LaTeX: Manuals and Software Installation

1. Download MikTex from www.miktex.org, or here. Install.
2. Download WinEdt from www.winedt.com, or here. Install.
3. Download ImageMagick from www.imagemagick.org, or here. Install.
4. After the installation, you are ready to experience Latex.
5. Steps for creating documents using Latex:
   1. Use any editor available (e.g., WinEdt) to create *.tex file. E.g., test.tex. You can insert the needed mathematical symbols from WinEdt. Or you can find the mappings from any Latex related book.
   2. Use WinEdt or DOS prompt command (latex test.tex). You will get test.dvi.
   3. Use DVI file previewer, you can display DVI files. On command line, yap test.dvi. Or use MikTex DVI Viewer. Or directly from WinEdt.
   4. Use command dvips test.dvi to create test.ps. Or directly from WinEdt.
   5. Use command dvipdfm test.dvi to create test.pdf. Or directly from WinEdt.
6. Latex only supports *.eps files, however, lots of tools can generate *.eps files. A command from ImageMagick, "convert test.jpg test.eps", can convert a JPEG file to EPS file. MATLAB can directly create EPS fule. Microsoft Visio can create EPS files too.
7. The following documents are two good Latex reference books:
   1. lshort.pdf: introduction to Latex
   2. epslatex.pdf: about embedding figures.
8. If you want to ask a question about Latex, who can answer?
   1. Dong Zheng
   2. Yan Liu
   3. Ronghui Tu
   4. Md. Abdur Rahman
   5. Andrew Rozcniak
   6. who else?