Earlier today, we had a security issue with the site. Everything has now been restored from our back up system, but there may be a few issues with more obscure content. Please let us know is there is anything up.
You are currently browsing the archive for the General category.
As some members will already be aware, Eitan Gurari died suddenly late in June. Eitan was the developer of tex4ht, probably the most useful tool for converting from TeX to HTML. Our thoughts are with his family.
Niall Mansfield has been in touch with the Committee, looking for some input on the potential for getting a number of LaTeX books in German translated in English. The general topics of the books are:
- LaTeX reference
- Maths with LaTeX
- Tables with LaTeX
- PSTricks
- KOMA-Script
Niall is hoping to to get input into three general questions:
- Is this a useful book for the (La)TeX world?
- What sort of demand would there be? (This isn’t scientific: “wow, lots of people would need this” or “great book, but nobody is likely to buy it because …” is the sort of granularity that’s OK.)
- How long would this book last before a new edition is likely to be:
- desirable
- essential
After some discussion with the Committee, Niall has agree to take the books along to the regular The Tech Pub Crawl this Tuesday (the 5th of May). Niall will be at the The Marketplace Bar, 11 Marketplace, London W1W 8AH from about 6 p.m. (nearest tube Oxford Circus). Anyone wishing to get hold of Niall directly should e-mail the Committee.
The Committee has received a message from the Open University (OU). As many UK-TUG members will know, the OU is a long standing centre of TeX use in the UK. They are now looking for a TeX consultant for their system.
A review of TeX at The Open University
The Open University wants expert advice and an outside view on how it should develop its system and workflow for the production of mathematics and physics course with heavy mathematical content.
The present system, established in 1992, uses a heavily customized version of LaTeX for both authoring and pagination to PDF. We now wish in addition to generate XML outputs for use on our virtual learning environment.
We are looking for an independent consultant to investigate, meet with stakeholders, and write a report with reasoned recommendations. Experience of TeX, of mathematical content and of XML is required.
We would like this review to take place in July 2009, but other dates are possible. To be considered for this work please email an expression of interest to G.E.Price (at) open.ac.uk by 12 noon on Friday 15 May 2009. Further information is available and will be sent to those who express interest.
The Grand Wizard of TeX, Donald Knuth, will be speaking at the the British Society for the History of Mathematics‘ meeting Mathematics and Fiction in Oxford at the end of May. Professor Knuth will be talking about his novel Surreal Numbers: it is bound to be an interesting event!
In the UK-TUG inbox recently was a mail from Karl Berry (TUG President) with information about upcoming deadlines for TUG 2009 in Notre Dame, Indiana. Karl said:
TUG 2009 will take place in Notre Dame, Indiana, from July 28–31. See http://tug.org/tug2009 for the registration form, maps, the proposals already accepted, and more.
April has several deadlines related to the conference:
- April 13: deadline for abstract submissions; see
http://tug.org/tug2009/cfp.html for the call for papers.Although we may be able to accept proposals after the deadline, of course potential attendees would like to know what they’ll be seeing. So if you’d like to give a talk, please try to submit an abstract by the 13th.
- April 17: deadline for bursary applications; see
http://tug.org/bursary for information and the application form. No late applications will be accepted.- April 27: deadline for the early bird registration discount. After this, the registration fee will be increased. Register for the conference at http://tug.org/tug2009/register.html (it will redirect you to Notre Dame’s web site).
Hope to see you there!
Our website hosting company are moving all of their servers to Manchester from London tomorrow evening (Thursday February 26th). We are told that everything will be off-line for around seven hours.
Jonathan Fine, current Chair of UK-TUG, has been elected to the board of TUG.
The first call for papers for BachoTeX 2009 arrived in the UK-TUG Committee inbox this week.
BachoTeX 2009 — Call for Papers
Dear TeXies, TeX friends and lovers of fine typography —
This is an invitation to BachoTeX 2009, the XVIIth Polish TeX Users Group Conference.
As usual, it will be held at the traditional TeXies’ and GUST meeting place, Bachotek near Brodnica, in the north-east of Poland, from April 29 until May 3, 2009 inclusive.
We are again trying to get a glimpse of the future, whence the conference title:
TeX: at a turning point, or at the crossroads?
The community is putting a lot of effort and thought into possible strategies for promoting and developing TeX and related products for the foreseeable future, including :
- TeX, and TeX-based engines
- enhanced graphics engines
- new or improved macro packages
- user interfaces
- new fonts
Work progresses in many different directions, and thus there is clearly hope for an ever better future, even though the more pessimistic may wonder whether TeX represents an evolutionary dead-end.
In this context the feedback between users and developers of new tools and engines is immensely important — it might decide whether within a few years we will be looking back at today as a successful turning point or as a bad decision at the crossroads of TeX’s history.
Some say that they have never believed that conference themes/mottos have any impact on submissions anyway. We, the Program Committee, think otherwise; please help us to prove our point! Although we do not restrict what your presentations should be about, we would be more than happy if your contribution will be user-centric and oriented towards the future of TeX with special emphasis on the needs, hopes and dangers.
Proposals (abstracts) should be e-mailed to the Program Committee, which listens at the address of papers-2009 at gust dot org dot pl. Bogusław Jackowski is the appointed chairman. Also, please note the “Call for TeX Pearls” below.
Especially welcome are proposals for TeX-related tutorials or introductions. If you have suggestions for tutorials or workshops by others than yourself or about specific topics, please let us know.
The deadline for abstracts and other proposals is the March 8th. The deadline for final papers will soon be published at the conference web site:
http://www.gust.org.pl/BachoTeX/2009
Recovery from stress
Exhausted TeXies will get a chance to recover their intellectual powers during nightly musical sessions, usually at a bonfire. Participate by bringing your own instruments (and voices)! Nature fans will have the opportunity to enjoy the unspoiled features of the Bachotek lake and surrounding woods :
http://www.gust.org.pl/bachotex/2008/gallery/andrzej-odyniec/20080502_122214_DSC0116.jpg
The conference could also be a family event — the conference site is an enclosed area with a safe and attractive playing ground for children and parents alike :
http://www.gust.org.pl/bachotex/2008/gallery/andrzej-odyniec/20080502_192247_DSC0150.jpg
http://www.gust.org.pl/bachotex/2008/gallery/andrzej-odyniec/20080501_161111_DSC0065.jpg
Please make the most of the opportunity !
Call for TeX Pearls
We are continuing the tradition of “The Pearls of TeX Programming”. Here, briefly, is what is wanted:
- short TeX, MF or MP macro(s)
- results must be useful, and the solution not obvious
- easy to explain : 10 minutes at most
If you have something that fits the bill, please consider submitting a proposal. If you know of somebody’s work that does the same, please let us know, and we will contact that person. Other details and previously collected Pearls can be found at
http://www.gust.org.pl/projects/pearls/
The email address is: pearls at gust dot org dot pl
