The Wonderful World of LaTex

Have you ever heard of LaTex? Don’t worry, in the grand scheme of things, not many people have. It is largely used within the mathematics and some of the scientific communities to write peer-reviewed journal articles or make snazzy looking presentations. LaTex is a masochist’s version of Microsoft Word/PowerPoint but I mean that in the best way possible. You are writing a code to compile your document with special LaTex syntax. According to the official LaTex website, “LaTex is a document preparation system and document markup language. LaTeX uses the TeX typesetting program for formatting its output, and is itself written in the TeX macro language. LaTeX is not the name of a particular editing program, but refers to the encoding or tagging conventions that are used in LaTeX documents.”

So why should you care about LaTex when you have gotten so used to making your documents in Microsoft Word? Because it will change your life. Sure, there is a learning curve to it and even though I have been using it for years to write everything, I still consult the Comprehensive LaTex Symbols PDF regularly, but my documents look beautiful. It is a harsh world out there, especially if you are apply for funding (scholarships, fellowships, anything where you turn in a document). When it comes down to it, presentation not just the quality of writing, matters.

Now that I have convinced you that you should probably look into this, I have news for you. It is FREE! Just go here to download. It is fairly easy to download and install. 

Now it is time to start creating. Like I said earlier, there is a learning curve. From Wikipedia, here is what an example document looks like:

On the left is what you type. On the right is what compiles as a PDF.
I would just start with looking for examples, such as this one, from around the web. The best way to learn a programming language is just to start programing. As you become more experienced and creating a vast array of documents, you will build up your own library so you will never have to start from scratch.

My motivation for writing a blog entry about LaTex came from the discovery of interesting new ways to use LaTex.

First, is GmailTex. It is LaTex for Gmail and it is also FREE!! You can download it through the Chrome App Store. You will need to clear your cookies and restart Chrome to get it to work, but it is worth it. Now, if you are trying to ask for help on a homework assignment or something for work, everything can be spelled out in a nice and ordered format.

Second, WriteTex. Do you have a group assignment/project, want it to look nice, and have everyone working on it at the same time (like documents on GoogleDrive)? No problem. WriteTex can do it and it is also FREE! Of course, everyone will have to know how to use LaTex. If someone in your group doesn't, this is a perfect opportunity to enlighten them!


Note, resumes and CVs look amazing in LaTex too!