[XeTeX] Free download: Microsoft Office 2007 beta 2

Adam Twardoch list.adam at twardoch.com
Mon May 29 21:19:16 CEST 2006


Bruno Voisin wrote:
> This is Windows-specific software, isn't? Odd on a list dedicated to  
> software which only runs on Mac OS X and Linux to date!
>   
Yes, it is Windows-specific software. I don't think it's odd. Many users 
use several operating systems. Operating Mac OS X and Windows 
side-by-side on Intel-based Macs isn't really difficult. This is is 
dedicated to *Unicode-based* *TeX* for *Mac OS X and Linux*. While the 
last component does not really apply to Office 2007, I think since XeTeX 
is Unicode-based and (among others) related to typesetting math, the 
news is *very* relevant.

It is particularly relevant because Microsoft now implements math 
typesetting entirely based on Unicode and MathML, and extended the 
OpenType font format to implement math-related typographic features. 
What Microsoft is doing is relevant, especially that this time, they're 
doing it "by the book", i.e.:
* the new math typesetting engine uses Unicode, which is an 
international standard (ISO 10646)
* the new math typesetting engine uses MathML, which is an international 
standard from W3.org and XML-based
* the new math typesetting uses OpenType, which will soon be an 
international standard (as ISO Open Font Format)
* the new Office 2007 altogether uses an XML-based file format natively, 
which is likely to become a standard soon (at ECMA)
* Microsofted consulted with Donald Knuth on the development of their 
new math typesetting engine

BTW, there is a paper that discusses some aspects of Office's new math 
typesetting. The PDF is typeset using Microsoft Word 2007 itself, and 
uses Cambria as the basic font:
http://www.unicode.org/notes/tn28/UTN28-PlainTextMath.pdf

I'm not really a member of other TeX lists but you're free to forward my 
message to other lists that you think might be more appropriate.

Regards,
Adam

-- 

Adam Twardoch
http://www.twardoch.com/




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