Use MiKTeX to search, install and update LaTeX packages

[Mrkvonic]

Hi all,


Geeks and PhD students, over here. Seriously, anyone can read :)

I've written a tutorial about how to use MiKTeX and the associated package manager to search, install and update LaTeX packages; mainly for use with LyX, on Windows. Most recommended for anyone seeking to wean themselves off various Office suites and start working with documents like intended.

http://www.dedoimedo.com/computers/miktex.html


Cheers,
Mrk

[Raza0007]

Thanks, but for me it is 3 years too late. I did my Master's thesis using LaTeX (MiKTeX) and WinEdt. LateX is very useful for someone who writes documents for a living, but it is not necessary for everyday tasks. This is the reason, I am afraid, that it will never gain wide acceptance. However, it is a valuable tool if you regularly write research papers, thesis, product manuals etc.

Thanks for the tutorial. I will go over it when I have time.

[pajenn]

Personally I just used the download everything option for MiKTeX. To keep it up-to-date I click Maintenance -> Update option from its start menu options now and then. However, the MiKTeX folder currently takes up 1.7 GB on my hard disk with a ton of folders -- I suggest anyone using it not install it on C: - use another partition so as not to slow down your system partition and associated backups or other functions.

I used Scientific Workplace for a while, which is similar to LyX, but I recently switched to BaKoMa TeX (http://www.bakoma-tex.com/), which is much better (but Windows only). It's a true WYSIWYG editor that shows your LaTeX code in one window and the compiled (preview) version in another window. You can edit both. However, BoKoMa isn't free.

For a free WYSIWYG LaTeX editor there's TeXmacs (http://www.texmacs.org/). Unfortunately the Windows version requires CygWin (or CygTeXmacs) and it ran slowly on my system, plus I never got the hang of it. Maybe the Linux version works better.