Feedback wanted on a ConTeXt tutorial

Feedback wanted on a ConTeXt tutorial

[Mari Voipio]

Hello!

Inspired by some informal discussions at the recent ConTeXt meeting I
started to write a *really* basic ConTeXt tutorial. However, before I
get further than the first six chapters, I'd like to get feedback on
it, especially on the content, but also on the layout. The file is (at
least temporarily) available at
<http://www.lucet.fi/pdfs/ctxbasics.pdf>.

I know already that there are a few things missing in the existing
chapters, but I'd like to know if the document is any good and if the
style is suitable for such a document. I've planned and written it out
of my own experiences with ConTeXt, so maybe this document could
become a My Way doc when it is finished (something public domain
anyway).


Thank you,

Mari
___________________________________________________________________________________
If your question is of interest to others as well, please add an entry to the Wiki!

maillist : ntg-context@ntg.nl / http://www.ntg.nl/mailman/listinfo/ntg-context
webpage  : http://www.pragma-ade.nl / http://tex.aanhet.net
archive  : http://foundry.supelec.fr/projects/contextrev/
wiki     : http://contextgarden.net
___________________________________________________________________________________

Re: Feedback wanted on a ConTeXt tutorial

[Marco Patzer]

[-- Attachment #1.1: Type: text/plain, Size: 3901 bytes --]

On 2013–09–29 Mari Voipio wrote:

> Inspired by some informal discussions at the recent ConTeXt meeting I
> started to write a *really* basic ConTeXt tutorial.

I'm happy to see someone willing to invest time and effort to
improve the documentation! I did neither attend the meeting, nor
take part in this discussion and I don't want to sound discouraging
in any way. But I'm not sure if it makes sense to start another
manual. ConTeXt already has plenty of manuals, including the very
short “Top 10 macro” guide:

  http://www.tex.ac.uk/tex-archive/info/context-top-ten/cmds.pdf

Then there is a medium sized manual aimed at beginners, “ConTeXt, an
excursion” (which is rather outdated, I agree)

http://www.pragma-ade.com/general/manuals/mp-cb-en.pdf

“ConTeXt, an excursion” would probably come closest to what you have
started. And then there is the main reference manual

http://pmrb.free.fr/contextref.pdf

I think the best approach is to focus on one single manual and write
it in a beginner-friendly fashion. Everything else leads to
duplicated effort and confusion. Furthermore, information scattered
in many small places is harder to keep up-to-date.

If a short beginner tutorial is required, I would suggest to create
short chapter “A jump start for the impatient” or something along
those lines and add installation instructions to the manual,
detailing the TeXlive and ConTeXt standalone installation process.
As I said, I didn't take part in the mentioned discussion, so I
might be missing out relevant information.

> However, before I get further than the first six chapters, I'd
> like to get feedback on it, especially on the content, but also on
> the layout. The file is (at least temporarily) available at
> <http://www.lucet.fi/pdfs/ctxbasics.pdf>.

Some thoughts:

  1.1.1
  Unfortunately there’s no really easy way to install ConTEXt on Windows.

I never installed ConTeXt on Windows, but if this is true this
should definitely be fixed. According to

  http://wiki.contextgarden.net/ConTeXt_Standalone#Command_line_method

it should be sufficient to run

1) download the installer: http://minimals.contextgarden.net/setup/context-setup-mswin.zip
2) install: first-setup.bat
3) add ConTeXt to path: http://wiki.contextgarden.net/Windows_Installation:_ConTeXt_Suite_with_SciTe#Step_3:_Add_ConTeXt_to_Windows_search_path
   (Maybe adding the exact command or a screenshot for step 3 would
   be helpful.)

If this fails, we should work on that.

  5 Formatting text

Since you explicitly mention “The basic idea is to separate layout
from content” in sections 2.1 and 3.1 I think it's not very
educational to tell beginners to use font switches in the code:

  This is a {\ss test}. % sans serif
  This is a {\tt test}. % typewriter

Rather teach logical markup from the very beginning.

  \definehighlight
    [important]
    [style=bold]

  \important{This} is logical markup.

  6.3 Floats

This is arguable, but I personally would drop the (not deprecated
and still supported) MkII syntax for floats

  \placefigure
    [here,force] % really try to put the float just here
    {This is a cow} % Caption
    {\externalfigure[cow][width=2cm]}

and replace it with the more intuitive MkIV syntax:

  \startplacefigure [title=A cow, reference=fig:acow]
    \externalfigure [cow]
  \stopplacefigure

And refrain from using the [here, force] setting, otherwise
beginners will never grasp the concept of floats.

  6.4 Combinations

Also arguable, but you might consider using the newer

  \startcombination [nx=3, ny=1]
  …

syntax. It's more contextish and easier to understand, in my
opinion. Furthermore, it's not covered in any of the manuals, as far
as I know.

I hope I phrased my comments in a constructive and helpful manner.

Marco

[-- Attachment #1.2: Digital signature --]
[-- Type: application/pgp-signature, Size: 490 bytes --]

[-- Attachment #2: Type: text/plain, Size: 485 bytes --]

___________________________________________________________________________________
If your question is of interest to others as well, please add an entry to the Wiki!

maillist : ntg-context@ntg.nl / http://www.ntg.nl/mailman/listinfo/ntg-context
webpage  : http://www.pragma-ade.nl / http://tex.aanhet.net
archive  : http://foundry.supelec.fr/projects/contextrev/
wiki     : http://contextgarden.net
___________________________________________________________________________________

Re: Feedback wanted on a ConTeXt tutorial

[Thangalin]

Hi,

Some feedback:

- The introduction paragraph can be shortened. For example, tell the
reader to "try the subsequent examples using ConTeXt Live web page"
(as opposed to 'almost all of the examples in the series can be run
online'). On any example that does not work, indicate such at the
time.
- "abt 40 euros" is missing "ou".
- "combo" should be "combination".
- "In Windows", "In Mac", etc. can be "Windows", "Mac", etc.
- Use the active voice (it shortens text).
- Avoid using abbreviations and jargon.

As Marco noted, why not apply such wonderful effort to the wiki?


On Sun, Sep 29, 2013 at 8:22 AM, Mari Voipio <mari.voipio@iki.fi> wrote:
> Hello!
>
> Inspired by some informal discussions at the recent ConTeXt meeting I
> started to write a *really* basic ConTeXt tutorial. However, before I
> get further than the first six chapters, I'd like to get feedback on
> it, especially on the content, but also on the layout. The file is (at
> least temporarily) available at
> <http://www.lucet.fi/pdfs/ctxbasics.pdf>.
>
> I know already that there are a few things missing in the existing
> chapters, but I'd like to know if the document is any good and if the
> style is suitable for such a document. I've planned and written it out
> of my own experiences with ConTeXt, so maybe this document could
> become a My Way doc when it is finished (something public domain
> anyway).
>
>
> Thank you,
>
> Mari
> ___________________________________________________________________________________
> If your question is of interest to others as well, please add an entry to the Wiki!
>
> maillist : ntg-context@ntg.nl / http://www.ntg.nl/mailman/listinfo/ntg-context
> webpage  : http://www.pragma-ade.nl / http://tex.aanhet.net
> archive  : http://foundry.supelec.fr/projects/contextrev/
> wiki     : http://contextgarden.net
> ___________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
If your question is of interest to others as well, please add an entry to the Wiki!

maillist : ntg-context@ntg.nl / http://www.ntg.nl/mailman/listinfo/ntg-context
webpage  : http://www.pragma-ade.nl / http://tex.aanhet.net
archive  : http://foundry.supelec.fr/projects/contextrev/
wiki     : http://contextgarden.net
___________________________________________________________________________________

Re: Feedback wanted on a ConTeXt tutorial

[Mari Voipio]

On Sun, Sep 29, 2013 at 8:05 PM, Marco Patzer <lists@homerow.info> wrote:
> Then there is a medium sized manual aimed at beginners, “ConTeXt, an
> excursion” (which is rather outdated, I agree)

I was actually aiming at one step lower and in doing things in the
order a word processor user would approach ConTeXt. My copy of
excursion is fairly thumbed at this stage, but I still sometimes need
to use find to actually get at the things I need. So I wrote this new
one "my way".


> As I said, I didn't take part in the mentioned discussion, so I
> might be missing out relevant information.

It wasn't anything major, just some off-hand sentences. I've just
written something similar for MetaPost, so this approach felt natural
and kept me amused during the travel home (including 4 hrs spent
sitting at the airport).


> I never installed ConTeXt on Windows, but if this is true this
> should definitely be fixed. According to
>
>   http://wiki.contextgarden.net/ConTeXt_Standalone#Command_line_method
>
> it should be sufficient to run
>
> 1) download the installer: http://minimals.contextgarden.net/setup/context-setup-mswin.zip
> 2) install: first-setup.bat
> 3) add ConTeXt to path: http://wiki.contextgarden.net/Windows_Installation:_ConTeXt_Suite_with_SciTe#Step_3:_Add_ConTeXt_to_Windows_search_path
>    (Maybe adding the exact command or a screenshot for step 3 would
>    be helpful.)

The problem is here: Windows users in general aren't used to command
line and even fewer have ever touched a path (or even know such a
thing exists). The only almost one-click approach is TeXLive - and
unfortunately I can't currently test that on my Windows as it might
mess up with my vital ConTeXt installation. Thus there is no real
"Windows way" of installing ConTeXt and this may hold some potential
users back.


>   5 Formatting text
>
> Since you explicitly mention “The basic idea is to separate layout
> from content” in sections 2.1 and 3.1 I think it's not very
> educational to tell beginners to use font switches in the code:
>
>   This is a {\ss test}. % sans serif
>   This is a {\tt test}. % typewriter
>
> Rather teach logical markup from the very beginning.

True. Not that I follow this advice myself, but probably should (some
of my earlier ConTeXt files are - umm - not beautiful because I have
some Word baggage).


>
>   \definehighlight
>     [important]
>     [style=bold]
>
>   \important{This} is logical markup.

I'd say this approach is too complicated for somebody who just wants
to do documents on ConTeXt (more typing, too, and we people are lazy).
However, I was thinking about trashing both \bf and \it and just
talking about \em for marking emphasis. I think the big manual
includes information on how to adjust \em to one's preferences (I'm
sure I saw it *somewhere* while digging stuff up for this).


> This is arguable, but I personally would drop the (not deprecated
> and still supported) MkII syntax for floats

Interestingly, this was the only syntax I know of and the only one I
can find in the manuals and on the wiki.


>
>   \placefigure
>     [here,force] % really try to put the float just here
>     {This is a cow} % Caption
>     {\externalfigure[cow][width=2cm]}
>
> and replace it with the more intuitive MkIV syntax:
>
>   \startplacefigure [title=A cow, reference=fig:acow]
>     \externalfigure [cow]
>   \stopplacefigure

Nice. I'll try to get around to wikifying this asap.


> And refrain from using the [here, force] setting, otherwise
> beginners will never grasp the concept of floats.

True. And otherwise I'm not happy about what I said about floats - I
just barely understand them myself and gaining that knowledge was hard
work - so I'll rewrite that section and will come up with something
else to put there. (Although floats with "here,force" still float,
just less so. Been there, done that; now I know it is a feature, not a
bug. Useful for a thesis, not so in my work.)


>   6.4 Combinations
>
> Also arguable, but you might consider using the newer
>
>   \startcombination [nx=3, ny=1]
>   …
>
> syntax. It's more contextish and easier to understand, in my
> opinion. Furthermore, it's not covered in any of the manuals, as far
> as I know.

Nor the wiki, I'd never seen it before, although I've understood that
more and more ConTeXt commands move towards the start ... stop syntax.
Again, I'll try to get around to wikify this soonish (first I want to
try it out, though).


I've found before that I learn best by teaching others, for I will not
teach anything I don't properly understand my way. Now I've already
learned three new things, not bad. :-)


Thanks for the comments!


Mari
___________________________________________________________________________________
If your question is of interest to others as well, please add an entry to the Wiki!

maillist : ntg-context@ntg.nl / http://www.ntg.nl/mailman/listinfo/ntg-context
webpage  : http://www.pragma-ade.nl / http://tex.aanhet.net
archive  : http://foundry.supelec.fr/projects/contextrev/
wiki     : http://contextgarden.net
___________________________________________________________________________________

Re: Feedback wanted on a ConTeXt tutorial

[Mari Voipio]

Hi!

On Sun, Sep 29, 2013 at 8:50 PM, Thangalin <thangalin@gmail.com> wrote:
> - The introduction paragraph can be shortened. For example, tell the
> reader to "try the subsequent examples using ConTeXt Live web page"
> (as opposed to 'almost all of the examples in the series can be run
> online'). On any example that does not work, indicate such at the
> time.

Darn, I forgot to change this one - I found that the sample graphics
are found by ConTeXt Live, so *all* examples this far work online. I
aim at keeping things that way. I'm not that happy with the intro
anyway, your sentence is a lot more beautiful than mine. :-)


> - Avoid using abbreviations and jargon.

I thought I had, but obviously not enough. Will have to do a jargon
check all over - I write one chapter at a time so minor discrepancies
can be expected at this stage.


> As Marco noted, why not apply such wonderful effort to the wiki?

Because my idea is to make a document that allows one to start from
the beginning and doing the examples in the order given. I used the
wiki a lot to check on stuff, but it is not quite the same thing - and
wiki's "second document" is already a real jump start to ConTeXt, I
want to introduce things slower.

I will try to improve the wiki when I stumble on problems. E.g. within
last three days I've looked up half a dozen commands that are not on
the command reference index (the longer one) even though they have a
page of their own, e.g. \externalfigure (not on
http://wiki.contextgarden.net/Category:Commands but has a page at
http://wiki.contextgarden.net/Command/externalfigure). If the index is
generated manually (as it seems), I can edit it and add missing
commands on the go when I find them.

I must admit that I find it a bit scary to edit the wiki; I'm always
worried about messing up with somebody else's work - with this
tutorial project I can only mess up with my own text and mostly I can
live with that. Editing the wiki I think that everybody else must know
better than I do, for my command of ConTeXt is fairly basic, so I
can't see my solutions being better than those already existing. Thus
I rarely log in to edit, except with failing links and other small
issues.


How should I phrase this? The wiki is like an encyclopedia, I look up
stuff (more often than not with find) that I need for each case. My
aim is to make something like a novel or a book used for learning the
basics of a foreign language, introducing new things gradually.



Thank you for your time and comments!


Mari
___________________________________________________________________________________
If your question is of interest to others as well, please add an entry to the Wiki!

maillist : ntg-context@ntg.nl / http://www.ntg.nl/mailman/listinfo/ntg-context
webpage  : http://www.pragma-ade.nl / http://tex.aanhet.net
archive  : http://foundry.supelec.fr/projects/contextrev/
wiki     : http://contextgarden.net
___________________________________________________________________________________

Re: Feedback wanted on a ConTeXt tutorial

[Keith J. Schultz]

Hi Mari,

As some already mentioned "In" <OS> is not correct either use 
<OS> or "On"!

In section 1.1.1 the last sentence is:
	TeXLive comes with a quite nice editor, TeXShop, that works well with ConTEXt 

   1) Missing period
   2) TeXShop is Mac only. You probably meant to to say TeXWorks!
      TeXWorks is based on TeXShop. I do not know if it runs on Windows.

In section 1.1.2 in the last sentence you write:
     […] and (abt 40 euros; a non-commercial licence is cheaper) […]

    1) I do not get this? Where do you buy it? Never new you could buy it!
    2) On can install the ConTeXt Standalone and download TeXShop,
       very little effort is needed to direct TeXShop to the standalone
       version. Switching between TeXLive and Standalone is then easy.
    3) I could write up a tutorial for installing and TeXlive and Standalone 
       if you care for one. 

Furthermore, Mac OS is a Unix system, though most do not realize this.
Also, It might be best to point to the wiki for installing ConTeXt.

In section 2.2 you talk about command, yet you forget to mention that commands
can have a "setup"-command. I believe it is important to mention this as
it is a integral part of ConTeXt and very important when using it as you example
commands show. 

In general I would say your general way of going about things are O.K.
Yet, I have one problem.  I personally believe you should go into more
detail about the relationship between typesetting, layout and ConTeXt.
It depends if you are writing a getting started manual or want to write
a comprehensive tutorial. 

I myself started on a tutorial as I find the contextref not comprehensive
enough and it really does not go into the caveats and use of all the options
of the commands therein. My idea was to divide the section into basics and
explanation of the options and advanced usage. 

Hope this helps.

Keep up the good work.

reagrds
	Keith. 

Am 29.09.2013 um 17:22 schrieb Mari Voipio <mari.voipio@iki.fi>:

> Hello!
> 
> Inspired by some informal discussions at the recent ConTeXt meeting I
> started to write a *really* basic ConTeXt tutorial. However, before I
> get further than the first six chapters, I'd like to get feedback on
> it, especially on the content, but also on the layout. The file is (at
> least temporarily) available at
> <http://www.lucet.fi/pdfs/ctxbasics.pdf>.
> 
> I know already that there are a few things missing in the existing
> chapters, but I'd like to know if the document is any good and if the
> style is suitable for such a document. I've planned and written it out
> of my own experiences with ConTeXt, so maybe this document could
> become a My Way doc when it is finished (something public domain
> anyway).

___________________________________________________________________________________
If your question is of interest to others as well, please add an entry to the Wiki!

maillist : ntg-context@ntg.nl / http://www.ntg.nl/mailman/listinfo/ntg-context
webpage  : http://www.pragma-ade.nl / http://tex.aanhet.net
archive  : http://foundry.supelec.fr/projects/contextrev/
wiki     : http://contextgarden.net
___________________________________________________________________________________

Re: Feedback wanted on a ConTeXt tutorial

[Lars Huttar]

On 9/29/2013 1:05 PM, Marco Patzer wrote:
> Some thoughts:
>
>   1.1.1
>   Unfortunately there’s no really easy way to install ConTEXt on Windows.
>
> I never installed ConTeXt on Windows, but if this is true this
> should definitely be fixed. According to
>
>   http://wiki.contextgarden.net/ConTeXt_Standalone#Command_line_method
> ...

For my part ... I recently installed TeXLive 2012 and 2013 on Windows 7,
and it was easy.

I told it to install only the ConTeXt scheme, instead of installing
everything.
Also I had to configure the TeXWorks editor options to use ConTeXt
(LuaTeX) by default instead of pdfLaTeX.
But other than that, unless I'm forgetting something, it worked fine,
out-of-the-box.

Lars

___________________________________________________________________________________
If your question is of interest to others as well, please add an entry to the Wiki!

maillist : ntg-context@ntg.nl / http://www.ntg.nl/mailman/listinfo/ntg-context
webpage  : http://www.pragma-ade.nl / http://tex.aanhet.net
archive  : http://foundry.supelec.fr/projects/contextrev/
wiki     : http://contextgarden.net
___________________________________________________________________________________

Re: Feedback wanted on a ConTeXt tutorial

[Mica Semrick]

[-- Attachment #1.1: Type: text/plain, Size: 1490 bytes --]

Any chance of getting that tutorial in some sort of version control?
Github/SVN/bitbucket or whatever?!


On Mon, Sep 30, 2013 at 7:06 AM, Lars Huttar <lars_huttar@sil.org> wrote:

> On 9/29/2013 1:05 PM, Marco Patzer wrote:
> > Some thoughts:
> >
> >   1.1.1
> >   Unfortunately there’s no really easy way to install ConTEXt on Windows.
> >
> > I never installed ConTeXt on Windows, but if this is true this
> > should definitely be fixed. According to
> >
> >   http://wiki.contextgarden.net/ConTeXt_Standalone#Command_line_method
> > ...
>
> For my part ... I recently installed TeXLive 2012 and 2013 on Windows 7,
> and it was easy.
>
> I told it to install only the ConTeXt scheme, instead of installing
> everything.
> Also I had to configure the TeXWorks editor options to use ConTeXt
> (LuaTeX) by default instead of pdfLaTeX.
> But other than that, unless I'm forgetting something, it worked fine,
> out-of-the-box.
>
> Lars
>
>
> ___________________________________________________________________________________
> If your question is of interest to others as well, please add an entry to
> the Wiki!
>
> maillist : ntg-context@ntg.nl /
> http://www.ntg.nl/mailman/listinfo/ntg-context
> webpage  : http://www.pragma-ade.nl / http://tex.aanhet.net
> archive  : http://foundry.supelec.fr/projects/contextrev/
> wiki     : http://contextgarden.net
>
> ___________________________________________________________________________________
>

[-- Attachment #1.2: Type: text/html, Size: 2453 bytes --]

[-- Attachment #2: Type: text/plain, Size: 485 bytes --]

___________________________________________________________________________________
If your question is of interest to others as well, please add an entry to the Wiki!

maillist : ntg-context@ntg.nl / http://www.ntg.nl/mailman/listinfo/ntg-context
webpage  : http://www.pragma-ade.nl / http://tex.aanhet.net
archive  : http://foundry.supelec.fr/projects/contextrev/
wiki     : http://contextgarden.net
___________________________________________________________________________________

Re: Feedback wanted on a ConTeXt tutorial

[Mari Voipio]

On Mon, Sep 30, 2013 at 10:35 AM, Keith J. Schultz <keithjschultz@web.de> wrote:
>     3) I could write up a tutorial for installing and TeXlive and Standalone
>        if you care for one.

Maybe that should go on page
http://wiki.contextgarden.net/Mac_Installation . While I'm used to the
command line, I still picked TextMate because it was an easy way out.
I've got MacTeX (=TeXlive) on my computer for occasional dabble with
LaTeX and I rather like the editor (and it's free), but I didn't know
that it can be configured to use ConTeXt Suite (=standalone) instead
of having to make do with whatever version is in the package.

So if you have time to edit that wiki page, I'm sure that would be appreciated!


Mari
___________________________________________________________________________________
If your question is of interest to others as well, please add an entry to the Wiki!

maillist : ntg-context@ntg.nl / http://www.ntg.nl/mailman/listinfo/ntg-context
webpage  : http://www.pragma-ade.nl / http://tex.aanhet.net
archive  : http://foundry.supelec.fr/projects/contextrev/
wiki     : http://contextgarden.net
___________________________________________________________________________________

Re: Feedback wanted on a ConTeXt tutorial

[Mari Voipio]

Hi,

I've now updated the file, trying to take all comments into account.
The new file is in the old place,
<http://www.lucet.fi/pdfs/ctxbasics.pdf>.

Mari
___________________________________________________________________________________
If your question is of interest to others as well, please add an entry to the Wiki!

maillist : ntg-context@ntg.nl / http://www.ntg.nl/mailman/listinfo/ntg-context
webpage  : http://www.pragma-ade.nl / http://tex.aanhet.net
archive  : http://foundry.supelec.fr/projects/contextrev/
wiki     : http://contextgarden.net
___________________________________________________________________________________

Re: Feedback wanted on a ConTeXt tutorial

[Keith J. Schultz]

Hi Mari, All,

I have redone/modified the Mac Installation page for Installing MacTeX, ConTeXt Standalone and
TeXShop.

Not quite finished, yet and needs polishing.

Critic invited. 

regards
	Keth


Am 01.10.2013 um 08:30 schrieb Mari Voipio <mari.voipio@iki.fi>:

> On Mon, Sep 30, 2013 at 10:35 AM, Keith J. Schultz <keithjschultz@web.de> wrote:
>>    3) I could write up a tutorial for installing and TeXlive and Standalone
>>       if you care for one.
> 
> Maybe that should go on page
> http://wiki.contextgarden.net/Mac_Installation . While I'm used to the
> command line, I still picked TextMate because it was an easy way out.
> I've got MacTeX (=TeXlive) on my computer for occasional dabble with
> LaTeX and I rather like the editor (and it's free), but I didn't know
> that it can be configured to use ConTeXt Suite (=standalone) instead
> of having to make do with whatever version is in the package.
> 
> So if you have time to edit that wiki page, I'm sure that would be appreciated!
> 
> 
> Mari
> ___________________________________________________________________________________
> If your question is of interest to others as well, please add an entry to the Wiki!
> 
> maillist : ntg-context@ntg.nl / http://www.ntg.nl/mailman/listinfo/ntg-context
> webpage  : http://www.pragma-ade.nl / http://tex.aanhet.net
> archive  : http://foundry.supelec.fr/projects/contextrev/
> wiki     : http://contextgarden.net
> ___________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________
If your question is of interest to others as well, please add an entry to the Wiki!

maillist : ntg-context@ntg.nl / http://www.ntg.nl/mailman/listinfo/ntg-context
webpage  : http://www.pragma-ade.nl / http://tex.aanhet.net
archive  : http://foundry.supelec.fr/projects/contextrev/
wiki     : http://contextgarden.net
___________________________________________________________________________________

Re: Feedback wanted on a ConTeXt tutorial

[Aditya Mahajan]

On Wed, 2 Oct 2013, Keith J. Schultz wrote:

> Hi Mari, All,
>
> I have redone/modified the Mac Installation page for Installing MacTeX, ConTeXt Standalone and
> TeXShop.
>
> Not quite finished, yet and needs polishing.
>
> Critic invited.

Minor correction. If you running the setup file using "sh first-setup.sh" 
then the previous step "chmod +x first-setup.sh" is not needed.

Aditya
___________________________________________________________________________________
If your question is of interest to others as well, please add an entry to the Wiki!

maillist : ntg-context@ntg.nl / http://www.ntg.nl/mailman/listinfo/ntg-context
webpage  : http://www.pragma-ade.nl / http://tex.aanhet.net
archive  : http://foundry.supelec.fr/projects/contextrev/
wiki     : http://contextgarden.net
___________________________________________________________________________________

Re: Feedback wanted on a ConTeXt tutorial

[Keith J. Schultz]

Thanx for the pointer.


Am 02.10.2013 um 13:28 schrieb Aditya Mahajan <adityam@umich.edu>:

> On Wed, 2 Oct 2013, Keith J. Schultz wrote:
> 
>> Hi Mari, All,
>> 
>> I have redone/modified the Mac Installation page for Installing MacTeX, ConTeXt Standalone and
>> TeXShop.
>> 
>> Not quite finished, yet and needs polishing.
>> 
>> Critic invited.
> 
> Minor correction. If you running the setup file using "sh first-setup.sh" then the previous step "chmod +x first-setup.sh" is not needed.
> 
> Aditya
> ___________________________________________________________________________________
> If your question is of interest to others as well, please add an entry to the Wiki!
> 
> maillist : ntg-context@ntg.nl / http://www.ntg.nl/mailman/listinfo/ntg-context
> webpage  : http://www.pragma-ade.nl / http://tex.aanhet.net
> archive  : http://foundry.supelec.fr/projects/contextrev/
> wiki     : http://contextgarden.net
> ___________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________
If your question is of interest to others as well, please add an entry to the Wiki!

maillist : ntg-context@ntg.nl / http://www.ntg.nl/mailman/listinfo/ntg-context
webpage  : http://www.pragma-ade.nl / http://tex.aanhet.net
archive  : http://foundry.supelec.fr/projects/contextrev/
wiki     : http://contextgarden.net
___________________________________________________________________________________

Re: Feedback wanted on a ConTeXt tutorial

[john Culleton]

On Sun, 29 Sep 2013 18:22:02 +0300
Mari Voipio <mari.voipio@iki.fi> wrote:

> Hello!
> 
> Inspired by some informal discussions at the recent ConTeXt meeting I
> started to write a *really* basic ConTeXt tutorial. However, before I
> get further than the first six chapters, I'd like to get feedback on
> it, especially on the content, but also on the layout. The file is (at
> least temporarily) available at
> <http://www.lucet.fi/pdfs/ctxbasics.pdf>.
> 
> I know already that there are a few things missing in the existing
> chapters, but I'd like to know if the document is any good and if the
> style is suitable for such a document. I've planned and written it out
> of my own experiences with ConTeXt, so maybe this document could
> become a My Way doc when it is finished (something public domain
> anyway).
> 
> 
> Thank you,
> 
> Mari
> 
Thus far you have a good effort. I would add at an early point the
command:
\setuppagenumbering[alternative=doublesided,location=]

or similar. Most documents like books etc. are printed double sided.
And page numbering is generally handled in the header. It is not
obvious to newbies that double sided format is set up by a page
numbering command. 
-- 
John Culleton
Wexford Press
Free list of books for self-publishers:
http://wexfordpress.net/shortlist.html
PDF e-book: "Create Book Covers with Scribus"
available at http://www.booklocker.com/books/4055.html
___________________________________________________________________________________
If your question is of interest to others as well, please add an entry to the Wiki!

maillist : ntg-context@ntg.nl / http://www.ntg.nl/mailman/listinfo/ntg-context
webpage  : http://www.pragma-ade.nl / http://tex.aanhet.net
archive  : http://foundry.supelec.fr/projects/contextrev/
wiki     : http://contextgarden.net
___________________________________________________________________________________