Alcides Fonseca

40.197958, -8.408312

LaTeX

LaTeX is a typesetting tool, the de facto standard for scientific publications.

MacOS Setup

I used to only install BasicTeX and install additional packages using sudo tlmgr install <module_name>. I no longer use, or recommend, that solution.

Instead I install the whole MacTeX system. It takes ~4GB of disk space, but it saves time in the long run.

For editing TeX, I now use Texpad, which is the best editor by far. Even better than emacs or my esteemed Textmate. I just wish it had more user-friendly templates and customizable shortcuts. In other machines (or when working with non-tech people), I use the wonderful web-based Overleaf.

For managing my references, I am now using miscellaneous bib files in my different project and paper folders. I gave up on Papers.app and Mendeley a while ago. To find Bibtex, I prefer DBLP to Google Scholar, as it consistently provides me with better details.

Tools:

  • Texpad The best TeX editor out there, paid and Mac-only.
  • Overleaf A web based editor with Dropbox and git synchronization. My suggestion for non tech-savy people
  • Quiver, a WYSIWYG tool to edit tikz diagrams