What are TeX/LaTeX

TeX is a computer system for typesetting mathematical documents. It is a mark-up system that produces high-quality formatted text with beautifully proportioned mathematical formulae. TeX was invented by Donald Knuth.

LaTeX is an author-friendly document preparation system. Although LaTeX is based on TeX, it can be used independently with no prior knowledge of TeX.

Local TeX Documents

• The Basic Steps in preparing a TeX document
• teTeX Documentation - teTeX is the version of TeX that is installed on Mathnet. The directory /usr/local/teTeX-2.0.2/share/texmf/doc/ contains documentation that was distributed with teTeX-2.0.2.
• Local additions to teTeX - The directory /usr/local/teTeX-2.0.2/share/texmf-local/doc contains documentation for some TeX and LaTeX add-ons that are used locally here at the PSU Math Department.
• Emacs Info Nodes - some TeX/LaTeX documenation is available via Emacs info.

TeX on The Web

• TeX Users Group (TUG)
• The LaTeX Project
• The Comprehensive TeX Archive Network (CTAN)
• MacOS X Tex/LaTeX
• The Not So Short Introduction to LaTeX2e
• Harvard Math Department LaTeX Guide
• A LaTeX2e Cheat Sheet

Local Support

If you are a Mathnet user, you can send questions about TeX and LaTeX to tex@math.psu.edu. Mail sent to that address is read by several knowledgeable volunteers who may be able to help you.