LaTeX is a free software package created in 1985 by the American computer scientist Leslie Lamport as an addition to the TeX typesetting system. LaTeX was created to make it easier to produce general-purpose books and articles within TeX.

Who invented the LaTeX?

LaTeX was created in the early 1980s by Leslie Lamport, when he was working at SRI. He needed to write TeX macros for his own use, and thought that with a little extra effort he could make a general package usable by others.

Is LaTeX still used?

LaTeX is still heavily used by journals for their paper templates and many people in academia use it for writing their thesis. I love using LaTeX, the learning curve is really steep and you can have loads of fun trying out the different packages available.

How did LaTeX get its name?

Etymology (word origin): Donald Knuth created “Tex” (“TEX”), the three letters actually being uppercase Greek tau, epsilon and chi. … Later, Leslie Lamport built “Latex” on top of Tex, prepending the “La” presumably to reflect his name.

What type of language is LaTeX?

LaTeX is, strictly speaking, a programming language and Turing-complete. Or rather, LaTeX is a macro package for TeX which is the actual Turing complete programming language. The typesetting-specific tools LaTeX provides probably can’t, however, be considered a full programming language on their own anymore.

When was latex first made?

The great discovery came in the winter of 1839. Goodyear was using sulphur in his experiments now.

Who invented latex gloves?

In 1894, William Stewart Halsted, the first chief of surgery at Johns Hopkins Hospital, invented rubber gloves for his wife as he noticed her hands were affected on the daily surgeries she had performed and in order to prevent medical staff from developing dermatitis from surgical chemicals.

Is LaTeX A plastic?

Latex and plastic, though similar, are two very different compounds. Latex is formed from a natural chemical reaction in a tree, while plastic is formed from a process using petroleum. Both plastic and latex, however, emerged as important products in the 20th century, and remain so today.

Is LaTeX better than Word?

Yes LaTex is a better choice because it features with a reliable program for typesetting, footnotes, bibliographic, images, captions, tables, cross-references. Microsft Word also has some or less such similar features but LaTex is doing this all in a flexible, intelligent, and aesthetically in pleasing manner.

What does the LA in LaTeX mean?

3. 20. The word “LaTeX” is an abbreviation of “Lamport’s TeX”, named after Leslie Lamport. With LaTeX Lamport added a collection of macros to the original TeX program which was made by Donald Knuth.

Article first time published on

Do companies use LaTeX?

There are also professional LaTeX/TeX trainers and consultants. Also, some professional typesetters use TeX, LaTeX or ConTeXt for book productions (for example Germany based company Werksatz uses ConTeXt). So, yes, LaTeX knowledge can be a leverage when applying to jobs, but these jobs are rare.

Why are people obsessed with LaTeX?

As rubber clothing increased in popularity, some wearers came to discover it was both pragmatic and sexually pleasurable. “It’s the most sensual fabric there is”, says The Baroness, “because it has a unique look, smell, taste, sound and feel.”

What will replace LaTeX?

• Commercial technical publication tools. There is really only one left standing: Framemaker. …
• Lout A markup language with a completely different underlying architecture to TeX. …
• Troff/Groff. …
• DocBook. …
• Wordperfect. …
• Microsoft Word.

Is LaTeX A Turing?

LaTeX is a powerful tool. So powerful in fact, that it can be used for much more than document markup. LaTeX is Turing complete; that is, it can be programmed to compute just about anything. … While this isn’t a proof of Turing completeness, it is a good example of a complete algorithm implemented in LaTeX.

What does TeX stand for?

AcronymDefinitionTexTexas (old style state abbreviation)TexTill Exempel (Swedish: for example)TexTransit ExchangeTexText File

Does LaTeX count as coding?

Yes, LaTeX is a programming language because it contains sufficient tools for programming. No, LaTeX is a markup package implemented in the typesetting language TeX.

Why are latex gloves banned?

Why Ban Latex? According to the American Latex Allergy Association, around 3 million people in the U.S. are allergic to latex. Allergic reactions to latex often include skin rashes and hives.

Who made surgical gloves?

The Evolution of the Modern Surgical Glove The first disposable latex medical gloves were manufactured in 1964 by the Ansell Rubber company. These gloves were sterile sterilised the gloves using gamma irradiation and were then disposed of following surgery.

Who invented mittens?

Although some sources claim George Washington invented the glove with one sheath for four fingers and one for the thumb, northern peoples have used mittens since ancient times.

Where do we get rubber from?

Formed in a living organism, natural rubber consists of solids suspended in a milky fluid, called latex, that circulates in the inner portions of the bark of many tropical and subtropical trees and shrubs, but predominantly Hevea brasiliensis, a tall softwood tree originating in Brazil.

Is latex a rubber?

Latex is the milky white sap of rubber trees, which is found beneath the bark of a mature rubber tree. … Latex is often used as a synonym for rubber, but the term actually refers to a suspension of tiny polymer particles that is held in any liquid medium.

Is latex toxic to humans?

Yes, natural latex is considered safe. It is not treated with harmful chemicals such as pesticides or formaldehyde. However, if you have a latex allergy, you may want to ask for a sample to see if you have a reaction before purchasing a latex mattress.

Does Microsoft Word use LaTeX?

Word users can also write directly in LaTeX syntax, and then click to convert it into a formatted equation. Microsoft says that “most” LaTeX expressions are supported, although its website lists 20 keywords that are not (such as \degree, the degree symbol).

Do engineers use LaTeX?

It is quite true, since engineers used to do programming most of the time, and, opposed to CSists, their programming are most of the time short and time-effective. That is one reason why engineers (like myself) use LaTeX most of the time.

Is it easy to learn LaTeX?

It is difficult. LaTeX has a much steeper learning curve when compared with MS Word that is true. However, getting a basic LaTeX (text, figures, titles, tables) document is not so difficult. … The complexity comes in understanding the concepts used by LaTeX, such as floating objects.

Are condoms latex?

You may hear people refer to condoms as rubbers. That’s because most regular (male) condoms are made from latex, a type of rubber. Some people have a latex allergy that causes skin rashes[jM3] , itching and other problems. Don’t use latex condoms if you or your partner have a latex allergy.

Does all rubber have latex?

Not all types of latex are from natural rubber and contain the proteins responsible for natural rubber latex allergy. For example, products containing nitrile and polyvinyl chloride are made of synthetic latex that does not contain those proteins and will not cause a latex allergy.

Where is latex found?

Natural rubber latex comes from the sap of the rubber tree, Hevea brasiliensis, found in Africa and Southeast Asia. Allergic reactions to products made with latex develop in persons who become allergic (or sensitized) to proteins contained in natural rubber latex.

What is the point of LaTeX?

LaTeX, which is pronounced «Lah-tech» or «Lay-tech» (to rhyme with «blech» or «Bertolt Brecht»), is a document preparation system for high-quality typesetting. It is most often used for medium-to-large technical or scientific documents but it can be used for almost any form of publishing.

What is the font in LaTeX?

By default, LaTeX uses Computer Modern, a family of typefaces designed by Donald Knuth for use with TeX. It contains serif, sans serif, and monospaced fonts, each available in several weights and optical sizes.

Do publishers use LaTeX?

Many publishers ask authors to provide LaTeX source of their article or book. It is believed that this helps in easier handling of the publication tasks. However, it seems that publishers use some other “Photoshop-like” software at the end of the publication process for copy-editing and similar tasks.