LaTeX(2e) Installation in CIT

A New version of TeX and LaTeX has been installed on the Emerson IBMs. This is the latest latex standard known as LaTeX2e instead of the older version LaTeX209 (latex version 2.09) which is still available under the command latex209.

LaTeX2e release is actually a intermediate release for the long term research verson LaTeX3, and is designed to combine all the previous LaTeX versions such and SliTeX and AmsTeX into the one format. It provides improvements on almost all the original LaTeX commands and the inclusion of numerous new features.

Please Note:-

  • Users are requested to ``unsetenv'' all their old TEX environment variables to prevent conflicts with the new installation. For those users who need to set a TEXINPUTS environment variable to point out their own personal LaTeX include files, should set something like the following in their ".login" file...
    setenv  TEXINPUTS  .:$HOME/tex/inputs
    setenv  TEXINPUTS ${TEXINPUTS}:/opt/teTeX/texmf/tex//:/opt/teTeX/texmf/doc//
    setenv  TEXINPUTS ${TEXINPUTS}:/usr/local/lib/tex/inputs
    
    The ``//'' in the environment variable means search this directory and all sub-directories for the file wanted. This option is known as ``kpathsea''. The last line is to allow LaTeX to find the old latex style files for the compatability mode. It is not needed for correct new latex documents. Other environment variable defaults for LaTeX and the DVI drivers can be found in the file "/opt/teTeX/texmf/texmf.cnf".

  • Your old LaTeX documents will compile under the new command but not very quickly. The reason is that LaTeX2e reconizes these documents and compiles them in a old LaTeX compatable mode.

    To speed things up enormously old LaTeX documents can, in general, be converted to the new LaTeX2e format by replacing the old documentstyle such as..

    ----8<----
    \documentstyle[<options>,<packages>]{<class>}
    ----8<----
    to the new LaTeX2e style...
    ----8<----
    \documentclass[<options>]{<class>}
    \usepackage{latexsym,<packages>}
    ----8<----
    at which point LaTeX2e will compile your document in the faster native 2e mode.

  • I have printed copies of a document which came with the TeX library and have placed made a postscript version of this document in the `` Information Guides '' area titled `` "LaTeX2e" for Authors''

  • Other documents can also be found in the LaTeX library document area /opt/teTeX/texmf/docs/. Which is in the default TEXINPUTS so you do not need to copy them. For Example to compile at the document on fonts, "fntguide.tex", you only need to run the commands..
    ----8<----
    latex fntguide        (Repeat until all cross referances resolved)
    xdvi fntguide.dvi
    ----8<----

  • Please report any problems to Anthony Thyssen ASAP.


    Dated: 7 July 1995
    Send comments, errors and suggestions to webmaster@cit.gu.edu.au