New tool for physics: Online pen&paper

[Airbag]

I am working on a tool that might be helpful to physicians and students.

a screenshot is here:
http://airbag.student.utwente.nl/penpaper.png"

It is a handwritten-style editor, like working with pen&paper, to edit pages or make exercises and get output in HTML or LaTeX.
It enables you to organise exercises, summaries, equations online and directly copy them into your thesis or publication.

I will put a demo online in a week.

 

[Andre]

Indrukwekkend, Impressive, Daniel

 

[Kurdt]

Looks cool. Its physicists by the way

 

[Airbag]

Yes, physicists.

 

[Moonbear]

Will it work for people with a lot less neat handwriting than the one in the demo?

Do you scan in your handwritten notes to use it, or do you need to have a tablet to write on to use it (in which case, if you're already sitting at the computer, I'm not sure why it would be faster than learning to use LaTex...especially for those who will need to use equations a lot in their work making it worth the time spend learning LaTex).

 

[Kurdt]

I like to handwrite notes before I commit them to Latex so it could be a lot easier this way if you can scan them in.

 

[Airbag]

Will it work for people with a lot less neat handwriting than the one in the demo?

Do you scan in your handwritten notes to use it, or do you need to have a tablet to write on to use it (in which case, if you're already sitting at the computer, I'm not sure why it would be faster than learning to use LaTex...especially for those who will need to use equations a lot in their work making it worth the time spend learning LaTex).

The user types LaTeX to use it. Pen&paper displays handwritten notes.

 

[Moonbear]

The user types LaTeX to use it. Pen&paper displays handwritten notes.

Oh. Why?

 

[OrbitalPower]

So, can you write your notes and then save the notes for later in some type of file that you can later open from any computer? That would be really cool.

 

[Kurdt]

The user types LaTeX to use it. Pen&paper displays handwritten notes.

So this is a package for latex that outputs a handwriting font? If so I believe that's less useful.

 

[cristo]

So this is a package for latex that outputs a handwriting font? If so I believe that's less useful.

I agree: I think software that scanned handwritten notes and turned them into tex would be good, but I can't see how this would be useful. Afterall, once you've spent time typing your notes up, you don't want them to look like handwritten notes.

 

[Airbag]

Oh. Why?

Mainly because it was fun.

Also because I wanted a direct digital replacement for what I was doing with pen&paper.

I agree: I think software that scanned handwritten notes and turned them into tex would be good, but I can't see how this would be useful. Afterall, once you've spent time typing your notes up, you don't want them to look like handwritten notes.

The output is not handwritten, but LaTeX or HTML as shown in the background of the image.

 

[cristo]

The output is not handwritten, but LaTeX or HTML as shown in the background of the image.

Ok, I really don't understand what your programme does, then. What does the window with the handwriting font in do?

 

[Moonbear]

The user types LaTeX to use it. Pen&paper displays handwritten notes.

The output is not handwritten, but LaTeX or HTML as shown in the background of the image.

Okay now, which is it? You type in LaTeX and get a handwritten-looking output, or you enter handwritten notes (either using a tablet or scan or however you get it in) and get a typed output translated into LaTex code?

 

[rootX]

Here's what I would like

http://img145.imageshack.us/img145/9094/drawing1cy9.png

 

[Kurdt]

Latex can do words and typesetting and formatting all by itself you know. No need for word.

 

[Airbag]

Okay now, which is it? You type in LaTeX and get a handwritten-looking output, or you enter handwritten notes (either using a tablet or scan or however you get it in) and get a typed output translated into LaTex code?

I type in LaTeX, see formulas appear as handwritten notes, and then press F8 to get output translated into rendered LaTeX.

Ok, I really don't understand what your programme does, then. What does the window with the handwriting font in do?

I type LaTeX using my keyboard, and see formulas appear as (handwritten) formulas, not as LaTeX code.
Then I press F8, and see them as rendered LaTeX, in HTML.

 

[tribdog]

so it does the exact opposite of what computers were designed to do?

 

[Moonbear]

I type in LaTeX, see formulas appear as handwritten notes, and then press F8 to get output translated into rendered LaTeX.

If you've already typed in the LaTex, why would you want it to appear messy and handwritten? And, if you know LaTex, why do you need another software to render it? LaTex already renders a formatted output. So, it sounds like all you're doing is creating a "handwriting" font for LaTex?

 

[mcknia07]

I think you have a very great idea, and it looks awesomely impressive, too.

 

[TeTeC]

I'm not sure if I understood everything... But it would nice to have a software which "instant-compile" the Latex code you write, so you can see the progression directly (in an adjacent window or on another screen) and make the adequate corrections. However, I don't see any reason to have it handwritten.

 

[Airbag]

If you've already typed in the LaTex, why would you want it to appear messy and handwritten? And, if you know LaTex, why do you need another software to render it? LaTex already renders a formatted output. So, it sounds like all you're doing is creating a "handwriting" font for LaTex?

Using this tool it is possible to type LaTeX and directly see formulas appear. I decided to start with a handwritten-style editor, adding other features later such as formatted-output if neccesary.

I'm not sure if I understood everything... But it would nice to have a software which "instant-compile" the Latex code you write, so you can see the progression directly (in an adjacent window or on another screen) and make the adequate corrections. However, I don't see any reason to have it handwritten.

I want to use the computer for what I do with pen and paper, and make the difference between the two as small as possible. Other features such as realtime formatted-output will only become interesting (to me) after I can succesfully use the tool as a replacement for pen&paper.

 

[cristo]

I want to use the computer for what I do with pen and paper, and make the difference between the two as small as possible.

Latex isn't suitable as a replacement for using pen and paper, solely because it takes a lot of time to typeset. It's good to write up notes, but not for brainstorming.

 

[MeJennifer]

As far as I can remember there is already a program out that interprets handwritten formulas and converts them to LaTex. Just can't think of the name right now. Perhaps someone here knows?

 

[Airbag]

I want to use the computer for what I do with pen and paper, and make the difference between the two as small as possible. Other features such as realtime formatted-output will only become interesting (to me) after I can succesfully use the tool as a replacement for pen&paper.

Clarification: I doubt if computers can ever completely replace pen&paper.

Maybe writing this software was a divine lesson for me for using too much psychedelics... I saw it in a dream and felt obligated to turn it into a piece of software. I might try to use it now and then, besides using pen and paper.

 

[Airbag]

for a demo, see
http://airbag.student.utwente.nl/sb/penpaper .

Enjoy.

 

[Kurdt]

Its a lot better than I expected. How do you write fractions?

 

[Airbag]

Its a lot better than I expected. How do you write fractions?

$\frac{abc}{def}$

 

[Moonbear]

Nothing happens when I click the link. I get a page that says "help" and I can click on that, and it gives a few instructions, but that's it. Is the linked site compatible with Firefox?

Though, now that you've clarified a bit more and it sounds like a real time rendering of LaTex code rather than waiting until it's all typed up, that does seem like a good idea. In that case, I'd suggest offering a choice of fonts. You can have the handwritten version (and who knows, there may be others who find that appealing for some reason), but also a more standard typeset font for those who don't want handwriting.

 

[rootX]

Nothing happens when I click the link. I get a page that says "help" and I can click on that, and it gives a few instructions, but that's it. Is the linked site compatible with Firefox?

Though, now that you've clarified a bit more and it sounds like a real time rendering of LaTex code rather than waiting until it's all typed up, that does seem like a good idea. In that case, I'd suggest offering a choice of fonts. You can have the handwritten version (and who knows, there may be others who find that appealing for some reason), but also a more standard typeset font for those who don't want handwriting.

Firefox 3.0.1 shows a java application embedded in that page.

It looks cool!

 

[vociferous]

As far as I can remember there is already a program out that interprets handwritten formulas and converts them to LaTex. Just can't think of the name right now. Perhaps someone here knows?

Yes, Microsoft made it for the Tablet PC. It is a great idea, in theory, but for me, it does not work very well, but I have sloppy handwriting. If Microsoft could perfect it, and get it to output in multiple formats (I think it is bitmap only right now) like Tex and MathML, then it would be a very useful program like MathType because you could write equations naturally (unlike MathType, which requires you to manually typeset them) and then either copy them into a MathML or LaTeX compatible program, or embed it as an editable object.

But given that Windows has the best handwriting recognition software I have seen, and it still is not really up to snuff, at least for me, doing the same thing with equations seems a long way off.

 

[Moonbear]

Firefox 3.0.1 shows a java application embedded in that page.

It looks cool!

Ah, I somehow had java disabled, but nothing on the page was telling me there was java I wasn't seeing. Now I see it. So, is there a way to see what you're typing as you type it? That part is a bit weird. Took me a few false starts to realize I just wasn't seeing what I was typing, but it was taking the entries. I know very little LaTex, so that really made it hard to use when I couldn't even see what I was typing...if you mess up something, you can't see what you've messed up to fix it.

 

[cristo]

Well, if you find your programme useful, then fair enough, and it's always good practice of your computer skills, but in my opinion you've taken latex, thrown out all the pros that make it so much better than any other word processor, and are left with some pseudo-WYSIWYG software with far less power than a normal tex file!

 

[Airbag]

So, is there a way to see what you're typing as you type it?

I found after learning LaTeX I had no need for that anymore. I just use backspace when I make typos.

it could be added as an extra feature, though.

 

[Airbag]

So, is there a way to see what you're typing as you type it?

Added that part to my todolist.

I need to study physics now, and don't expect to further work on this anytime soon unless I find opportunities to continue this project professionally.

Thanks for the feedback everyone.