@node Applications
@chapter Applications
This chapter offers informations about major Applications.

@menu
* Editors:: What Editor shall I use?
* Word Processors:: What word processors are there?
* DTP:: Are there any Desktop Publishers?
* TeX:: What is TeX and where can I get it?
* Postscript:: Are there any Postscript interpreters?
@end menu


@node Editors
@section Text Editors
@cindex Editors
@cindex Text Editors
Text Editors are programs allowing to enter and edit unformatted text.
Generally, this means text that is meant to be manipulated by machine,
rather than human. Programmers use these to enter the text for compilers.
Since UNIX machines don't typically have word processors, most text
processing starts with a text editor, then is filtered through a page layout
system (@ref{TeX, LaTeX, LaTeX}, for example) to produce attractive paper
results.

@table @strong
@item Commercial Products
CygnusEd Professional and TurboText seem to be the main contenders in
the professional realm. The Fred Fish disks contain dozens of other
shareware text editors. A demo version of TurboText is on Fish disk 445.
A very old demo of CygnusEd is on Fish disk 95 (testament to its
lasting-power). In the following some freely distributable editors will be
discussed.

@item Emacs
Gnu Emacs (the "G" is not silent) comes from Unix and is probably the king of
editors -- it's huge (about 1 Megabyte), feature-packed (it does windows and
even contains a game!) and extensible (if you know lisp you can write new
emacs functions and bind them to any key combination).  On the other hand, it
may be too huge, its feature-ladenness is imposing, and its extensibility
often means you can't use someone else's emacs configuration. Source:
Aminet (directory @file{util/gnu}).

@item Vi
The leaner, less configurable, non-extensible cousin to gnu emacs is vi
(pronounced "vee eye"). Unix people like vi especially because you find it
on @emph{any} Unix machine. What you choose is personal preference, and will
mark you for life. Vim is a good vi for the amiga, and is on Fish disk 591
or in the @file{util/gnu} directory of Aminet.

@item DME
Many Amiga programmers like DME. It's fast, fully configurable; menus
may be created and any key may be mapped. It's much easier to learn DME
than than Emacs or Vi. There are three different versions: AmokEd, DME and
XDME. It's a matter of opinion which you prefer. (Oberon and Modula
programmers like AmokEd because it's written in Oberon and supports AmigaOberon
error messages, C programmers like DME or XDME.) Sources:
Aminet (directory @file{util/edit}),
Fish disk 776 (XDME) and 749 (AmokEd), AMOK 90.
@end table


@node Word Processors
@section What word processors are there?
@cindex Word Processors
@cindex Wysiwyg
@cindex Page Layout Languages
A word processor is the typical application for writing notes, letters or
reports on a computer. Unless you prepare newsletters on a weekly basis,
your word procesor is probably your workhorse program. Thus choosing one
you are comfortable with determines how comfortable you are with your
computer. Word processors can offer a variety of features, and many can
approach the sophistication required for Desktop Publishing (@pxref{DTP})
but no one uses them for programming, for which text editors are more suited.

One distinguishes between Wysiwyg programs (What you see is what you get)
and page layout languages. Wysiwyg programs should be fast, comfortable and
easy to use. Most people prefer them. The alternative is an approach that
works similar to compilers. You feed text files to a a program that produces
the layout which may be previewed on screen or printed. LaTeX takes this
approach. @xref{TeX}. Lout is another such system which seems smaller,
easier to learn and has full documentation included, but it is nonstandard.
Lout produces Postscript output. (I don't know if this is an advantage or
disadvantage. ;-) @xref{Postscript}. Both programs are freely distributable.

There are a lot of wysiwyg programs, but only commercial products:
FinalWriter, Final Copy II, Wordworth, Word Perfect, AmiWrite,
Beckertext II, Maxon Word and many others. I don't dare to recommend any.
All I can say is: Give yourself time to make a selection.


@node DTP
@section Desktop Publishing
@cindex DTP
@cindex Desktop Publishing
These programs offer features lacking in word processors, usually
tailored to flexible arrangement of text, but often don't provide all of
the text manipulation that a good word processor provides. The best desktop
publishing programs strive to provide the features of both, just as the best
word processors strive to provide the features of desktop publishing
programs. Microsoft Word (Mac, PC) is a good example of a word processing
program that offers many page layout feature. Framemaker (UNIX, Macintosh,
DOS, etc.) is an example of a desktop publishing system that offers most
needed word processing functions. As yet, no Amiga program has bridged the
gap, though the main word processors are coming close. (On the other hand,
even many sophisticated programs don't support typesetting mathematics,
tables, producing bibliographies, indexes, or cross-references. The page
layout languages do, and programs like Frame are improving their support of
such features.) Unless you need to prepare fancy newsletters or promotional
literature, a word processing program is probably enough. @xref{Word
Processors}.

There are not yet any freely distributable wysiwyg desktop publishing
systems. Commercial products are ProPage and PageStream. They have been
playing leapfrog for the past few years. It appears that PageStream 3.0 is
about to leap ahead. A more detailed description of these products and their
differences is welcome. Both programs' list prices are $299. Student
discounts are available (approx 40% discount.)


@node TeX
@section What is TeX and where can I get it?
@cindex TeX
@TeX{} is a very powerful wordprocessing system. It can display mathematical
formulas or complex tables as well as function graphs, creates indices,
contents and many other things. Its greatest advantage is that it is freely
distributable (TeX, not the previewers and the printer drivers!) and that you
find TeX all over the world on every computer family. Its greatest
disadvantage is that it isn't very handy (works similar to a compiler) and
it isn't wysiwyg. But many people like it. (BTW: This document is written
using TeX. 8-) @xref{Word Processors}.

There are two major implementations on the Amiga. The first one, Amiga-@TeX{},
from Thomas Rockicki and Radical Eye software is commercial. It is said to
be excellent and his owners seem to be very satisfied. But it costs at
least 200$.

I recommend Pas@TeX{}, a freely distributable version. People seem to have
problems installing PasTeX, especially the font loading and generation
(It's a quite complex program.) but I did not here anyone upset
once it was installed. (A friend with knowledge of TeX helps immensely.)
A few words should be said what you need:
@itemize @bullet
@item 5 disks containing the @TeX{}-compiler itself
@item 2 disks containing MetaFont
@item Nothing more
@end itemize
Many people ask for fonts. They are included in the MetaFont-package and
can get compiled by you. All you need to do is setting up your @TeX{}-system
in the right way which is described in the documentation. Please note that
the PasTeX disks are compressed using the program Zoom. (@pxref{Endings})
Sources: FTP at @code{ftp.uni-passau.de}, directory
@file{/pub/amiga/tex/PasTeX1.3} and the Fish CDs.


@node Postscript
@section Are there any Postscript interpreters?
@cindex Postscript
PostScript is a programming language designed to be used to describe
printing on pages. Apple helped make PostScript popular by selling printers
with built in PostScript interpreters. Many programs have evolved to
produce PostScript programs as their output, making PostScript the lingua
franca of printing. Until recently, in order to print a PostScript file,
you had to have a relatively expensive laser printer. The development that
changed this was the software PostScript interpreter. These programs allow
your computer to interpret PostScript programs, and produce the matrix of
dots to send to your normal graphics printer.

One of the benefits of PostScript is that it is resolution independent.
What this means is that it can support the highest resolution of your device
-- and that you can reasonably preview PostScript on a low resolution screen.

There are two free PostScript interpreters for the Amiga. Post and
Ghostscript. Post comes as an Amiga shared library along with front ends for
previewing to the screen and printing. This structure allows others to write
programs that can show PostScript images on screen. In fact, AmigaTeX uses
Post's library to support incorporation of PostScript into documents.
Ghostscript similarly comes in two programs, but not as a shared library.
Ghostscript is the rendering engine, and Ghostview is the front end.
Sources: Aminet (directorys @file{text/print} and @file{text/dtp}), Fish
disk 669