having invested a lot in the eps game. .

> Dogu wrote

Usually it is my last name which gets screwed up!  :-)

> *I* started getting into LaTeX because, 1) A lot of people who I
> respect said it was WAY better than Word and 2)  In the same grant, some
> of the formulas were not printing correctly when written in Word with
> MathType.

Both make sense. I traveled the same route!

> So far, I agree that LaTeX is better than Word (although I am very new
> to LaTeX, having installed it 10 days ago).  I haven't tried typesetting
> really complex equations yet, but I hope they print right.

I would be amazed if you had any trouble with math. That is where TeX 
excels.

I think you'll get the hang of TeX soon. Ten days is not much by way of 
on-job-training. :-)

Just to be pessimistic, I'll note that, in the long term, your problem 
will be to deal with colleagues bound to Word. First, they tend not to 
be able to see the difference between Word and a properly typeset 
output. :-(  Secondly, they have a major investment in Word and will be 
reluctant to give that up. Thus I suspect it will not be long before you 
will be asked to take your beautiful TeX/Latex  masterpieces and convert 
them to Word!  :-(.  The Taliban blowing up those Buddas in Afghanistan 
are not the only philistines out there!  :-)

Hang in there. Don't go over to the dark side!

doug