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Accessible open textbooks in math-heavy disciplines

(richardzach.org)
235 points volemo | 1 comments | 29 Mar 25 16:38 UTC | HN request time: 0.238s | source
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lutusp ◴[29 Mar 25 18:03 UTC] No.43517320[source]▶
At my age I find this issue annoyingly predictable -- it suggests replacing LaTeX with something more modern and/or flexible. But that was the original idea behind LaTeX -- to replace what preceded it, create a portable comunication medium for mathematical expressions.

Not to discourage experimentation, but I would like to see some behavoral reserve and healthy skepticism before adding another layer to the mathematical expression enterprise. There's also this issue to consider: https://xkcd.com/927/ .

replies(3): >>43518172 #>>43518575 #>>43521881 #
1. dreghgh ◴[30 Mar 25 06:36 UTC] No.43521881[source]▶
What LaTeX replaced was:

a) typing the text of math papers and writing in the formulae by hand.

b) word processing which was fixed width and line based, where there would be three characters for 'top of an integral sign', middle and bottom, and you would have to align your three characters at the same horizontal point on three successive lines to make the integral sign, and also position all subscripts, exponents yourself.

The fact that LaTeX had an important mission and was successful in it doesn't mean that another thing is not needed now. Things have moved on. Replacing things which solved a problem doesn't mean going back to the situation before they existed.