Use whatever tool allows you to sit down and write content sooner. If you don't know Latex, don't waste time learning it (unless the book has a lot of formulas in it). So if you already know how to use Word, (or similar word processors like the Libreoffice one) use that. They are perfectly fine for large text base stuff. If you have plenty of images it will get heavy, but I think there might be a way to link to external files?). Rendering in PDF from MS Word works very well. If you need to share it with somebody for review and comments, most people would be able to open it and read it and comment directly on it. And the WYSIWIG aspect of it should not be underestimated. The amount of personalization of fonts, spaces, etc, is way larger than other options.
Ask HN: What software should I use to write a textbook?
61–70 of 70 posts
Re: Ask HN: What software should I use to write a textbook?
#62None of the suggestions address the writing process and what might facilitate that process. I was so frustrated with existing word processors in that regard that I wrote my own. It's built on my personal work flow augmented with spell checking and find/replace. I did add layout features as an afterthought but rarely use them. I'd market it, but marketing "side projects" is an insurmountable hassle.
Re: Ask HN: What software should I use to write a textbook?
#63If you have time to invest, go for a TeX variant (LaTeX or ConTeXt). That gives full control over any typesetting detail. I’d recommend ConTeXt [0] over LaTeX. A minimal document is as simple as \starttext Start writing here… \stoptext and you can go a long way from there, including making ebooks. Much better than LaTeX for layout control, language support, graphics integration, table generation, etc… It’s also intim…
Don't write your text in some TeX dialect. It's not worth it.
You can write your text in Markdown and convert it to TeX, DocBook or directly to PDF using Pandoc (https://pandoc.org). In my opinion Markdown is much easier to type and Pandoc gives you everything you'll need for styling your document.
Re: Ask HN: What software should I use to write a textbook?
#64Earlier quoted context omitted.
Just that. Maybe Word in the first place, for the spell checking. But, other than that, just use it as a plain text editor. I also find it useful to create a new file for each chapter.
You don't need Word for spell checking. For instance, Emacs can use ISpell, ASpell, etc.
Good to know. I'll check if Sublime Text supports spell checking as well :)
Re: Ask HN: What software should I use to write a textbook?
#65If you have time to invest, go for a TeX variant (LaTeX or ConTeXt). That gives full control over any typesetting detail. I’d recommend ConTeXt [0] over LaTeX. A minimal document is as simple as \starttext Start writing here… \stoptext and you can go a long way from there, including making ebooks. Much better than LaTeX for layout control, language support, graphics integration, table generation, etc… It’s also intim…
Don't write your text in some TeX dialect. It's not worth it. You can write your text in Markdown and convert it to TeX, DocBook or directly to PDF using Pandoc ( https://pandoc.org ). In my opinion Markdown is much easier to type and Pandoc gives you everything you'll need for styling your document.
I use both pandoc and LaTeX in my day job. I have to disagree somewhat with your first statement. I think it varies by the use cases.
I usually start a writing project in pandoc Markdown, until at some point I have many equations, figures, or tables that I have to switch to LaTeX to continue. I know pandoc can support all of these elements but it does not give you as much freedom as LaTeX. Equation and theorem numbering, figure and subfigure referencing, fine tuning the layout of a table ... things like these that are natural in LaTeX require extra effort to be done well in Markdown. And of course, there are things that LaTeX does not do well naturally, for example, code highlighting. Should always pick the right tool for the right task.
Re: Ask HN: What software should I use to write a textbook?
#66To some degree what you use is dependent upon what type of content it is. Is it purely text? Text and some images/graphics? Tables? Equations?
A good starting point for primarily text or text+pics is whatever editor you like to use everyday. Once your content is final (or nearly so) you can export as ascii and then add latex (or variant) formatting.
If it is heavily equation oriented, there are a number of wysiwyg type latex editors that may be helpful or just bite the bullet and start as a latex text document.
Re: Ask HN: What software should I use to write a textbook?
#67If you have time to invest, go for a TeX variant (LaTeX or ConTeXt). That gives full control over any typesetting detail. I’d recommend ConTeXt [0] over LaTeX. A minimal document is as simple as \starttext Start writing here… \stoptext and you can go a long way from there, including making ebooks. Much better than LaTeX for layout control, language support, graphics integration, table generation, etc… It’s also intim…
Give LyX ( https://www.lyx.org/ ) a try. It has a TeX/LaTeX backend and a handy UI. Check a tutorial for the basic workflow and you are all set. Many people have used it and still use it for their books, theses and such. I wrote my thesis with it back in the days. The best part was to be able to just focus on the writing, not formatting. There is a layout mimicing the layout used by Edward Tufte in his books. That la…
>The best part was to be able to just focus on the writing, not formatting.
I see this 'slogan' frequently when it comes to Tex-based editors. (I realize you are talking about a GUI interface that only uses Tex as its backend... comment isnt really directed to you.)
Is the slogan really true? Perhaps I'm just easily distracted, but I find the exact opposite is true. I spend 1% of the time drafting, and 99% of the time fiddling with Tex, loading packages to make a cool kind of ligature, then ending up reading about the history of ligatures, then writing my own package to create a ligature more consistent with those used in 17th century upper Bavaria, then adding more features to the package to account for monospaced fonts, etc... and finally, at around 4:00 am, I realize I've only written a single sentence.
Maybe it's just me... but the slogan seems like something an alcoholic in denial would say.
Re: Ask HN: What software should I use to write a textbook?
#68Earlier quoted context omitted.
Don't write your text in some TeX dialect. It's not worth it. You can write your text in Markdown and convert it to TeX, DocBook or directly to PDF using Pandoc ( https://pandoc.org ). In my opinion Markdown is much easier to type and Pandoc gives you everything you'll need for styling your document.
I use both pandoc and LaTeX in my day job. I have to disagree somewhat with your first statement. I think it varies by the use cases. I usually start a writing project in pandoc Markdown, until at some point I have many equations, figures, or tables that I have to switch to LaTeX to continue. I know pandoc can support all of these elements but it does not give you as much freedom as LaTeX. Equation and theorem number…
Okay, these are valid points. I personally tend to choose against switching to LaTeX. But I assume we agree that you shouldn't start with LaTeX right away if not absolutely necessary.
Re: Ask HN: What software should I use to write a textbook?
#69Earlier quoted context omitted.
Give LyX ( https://www.lyx.org/ ) a try. It has a TeX/LaTeX backend and a handy UI. Check a tutorial for the basic workflow and you are all set. Many people have used it and still use it for their books, theses and such. I wrote my thesis with it back in the days. The best part was to be able to just focus on the writing, not formatting. There is a layout mimicing the layout used by Edward Tufte in his books. That la…
>The best part was to be able to just focus on the writing, not formatting. I see this 'slogan' frequently when it comes to Tex-based editors. (I realize you are talking about a GUI interface that only uses Tex as its backend... comment isnt really directed to you.) Is the slogan really true? Perhaps I'm just easily distracted, but I find the exact opposite is true. I spend 1% of the time drafting, and 99% of the tim…
In my experience it is true; of course some areas may require more detail and attention and tweaking and summoning the Evil Red Text in LyX.
In your case, it seems you are not really writing the text... You are making cosmetic adjustments. And it is fine but it should not be done up front, IMO. As for ligatures, TeX should handle ligatures automagically, but I took that as a general point and yeah, I agree -- one can always find things to tweak.
Process-wise, it is better to "just write". Most of the cosmetics is taken care of by LyX with minimal effort. Add a comment for something to check later. Make the process iterative, if you try to write each line as production quality from scratch, I doubt you will ever finish.
Re: Ask HN: What software should I use to write a textbook?
#70Earlier quoted context omitted.
>The best part was to be able to just focus on the writing, not formatting. I see this 'slogan' frequently when it comes to Tex-based editors. (I realize you are talking about a GUI interface that only uses Tex as its backend... comment isnt really directed to you.) Is the slogan really true? Perhaps I'm just easily distracted, but I find the exact opposite is true. I spend 1% of the time drafting, and 99% of the tim…
In my experience it is true; of course some areas may require more detail and attention and tweaking and summoning the Evil Red Text in LyX. In your case, it seems you are not really writing the text... You are making cosmetic adjustments. And it is fine but it should not be done up front, IMO. As for ligatures, TeX should handle ligatures automagically, but I took that as a general point and yeah, I agree -- one can…
I was being a bit facetious. I just know I'm not the only person out there who WASTES an enormous amount of time fiddling with LaTeX instead of working.
For pure composition, you are certainly correct... do not write in the Tex editor... Just compose with WORD or something, and then take care of the formatting in Tex at the end.
(Regrettably, though, I am involved in several projects where the composition necessarily has to be in the LaTeX editor as the format and cosmetic adjustments are very important.)
It seems a lot of the helpful questions and answers on the various LaTeX websites come from some PhD student working on his dissertation. I kind of smile with sympathy at their earnest questions about how to print an equation upside-down and backwards in a table cell while using multicolumn (just a silly example...) I know whoever was writing the question was, like me, surfing the internet and focusing on formatting instead of getting back to work and finishing the damn dissertation.