Software to write Scientific Papers

[-Job-]

You must be pretty confident in your typing abilities to type without a monitor.

 

[ComputerGeek]

Searching for how-tos on Latex, unless you have the whole markup on the tip of your tongue is not better either, it depends on how confortable you are with the language. Besides this tool allows you to write formulas with a markup as well (i don't think it's the same as LaTex though).

you do not include learning curve when you judge productivity.

Once you get how to type equations, the text part is easy.. just type it.

you just need to know how to do what you need to get done. I guarantee that I could write a 10 page paper that has lots of in-line formulae and equations and tables in about half the time that you could using anything else. What I would like is for O to have an escape sequence to indicate a math mode and I could mark up an equation right in the document and have it render it when I save the file. That would give you the false sense of control and productivity you have in a WP but not make mathematical expressions so damn annoying.

 

[ComputerGeek]

the only thing that may compete with $$\TeX$$ someday is MathML or some variant of it.

my $0.02

EWWWW.. MathML is disgusting. nesting is NOT good for mathematical expressions.

 

[z-component]

EWWWW.. MathML is disgusting. nesting is NOT good for mathematical expressions.

I'll second that-- MathML is an ugly creation. LaTeX is worth learning if you want a professional look.

 

[franznietzsche]

You must be pretty confident in your typing abilities to type without a monitor.

Its not that hard to tell when you make a typo, if you spend a lot of time typing, typos will generally feel wrong. The hard part is knowing exactly how to correct it. However, the point is, using latex is that easy, once you know how. You just type. And then you're done. And it looks better than anything produced in a word processor that I've ever seen.