[OSGeo-Edu] Up and running with LaTex.

[Jorge Gaspar Sanz Salinas]

2008/6/12 Landon Blake <lblake at ksninc.com>:
> Turns out I didn't have MikTex properly installed. I corrected this mistake
> yesterday, and I am now cooking with fire!

Congrats!

>
>
>
> Unfortunately I still can't get Lyx to work properly, but I am able to use
> LED. LED isn't open source, but it is better than nothing. I'll see if I can
> follow up with my problem on the Lyx mailing list.
>
>
>
> I'll try to put together some documentation of getting set up for LaTex that
> can be used by new OSGeo authors. I'm guessing the OSGeo wiki would be a
> good place for this?
>

maybe wikibooks could be a good place

http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Latex

just to have a broader audience than we geogeeks ;)

>
>
> At any rate, I'll work on converting my metadata chapter to LaTex in the
> next week or two, and will also work on moving over the dictionary material
> as well.
>
>
>
> A couple of questions:
>
>
>
> Should I start a LaTex book for all of the English Free GIS Book, and not
> just the metadata chapter? Where is the Spanish team currently at with their
> version of the book? Have there been any translation efforts?
>

mmm good question.

Firstly I will describe briefly the situation regarding the Spanish
FGB (Victor could also post their thoughts). At this time is quite
stopped. This is first because our great engine, Victor, has another
book to deal with and he has spent hundreds of hours on the free book.
I think he should not return at least as other people (included me)
have worked more. His self-assigned part is almost done, at least is
ready to be reviewed.

The other two active authors (and you're lucky) are the SDI team:
Miguel and Lola. They've been working on a whole SDI part of the book.
I'm pretty sure the're lurking here so maybe they can tell us what
level of completeness have been achieved.

And other parts like those assigned to me... well they aren't started
or they are at a very initial level.

So, if you want you can use the Spanish FGB latex files as a template,
and put your text as a chapter (not sure if our template will be able
to fit in your latex-powered software, sorry).

My recommendation would be that write in the most standard way you can
to use your chapter on the book, witch is great but also on the
journal or whatever you think.

For example, Miguel Montesinos and me wrote two years ago a report
about the FOSS4G panorama. This year we've updated the contents adding
some new data (as you know as OpenJUMP contact) and my intention is to
put all that stuff as a chapter on the book but also I want to be able
to produce an independent version to send it to the Girona FOSS4G
meeting.


>
>
> Also, can anyone suggest a format for the dictionary in LaTex? Should I use
> an article template, or a book template? Is there another more appropriate
> template?

Well I've already answered that but some more comments.

The Spanish FGB is quite standard but it has some macros to put the
keywords and authors names, etc etc. We haven't been really worried
about the layout as we had enough creating and managing the team and
trying to have time to write (!!) so if you want to improve the layout
of the English version, work on it, an tell us after your experiences
;)

All that (the good and the bad) will be commented on South Africa
because Victor Olaya will present the Spanish FGB (if the presentation
is selected). I can't say if I'll be there, but maybe.

Cheers
-- 
Jorge Gaspar Sanz Salinas
Ingeniero en Geodesia y Cartografía
http://www.geomaticblog.net
http://www.prodevelop.es