Welcome to the club. I've been using ConTeXt on Windows for a few years. I suggest using MiKTeX if you're a complete beginner. It comes with a graphical package manager and a graphical administration tool. They say fpTeX is closer to TeTeX, but you really don't want to be using command line stuff on Windows, it doesn't have the features XTerm users take for granted (such as decent histories and stuff). You'll need ActivePerl to run texexec, which is a perl script that holds Context together. This is pretty painless, and just sits there and does its thing. I can't recommend WinEdt http://www.winedt.com/ (note that is not the same as WinEdit) highly enough, and it is easy to create toolbars and menus to do ConText stuff. Its commercial, but reasonably priced, and the author operates a pretty speedy turnaround on support issues. Ghostcsript is nice to have, but Acrobat is really much more usable, and renders better. I do use Ghostscript, but I can live without it. Mainly comes into its own when you are operating in Postscript mode with EPS figures and stuff. Context is perfectly capable of doing everything with PDF, so I can't see the point. Also Acrobate sucks on Linux, so people from that background don't know what they're missing. Christopher On Thu, 2004-01-22 at 16:52, Wilfried Van Hirtum wrote:
Hi
I'm a complete ms word user who wants to convert to context to make his mathematical textbooks. I have windows xp on my computer, but nothing (really nothing like perl, editor's or distribution) else. What exactly have i to do make my pc work with context? By the way, don't say to me to read the how to install context manual which are not meant to read by absolute beginners. I've spent hours on looking around on internet, on the pragma-website, reading manuals, but i don't find something clear and simple what tells me exactly to do and in which order to let me begin working with context. There seems to be so many pre-knowledge about perl, command line commands, and so on.. But can anybody out there please tell me how i can start from the very beginning. I would appreciate your advise very much. To set it clear: i'm not a linux or unix-user, i use windowx xp. I really want to begin with context, but there seems to be so many obstacles to overwin. Many thanks in advance.
Wilfried Van Hirtum
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