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Re: FAQ
>Original Poster: "Jim Lux" <jimlux-at-jpl.nasa.gov>
<snip>
>Any ideas on how to encode equations.. FORTRAN or BASIC style is moderately
>ok (at least it is accurate) for algebraic expressions, but doesn't convey
>the sense of the equation very well, and does not provide for operators like
>differentiation and integration.
>
>I've been using Word's Equation Editor and then converting to GIF, but is is
>sort of clunky, and I'm not happy with the results.
>
My 2 cents on this is that Tex (normally spelled TeX, but I have
decided that the English language is complex enough without inner-
mixed-case words) does a MUCH better job at formatting equations.
Tex's native output format is DVI, but there are utilities to convert
to others. I have only converted to Postscript (similar comment),
so I cannot say how well the others work or how easily it can be
integrated into a larger document.
>
>Original Poster: Travis Tabbal <bigboss-at-xmission-dot-com>
><snip>
>Even
>14.4k would download the site I'm envisioning really quickly. PDF would be
>slower,
>being a graphic format it's a little bigger, but usually not by much. And PDF
>prints MUCH nicer for those that like to make hardcopies.
Another 2 cents:
If it is encoded "right", PDF should be smaller that the equivalent
ASCII art. I have only used Adobe's free reader, but I have program-
built some PDF files. (Specs for PDF are open and on Adobe's web
site somewhere.) Anyhow, the graphics are vector-based, so you
basically define lines and curves (Bezier splines actually -- PDF
requires circles and ellipses to be approximated by these) from
one point to another. Additionally, you can define repeated sections
once and then concisely reference the section later. Also, most of
the parts of a PDF file can be stored in one of the standard
compressed formats.
Jim Monte