allogenes Doing and filing the final paperwork
Done and done
2 years ago
There is still a lot that I don’t know, but I know how to know now. :-)
How to master LaTeX
It made me
Happy 
"Steep learning curve..."
How I did it: I wrote a large project--my PhD thesis proposal--in LaTeX. Having something you have to get done, and forcing yourself to do it in LaTeX is really the only way to keep going. You need the motivation.
Lessons & tips: The learning curve for LaTeX and TeX is very (VERY) steep. So expect a long, slow, hard climb for the first few months. DO NOT CHEAT AND USE SOFTWARE THAT DOES IT FOR YOU! (Not if you actually want to learn.) However, after the steep part of the curve, you hit the level which interaction designers call perpetual intermediacy--and that is where you can get a lot done. From there on out, just become expert in the new packages you need to know. You don't (and probably can't) know it all. And that is OK.
Resources: TeXniccenter, Jabref, the Bash shell (on Linux), evince, LyX (for showing me how *not* to do it), and LOUT (for showing me an alternate path and why LaTeX matters). Books: The LaTeX Companion, the LaTeX Graphics Companion, Mastering LaTeX (for seeing past computer modern), and A Guide to LaTeX (3rd).
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Entries
allogenes Doing and filing the final paperwork
Untitled
2 years ago
Well, having put together my thesis proposal in LaTeX I am now much more able to make it do tricks. I am focusing on integrating more graphics into documents to make them look slick. I can certainly take this one off my list when my thesis is done, if not before.
BTW—GNUplot rules. Excellent adjunct to LaTeX.
allogenes Doing and filing the final paperwork
I considered adding “learn LaTeX” to my list, but I am clearly past that most basic point. I do still have a lot to learn, though. So here I am!
I am writing my thesis proposal in LaTeX and apart from some problems with adding graphics into the documents I love it. I will be working through the apa.sty when I do my thesis itself.
Mastery comes soon! ;-)
Done enough
3 years ago
I’m going to call this one done, ‘cause I can produce a fair range of documents in LaTeX. Definitely worth doing, and especially good for glossing linguistic texts!
Untitled
3 years ago
Ah, another semester starts, and with it, I’m back to tinkering with LaTeX (I use TeXShop, which I really like so far). I have the basics down, so now it’s just a matter of fine-tuning which packages I need for my field. The bib style is really the biggest issue.
Not so much 'master' as 'stumble along'
3 years ago
I haven’t been making much progress on this, largely because I haven’t needed to do much typesetting/word processing this summer. I only learn something new when I need to know it, instead of learning it well ahead of time. Maybe something to improve on.
