Re: If you write code, read this.

According to Jerry Avins <jya@xxxxxxxx>:
LaTeX is a macro extenion of TeX and is widely used in scientific
circles even in the US. It is the required format for submissions to
professional mathematics journals.

LaTeX is _the_ standard for scientific research in mathematics and
computer science (e.g. everything published by Springer-Verlag in the
collection "Lecture Notes in Computer Science" is done in LaTeX with the
dedicated llncs LaTeX style), and is widely used in physics. In other
areas, it is in competition with Word-derived formats; for medecine and
genetics, Word dominates. In my specific area (cryptography), article
submissions to the main conferences with proceedings are required to be
in LaTeX-with-llncs since about 2000; before that, use of LaTeX was only
encouraged, but submissions in other formats (including Word) could
theoretically be salvaged (but there was a very high correlation between
"using Word" and "low scientific value": it seems that in the late 90's,
people using Word to write scientific articles on cryptography were also
people not quite in touch with the field they were writing on).

What made TeX/LaTeX very popular with mathematicians is the ease of
typesetting complex mathematical formulas. In the late 80's and early
90's, all other tools for such jobs were nightmarish. I heard that very
recent versions of Word and PowerPoint got better in that area, but I
have not checked myself.

On Unix systems, before the advent of TeX, it was customary to use
Troff, which is good enough for professional publishing (Richard Stevens
wrote his books in Troff) but requires more discipline from the writer.


--Thomas Pornin
.

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