Finding the Wiki (was: Re: [OS X TeX] Tex to rtf converter)

[Alain Schremmer]

On Aug 6, 2010, at 7:01 PM, Joseph C. Slater PE, PhD wrote:

>
> On Aug 6, 2010, at 8:48 AM, Alain Schremmer wrote:
>
>>
>> On Aug 5, 2010, at 5:50 PM, Alan T Litchfield wrote:
>>
>>> Unlike a mailing list that has as many contributors as posters, a  
>>> website (and a wiki) has a limited number of contributors. Both  
>>> exist and stay up to date for as long as those contributors are  
>>> willing and able to do so. A mailing list is likely to have a  
>>> longer life span simply because the pool of contributors is  
>>> larger and those cease to contribute are more likely to be replaced.
>>>
>>> The wiki is an excellent resource, as are the many other  
>>> websites. It is true that a lot that is still out there is no  
>>> longer current so please, keep up the good work. It all adds to  
>>> what makes TeX a such a great experience. I have delighted in  
>>> reading (and keeping) Adam's and others' posts in past. Of course  
>>> we all lose patience and need a change and we are are entitled to  
>>> choose our destiny.
>>
>> (1) Another difference: I learned mathematics in schools (one-way)  
>> but stone work by watching and talking with stone-masons (two- 
>> way). I learned LaTeX from Companion 2ed and from LateX-masons  
>> (all but one on this list.).
>>
>> (2) I noticed two absences in the wiki: (Note the absence of any  
>> joke here.)
>>
>> 	(a)	sage on the mathematics helpers page.
>
> I'm not sure what sage is.


Google sage and the first item that comes up (but then that may be  
because it remembers my looking it up) is

	Sage: Open Source Mathematics Software

	A free mathematics software system licensed under the GPL. It  
combines the power of many existing open-source packages into a  
common Python-based interface

Did you do that on purpose? (Joke)

I am just beginning to play with it, so to speak, and I think that  
there is a way to insert it in LaTeX. If you want, I will try to get  
a pointer to it as well, if you think it worth, some of my  
observations installing it and starting to use it.

>
>> 	(b)	a page for pieces of code that do a specific thing. Below are  
>> examples of what I mean and which I would post on the wiki should  
>> it be appropriate.
>>
>
> Alain,
> The wiki is intended to focus primarily on the mac aspects of TeX  
> and variants, without being harshly restrictive. There is a better  
> place, I think, for such, although you could certainly use your own  
> home page on the wiki to your hearts content.

T'was just a thought because, as I said, I have re-posted it on  
occasion on this list in response to inquiries.  And while I was not  
even aware of there being home pages on the wiki, trying to keep a  
semblance of order on freemathtexts already is a big job for me and  
that is the way I try to give back.

> There is a more general wiki at
> http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/LaTeX

I will look it up.

> That is quite extensive and seems to be well organized. I had seen  
> it a while back, but we haven't a link to it yet (I'll do that  
> after sending this). I think we certainly should be pointing to  
> this resource prominently as it is likely of interest  to all  
> readers of our wiki (narrowly focused on Mac users).

That of course is the beauty of the net: you don't have to re-invent  
the wheel, you just need to point to someone who already did.

Best regards
--schremmer