[Blindmath] latex beginner questions

[Victorious]

Hi Jonathan,

Thanks for the quick answers.

I have to do large tables sometimes (mostly for assignments that require
using truth tables, but those don't happen often). Jaws 17 has an annoying
bug that causes tables to sometimes not read properly in word 2013.

You mentioned alternative software for drawing images. Could you elaborate
on what software you would use for this?

-Vic
-----Original Message-----
From: Blindmath [mailto:blindmath-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Godfrey,
Jonathan via Blindmath
Sent: Thursday, January 28, 2016 12:06 AM
To: Blind Math list for those interested in mathematics
<blindmath at nfbnet.org>
Cc: Godfrey, Jonathan <A.J.Godfrey at massey.ac.nz>
Subject: Re: [Blindmath] latex beginner questions

Hi,

Others are bound to chime in but I'll answer a few of your questions.


I've been contemplating learning LaTeX. The separation of content and
formatting sounds appealing especially for blind users.
[AJRG] agreed. The fact that the source is plain text is a major plus for
many of us.

1. Which distributions come with accessible editors for windows?
Pass. I haven't used any of these editors for years. I've used TexNikCenter
on occasion but haven't for some time. 

2. How do you deal with large tables, for e.g 8x10 cell tables? It is easy
to navigate by column or row and edit individual cells in a wysiwyg editor
like microsoft word. Is there a way to do this in latex, or is it not suited
for doing frequent modifications to large tables?
[AJRG] not suited. One might ask why you would want such tables, but if
there is a need then there needs to be a solution. I used to keep a copy in
csv format and then use a macro to add in all the necessary LaTeX markup. I
haven't needed to for years because all the tables I generate come out of
software that can generate those tables in LaTeX marked up form.

3. Are there accessible editors that allow you to switch quickly between
reading the source document and reading how the document is rendered?
[AJRG] Nothing available that is comprehensive and freeware.

4. Is there a way of avoiding enclosing all mathematical expressions with $
signs? It would be easier to read without the enclosing $ signs.
[AJRG] If it is an inline expression then the dollars are it. If it is the
double dollared form to get an equation on its own line (without equation
number) then you'd have options, all of which are more verbose than $$.

5. How difficult would it be to use latex for generating drawings? (for the
most part of trees and graphs).
[AJRG] There are numerous add-on packages for LaTeX. I used one for drawing
node and edge diagrams that has been overshadowed by a variety of others.
Most of them are painful to use though as you wn't necessarily know what
you're getting as the picture. If I had to draw one today, I'd be looking at
using alternative software to generate the diagram for me in a suitable
graphic file for insertion into the LaTeX document.

6. Does anyone have any experience with lightweight markup languages like
AsciiDoc, and how they compare with LaTeX? Its goal seems to also be to
allow the writer to focus on the content.
[AJRG] I use markdown a lot. I think it is simpler than the alternatives,
but simplicity comes at a price. A markdown document won't handle all the
same things you can do in LaTeX unless you include the same LaTeX tags in
the markdown document and convert it to pdf which uses the pdflatex compiler
anyway. I revert to LaTeX as soon as I need anything fancy even if I know
there is a solution out there for doing it in markdown because I know LaTeX
well. In brief, markdown for small jobs, LaTeX for professional jobs.

[AJRG] Cheers,
Jonathan

-Vic


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