Starting an ambitious project and I need help

[Physics Text]

Brian Lain should check this out:

http://www.the-scientist.com/yr2004/mar/prof6_040329.html

The Scientist, 2004, 18(6) (March 29), 50
Tracking a Textbook: From Idea to Publication
Ricki Lewis

and, as noted in a subsequent issue, it doesn't include other
things, such as compiling an index. There are PROFESSIONAL
indexers. (Although a good program, such as LaTeX, allows
authors to compile an index as they write).

Which brings up another point: I believe Schiller's free
physics text http://www.motionmountain.net was written
using LaTeX which is free and universal across platforms
(Linux, Unix, Mac, PC, ...).

MS Word is proprietary, expensive, does not exist for Linux
and is not even compatible between Mac and PC when it comes
to the inclusion of charts and figures from non-MS programs.
Your writing teams had better agree on workable, proven
software for textbook production, such as LaTeX.

If you want to produce HTML directly, do NOT rely on MS Word
which produces some of the most bloated, error laden HTML
I've ever heard about.

[Marvin Margoshes]

Post by Physics Text
http://www.the-scientist.com/yr2004/mar/prof6_040329.html
The Scientist, 2004, 18(6) (March 29), 50
Tracking a Textbook: From Idea to Publication
Ricki Lewis
and, as noted in a subsequent issue, it doesn't include other
things, such as compiling an index. There are PROFESSIONAL
indexers. (Although a good program, such as LaTeX, allows
authors to compile an index as they write).
Which brings up another point: I believe Schiller's free
physics text http://www.motionmountain.net was written
using LaTeX which is free and universal across platforms
(Linux, Unix, Mac, PC, ...).
MS Word is proprietary, expensive, does not exist for Linux
and is not even compatible between Mac and PC when it comes
to the inclusion of charts and figures from non-MS programs.
Your writing teams had better agree on workable, proven
software for textbook production, such as LaTeX.
If you want to produce HTML directly, do NOT rely on MS Word
which produces some of the most bloated, error laden HTML
I've ever heard about.

But you can convert Word to pdf nicely.

[Christoph Schiller]

Post by Physics Text
Which brings up another point: I believe Schiller's free
physics text http://www.motionmountain.net was written
using LaTeX which is free and universal across platforms
(Linux, Unix, Mac, PC, ...).

Indeed. (I use OzTex.) I chose it because several professionals
confirmed that the necessary amount of work is much smaller than
with any other typesetting system.


Christoph Schiller