LaTeX is a typesetting system that is very suitable for writing engineering project and master theses - and all scientific and mathematical documents. This is mainly due to its powerful handling of mathematics, figures, and references. You should realize that it is not a "What You See Is What You Get" word processor like such as Microsoft Word, LibreOffice, or AbiWord. At first, LaTeX may seem more difficult to use, but after using LaTeX for a short while, you will quickly learn to love the straightforward way mathematics, references, and large documents are handled. You will also note how much better your final product will look.
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If you use a Windows computer (and have administrative permissions), you can install LaTeX by:
- Download and install the LaTeX program. You may choose between two alternatives The most popular implementation is:
- MikTeX Download the "Basic" version and accept all the default values.
- TeX Live. This is a good alternative to MikTeX. (It is not important which one of these two versions you choose - MikTeX may, however, be slightly easier to keep updated).
- Download and install a LaTeX editor. There are several free alternatives (Choose one of them)
- If you prefer to use pdfLaTeX (see below), I recommend you to use: TeXworks - A very good and free editorYou need a LaTeX editor. A suitable editor is TeXworks, which is an integrated part of both MikTeX and TeX Live (This means that TeXworks is automatically installed together with MikTeX and TeX Live). TeXworks can also be used with traditional LaTeX, but will then need some "tailoring".
If you prefer to use the traditional LaTeX, you may still use TeXworks, but you may also consider using:
- You may choose another editor if you do not like TeXworks. Good alternatives are:
- Texstudio - Also a very
Texniccenter - A - good and free editor
http://www.xm1math.net/texmaker/Texstudio- Texniccenter - A
very - good and free editor
WinEdt - A very good shareware alternative- You will find several alternative editors by searching the net
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For traditional LaTeX you should also download and install Ghostscript and GSView from the web page. Accept all default values when you install.
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In addition to the above LaTeX-programs, you will also need a reference management program. There are several available, but JabRef may be the best alternative under Windows.
If you do not use TeXworks, it is important that you install your LaTeX editor after you have installed LaTeX , Ghostscript and GSView - since the editor will search for and set up the correct paths to these LaTeX elements.
Mac
It is very easy to install LaTeX on a Mac since all elements come in one package. You only have to:
- Download and install MacTeX
Figures in LaTeX
There are two main versions of LaTeX, the traditional LaTeX and pdfLaTeX (Both are available in the packages you have downloaded). In the traditional LaTeX, all figures need to be in eps (encapsulated postscript) format. You will therefore need a drawing program that can produce figures in eps-format. A good, and free, alternative may be Inkscape. If you have access to Adobe Illustrator, this may be the best alternative you can find.
In pdfLaTeX, the figures cannot be in eps-format. You may here use figures in pdf, jpg, and png format. When compiling the .tex file, LaTeX will look for the figure bounding boxes. It is therefore important that you save the figures in a format that includes the bounding boxes. This may give you some frustrations until you learn how to do it.You should choose either the traditional LaTeX or the pdfLaTeX and stick to one of these.
I recommend that you use pdfLaTeX and figures in pdf-format!
Recommendation
If you use a Windows computer, I recommend you to download MikTeX and use the built-in TeXworks editor with pdfLaTeX - and JabRef as reference manager.
If you use a Mac, I recommend you to use the built-in TeXShop editor (TeXworks is a "clone" of TeXShop) with pdfLaTeX - and the built-in BibDesk reference manager. (You find them under Applications -> TeX).
LaTeX in the cloud
It is also possible to use LaTeX as a web application without installing anything. The are at least three different appliucations
I do not have much experience with these applications so I cannot give much advise.
Happy TeXing!!