Dear LyX Users, A little over a month ago, I wrote to the list about a book that I am currently writing. While the book is broadly about open source tools and scientific/professional writing, there will be a rather large section that covers LaTeX and LyX.
In my first email, I requested input as to what sorts of topics would be most valuable. One of the most commonly requested topics both on the list and in personal communication was an overview of the different LaTeX classes and when they should be used. I have spent a considerable amount of time trying to create just that sort of section. And while it is not yet complete, it is far enough along that I would like to begin soliciting feedback. One of the challenges I have found in preparing this section is that there is a huge amount of material describing the classes and their use. Trying to determine which material would be most useful has proven extremely challenging. I've finally settled on four goals: 1.) Describe the class and its majoruses 2.) Show example output; showcase the style, layout and fonts 3.) Discuss notable special features will be described; provides examples of their use for both LaTeX and LyX users At present, the document summarizes the standard classes (article, report, book and letter), memoir (some special features still need to be included), KOMA-Script (scrartcl, scrbook, scrrpt, scrltr; the write-up is still incomplete), Beamer, and Tufte. If you would be interesting in previewing/offering feedback, please send me a private email. The chapter PDF is too large to send through the mailing list and it is likely that my publisher would have a coronary if I started posting chapter drafts before they had been reviewed. As a result, I will need to disseminate it through private mail. Nevertheless, I would be very interest in feedback on the style, language, or content. I would also love to hear any positive and negative thoughts that members of the group might have. I look forward to your emails. Cheers, Rob Oakes
