Re: Newbie questions

[Thomas Moore <tmoore@pomona.edu>]

On Jun 24, 2006, at 8:46 AM, Sanjoy Mahajan wrote:

>> I have figured out how to download the t-amsl module and can
>> successfully invoke it as long as the t-amsl.tex file is in the same
>> folder as my document files. But how do I install it permanently so
>> that I can invoke it in all my documents?
>
> I don't know TeXShop or MacOS but I'm also using teTeX (but on Linux).
> t-amsl.tex is already in the distribution of ConTeXt that comes with
> teTeX...

You are correct -- it took a bit of finding on the Mac but it is  
indeed there. That fixes problem #2. Thanks!!
>
>> I am new to ConTexT and TeX (thinking about migrating from
>> InDesign).
>
> Is that for a new edition of _Six Ideas That Shaped Physics_ (an
> excellent series)?

Thank you for your kind words -- yes, I am thinking about the next  
edition, but also for a book on General Relativity that I am working  
on and for future projects.
>
> What makes you consider migrating?  I haven't used InDesign but I
> imagine that flowing text around or near figures might be easier with
> a page-layout program like InDesign (but I'm still learning ConTeXt
> and as a general rule one can do anything in ConTeXt with enough
> magic!).  On the other hand, math typesetting might be easier and
> higher-quality in TeX/ConTeXt.

The Six Ideas texts (first edition) were typeset as AppleWorks  
drawings, if you can believe it. To go to the third edition, I have  
to migrate to something more modern -- either InDesign or something  
TeX-based. Problems with figure and equation references, indexing  
issues, and inconsistent styles were driving me crazy with  
AppleWorks, and many of these problems would persist in InDesign. I  
have also been having difficulty setting up mathematics in a  
satisfactory way. On the other hand, I am a very visual thinker, and  
I don't remember commands well, so even ConTexT (which seems a lot  
simpler than LaTeX) is a big stretch for me. We will see...
>
> Best of luck!

Thanks, I will need it!  Tom