[Tugindia] REVIEW: Not So Short Introductin to LaTeX2e, The
Frederick Noronha (FN)
fred at bytesforall.org
Sun Jan 23 21:47:34 CET 2005
REVIEW at: http://www.theassayer.org/cgi-bin/asbook.cgi?book=155
BOOK available at: http://ee-staff.ethz.ch/~oetiker/ (copylefted)
Short, sweet, and to the point
by Ben Crowell (crowell05 at stopspam.lightandmatter.com (change 05 to current
year)) on 2001-01-12 18:30:04, review #98
http://www.lightandmatter.com
content better than 80%
writing better than 80%
The subtitle of this sweet little book is "or LaTeX2e in 87 minutes," but it
only took me about 30 minutes to read. I've been a conscientious objector to
LaTeX ever since grad school, and I find that if I ever need to liven up a
Slashdot discussion, I can always generate a few flames with a remark about how
LaTeX would only seem advanced to you if you were used to turning in your work
to the Computer Priests on punched cards. Nevertheless, a tool is just a tool,
and sometimes even a silly old-fashioned tool is the right tool for the job. I
appreciated how Oetiker took the time to explain why LaTeX is the way it is,
and did it with a bit of dry humor, without taking it too seriously.
The book gets right down to business, and explains things clearly. Not only
does it explain how to do things, it explains why they should be done a certain
way. I'd first had to learn to deal with LaTeX because the physics journals I
submitted to wouldn't take any other electronic format, but I'd never really
learned LaTeX from the ground up. Since then, I've learned a lot about book
design both by reading books and from the experience of laying out my own
physics textbooks with WYSIWYG software. Although I was a student with a Bad
Attitude, I found myself nodding sympathetically as Prof. Oetiker explained
what good print design is and how LaTeX encourages it.
As befits a book about how to make beautiful publications, this is a
beautifully done book. I didn't notice a single typo, and although the authors
apparently aren't native English speakers, the text is nearly always idiomatic
is graceful.
Information wants to be free, so make some free information.
The above review is copyrighted by its author, and is copylefted under the
following license:
Open Publication License 1.0 without options A or B
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Frederick Noronha (FN) Nr Convent Saligao 403511 GoaIndia
Freelance Journalist P: 832-2409490 M: 9822122436
http://fn.swiki.net http://fn-floss.notlong.com
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