TeXmacs 1.0.3 released

Hello and happy new year to the fine staff at LWN.

GNU TeXmacs, the interactive structured typesetting system had its 1.0.3
version released. A press released is attached, in simple HTML as well
as pure text wrapped at column 70.

You had previously featured the 1.0.1 release in the Development/Office
section: http://lwn.net/Articles/18913/

I hope that you will be able to feature this new announcement in the
next issue of LWN. 

Suggested executive summary:

  TeXmacs 1.0.3 released

  GNU TeXmacs is a real-time, interactive, structured typesetting system
  _not based on TeX_ with advanced support for mathematics. This release
  features better PDF output, TrueType fonts support, extended plug-in
  infrastructure, a internal reorganisation of the typesetting language,
  and more.


Best regards.

-- 
David Allouche         | GNU TeXmacs -- Writing is a pleasure
Free software engineer |    http://www.texmacs.org
   http://ddaa.net     |    http://savannah.gnu.org/projects/texmacs
   david@allouche.net  |    allouche@texmacs.org
TeXmacs is NOT a LaTeX front-end and is unrelated to emacs.
We are happy to announce the release of GNU TeXmacs
(http://www.texmacs.org) 1.0.3, a free and user-friendly structured
text editor.

The main improvements since TeXmacs 1.0.2 are:

  * Export filter for Postscript and Pdf supporting scalable fonts

  * Interface with FreeType 2 to support several new fonts.

  * Properties can be associated to primitives and user defined markup
    using the logical DRD system.

  * The website was redesigned and is now generated using TeXmacs.

  * Better Html output and several minor improvements in the LaTeX
    import converter.

  * Improvements in the plug-ins and support for the free Axiom system.

  * Scheme support for plugging in new data types and converters.

  * Slovene language localization.

TeXmacs allows you to write structured documents in a
what-you-see-is-what-you-get manner. The editor comes with special
support for mathematical formulas and the typographical quality of the
printed output is comparable with what you can achieve with the
TeX/LaTeX system.

TeXmacs can be used on all major Unix-based platforms, including
Cygwin (for Windows) and Fink (for MacOS X).

A reasonably fast computer (1GHz) is recommended for comfortable use.
Documents can be saved in the native TeXmacs format, XML, or Scheme.

An input converter exists for LaTeX and documents can be exported to
LaTeX, Html, Postscript and Pdf.

TeXmacs is extremely customizable and extensible in several ways.
First of all, the user may write his/her own "dynamic macros" and
style files. Secondly, in a similar way as in Emacs, you may customize
the user interface and write your own enhancements to the editor in
the Guile/Scheme extension language.

External programs can be interfaced with TeXmacs in a very easy and
flexible way. For instance, TeXmacs can be made to behave like a
shell, but with structured input and output. Plug-ins exist for many
computer algebra systems (Axiom, Giac, gTybalt, Macaulay 2, Maxima,
Mupad, Pari, Reduce, Yacas) and several other scientific programs (Dr.
Geo, Eukleides, GNU Octave, Qcl, GNU R, Scilab).

The program has been designed with an eye on the future. We plan to
let TeXmacs evolve into an XML editor with dynamic XSL support. Other
tools, like a spreadsheet, a web-publisher, a presentation mode and a
scientific drawing editor will be integrated in the years to come.

Finally, there is a dynamic community of users and developers around
TeXmacs:

  * Mailing lists: http://www.texmacs.org/tmweb/home/ml.en.html

  * Getting help: http://www.texmacs.org/tmweb/help/help.en.html

At these addresses, you can find documentation, ask questions and make
your own contributions. Such feedback will enable us to make TeXmacs
evolve toward an ideal working environment for you.

Yours sincerely, Joris van der Hoeven <contact@texmacs.org>.