[texhax] best way to do texbook examples

[Axel E. Retif]

On 07/16/2015 12:08 PM, Schwartz, Steven J wrote:

> I use TeXnicCenter (http://www.texniccenter.org/) as a front end,
> with MikTeX as the tex engine and Sumatra PDF as a pdf viewer. You
> can specify toolchains to generate DVI (it uses YaP as a previewer,
> from which you can print), PDF, PS, or whatever.

[...]

> On build, it fights its way through your source file and then
> can step through the errors jumping to the source lines involved.
> It's a real IDE in the sense of multiple panes + tabs for source,
> project structure, and console messages, etc.
>
> At first sight it appears to be LaTex-centric, and it doesn't
> automatically configure itself with a plain TeX profile at all.
> However, apparently this is possible
> (http://tex.stackexchange.com/questions/131970/how-can-i-use-plain-tex-with-texniccenter-or-another-ide)
> and, from reading that link, quite easy.

[...]

> I'm not trying to start a religious war, just responding to the
> recommendation for a good front-end.

I think this is the point ---let Tamás know different options and then 
he will choose the one he is more comfortable with.

What I find a little bit frustrating with these LaTeX-centric front-ends 
is that they completely ignore the existence of plain TeX and ConTeXt, 
whereas TeXShop (for MacOS) and TeXworks (for Linux, MacOS and Windows) 
let you select the engine and format from the menu bar.

True ---TeXworks hasn't the option of « plain TeX with TeX engine », 
but, as Joseph Wright said in his original replay to Tamás, with pdfTeX, 
XeTeX or LuaTeX he can typeset the examples in The TeXbook.


Best

Axel