Is it actually feasible to take class notes with latex or would doing that be way too autistic? I'm looking for alternatives to ms office and would rather not bother boot into a VM constantly just to take notes for class.
>inb4 libreoffice or google docs
pls no
Why not just a pen and paper, you autist
this
There is a guy in my group who's doing a second undergrad in astronomy while finishing his IT-related doctorate somewhere else, he takes all notes in LaTeX. His only issue is drawings in Paint, but otherwise the guy has the most readable and thorough notes ever, and in comfy-for-sharing PDF too
i did it while in china, it's not worth just use what said. Like it werks but I only did it because i didn't really have to take notes, more like just write a small thing down.
Yes, that is autistic. Just use markdown if you really need your formatting, or install a note taking app like Cherrytree, or even Evernote.
Three comments
1. Yes it is really autistic
2. Yes I've tried it
3. No it doesn't work unless you can write LaTeX syntax faster than you can write English in VIM customized for an English writing major
Your notes will be very readable though
Normally do that for maths and physics but I'm typing for other classes since its quicker honestly.
Just get some vim macros and good templates, and youll be there in no time
Try markdown with pandoc. Quick and easy to write and easy to render to PDF or HTML. Pandoc-flavoured markdown also lets you write inline LaTeX math equations.
Another alternative would be Emacs org-mode, and as well as using Emacs, I'm pretty sure you can use pandoc to render org-mode to other document formats / HTML.
Other than that, you could use Libreoffice which is pretty much the same as MS Office, but like MS Office, it's not as quick and lightweight just to write some simple notes and you can't use your editor of choice, but you get WYSIWYG maths, which can be better if you're less comfortable writing LaTeX maths, but you might find writing inline LaTeX maths in pandoc to be easier and quicker if you use it a fair bit.
>OP: Please no libreoffice
>hey OP, how about libreoffice
Org-mode is the way to go
If you want to write math at lightening speed then TeXmacs is the way to go.
Here's a present for you OP, I get paid to be a notetaker at uni. During the lecture I write the notes in notepad. Afterwards I use the following LaTeX file to make it look pretty. Just separate each line in the text file with a blank line. If I need to add diagrams I cut them from the lecture slides after the lecture.
\documentclass[12pt]{article}
\usepackage{graphicx}
\usepackage{fullpage}
\setlength{\parindent}{0cm}
\setlength{\parskip}{0.35cm}
%These lines make quotation marks look good
\usepackage [english]{babel}
\usepackage [autostyle, english = american]{csquotes}
\MakeOuterQuote{"}
\title{Lecture 2 - More Bullshit}
\author{SUB101 - A Totally Necessary Subject}
\begin{document}
\maketitle
%This line imports all text from Lecture2.txt
\input{notes/Lecture2.txt}
\end{document}
Yeah, I'm thinking of doing something like this. Just writing notes down using pen & paper or notepad and then making nicer notes later on using latex.
>I get paid to be a notetaker
Can't tell if you're memeing here or not lel
not sure if this is what that user does, but i heard that if you help the students with disabilities, you get priority registration and i figure get paid too.
What said. I get $25/hour to take the notes which the university gives to disabled students. I'm not really sure what the nature of the disabilities are but yeah. I do it for two subjects so I got $100 a week for attending class which is nice
I was writing them in LaTeX. Went through the first 2 weeks doing that. Couple of issues.
1) Heavy backpack
2) Diagrams are too difficult to do
3) Writing fast means syntactical errors, which means debugging. Debugging in class means time not paying to prof.
That's it, btw, I was using vim to write it. If you're using something else it'll take you longer (using mouse is a waste of time). Overall I'd say try something else that also has LaTeX support (don't know if such software actually exists).
latex is great for taking history notes, but, if you are going for speed, or heavy math equations,then editing an HTML document with vim is the way to go.
>Writing fast means syntactical errors, which means debugging. Debugging in class means time not paying to prof.
Yeah, this is basically my main issue right now, I'm having to debug while I listen to the prof.
i write all my notes on a computer because my handwriting is michael j. fox grade
This is the only correct option. It's proven that you learn better when you write things down instead of typing them. If you really need to type though, do what said and write in markdown with pandoc.
Never have i seen somebody write a math equation faster on any computer than the good old paper and pen way.
I get that kids nowdays 'take notes' on a laptop. But i think wordpad would suffice. You just need to be able to underline/bold/italic and that's basically it. creating sections is also great but what more do you want? for taking notes?
Am I the only one who:
1) Takes some rough notes before class starts (or uses professor provided notes)
2) Take (sloppy) handwritten notes during lectures
3) Rewrite (by hand) notes after class
In my non-engineering classes, I see everyone typing on laptops. In my engineering classes, I feel like a third of the students use paper+pen to take notes. Using paper is easier for me. I can scribble diagrams and just write faster.
But I'm in the minority.
just use onenote if you aren't actually simple and want to focus on what you're studying on instead of remembering esoteric shortcuts .
. it's really really easy to use and you don't have to worry about timestamping your notes. you can even record audio during the lectures and it'll sync with your notes
This is what I'm thinking of doing. Seems like the best method honestly.
>Be able to pay attention to the prof in class
>Reinforcement later on by rewriting the notes
>Have organized, readable notes for reference and studying later on.
This is what I was doing before but I'm at a point where at least half of my notes are on paper, and the other half are in onenote and I'm fed up of booting into a VM just to use it for my non-engineering classes, it's literally the only thing I use windows for.
vim-notes
github.com
Handwrite everything. You'll remember it better.
>fed up of booting into a VM just to use it for my non-engineering classes
You know there's a web app for onenote? Like a google docs sort of thing
>3) Writing fast means syntactical errors,
That's why I do this , when you right it in notepad there's no syntax, just pure text which is loaded into the latex document after the lecture
This is best for actual retention. You shouldn't have any electronic devices out, just paper and pencil. Doesn't really matter how bad the notes are since you'll be typing them up after
youtube.com
^^^ Org Mode. Write equations fast like LaTeX without having to remember the syntax rules for everything else.
Or any other markdown language like RST if you don't have to type equations. Normal humans will be able to read and edit your notes, and it still renders out to HTML / LaTeX / whatever you want.
There's Overleaf
Or plain markdown + pandoc to keep it simple
LMAO at the stealth "nigger"
Give me one single fucking reason why you'd rather boot a VM to run microdick office when Libre is the exact same product
mathfag here, it is viable but:
>You've got to be pretty fast and comfortable with LaTeX in order to typeset your notes live.
>At least in math it's kind of a douchebag thing to sit in class and type on a computer.
LaTeX is a programming language for typesetting. It's good to learn and practice because it will make you really aware of how you're structuring your thoughts and arguments and this will force you to write clearer. On the flip side, it takes time and effort to become competent at it and at the end of the day it may not be worth it depending on your goals.
>csquotes
user, why don't you use a text editor that automatically inserts latex style quotes instead of using a bandage fix like that (even atom and sublimetext will do that in addition to compiling, linting, and syntax highlighting)? Last I heard context sensitive quotes were still work in progress and could interact weirdly with other packages.
You should use the l2tabu package at the beginning of your file. It throws errors to tell you if you're writing something that's bad practice.
\RequirePackage[l2tabu, orthodox]{nag}
Also, use the amsmath package and focus on writing more AMS LaTeX when you can.
\usepackage{amsmath}
For general typography you should check out the palatino font. It supports smallcaps and oldstyle numerals. Also the microtype package (enables microtypography features added to pdfTeX).
\usepackage{microtype} % Nicer kerning.
\usepackage[sc,osf]{mathpazo} % Provides Palatino typeface, options: sc = smallcaps, osf = oldstyle numerals.
\linespread{1.05} % Changes the vertical spacing between lines as recommended for Palatino fonts.
\normalfont % necessary to make LaTeX aware of our choice of the base font.
people who are mentally/physically unable to take notes shouldn't be in university. what are they gonna do later in life? pay someone to do 3/4 of their job? retards need to be put in a retard home.
LaTeX isn't just typing materia. It's typesetting, which forces you to approach your material differently.
That said, I agree that using it for in-class note-taking is a bad idea and that it should never be a replacement for pen and pencil scratch work.
>Or any other markdown language like RST if you don't have to type equations.
Most people using LaTeX do it because they're writing mathematics. It is a powerful macro language for typesetting (not really a markdown language) but it also has some pretty severe limitations on account of it being created in an era where people were barely transitioning from hot metal typesetting to phototypesetting. I wouldn't recommend it for any reason besides mathematical writing.
There are some modern re-implementations of LaTeX that fix many problems (eg. XeLaTeX and LuaTeX) but they are primarily being used by people who already have experience with LaTeX.
All that said, LaTeX actually has some simple syntax if you take the time to understand it. I think perhaps what trips people up the most is that they don't realize it's a macro language and they approach it as either a markdown language or like a normal language so they never truly grasp the syntax.
> but, if you are going for speed, or heavy math equations,then editing an HTML document with vim is the way to go.
>heavy math
>html
what?
Have you ever seen anyone try to fix an error in a long handwritten proof without rewriting the whole thing? To me that's one of the major benefits of doing assignments (not note taking like OP) in LaTeX. You can write assignment problems in any order and if you need to go back and modify something you can do that effortlessly without worrying about it fucking up the rest of your document.
>doing assignments
I don't know how I'd have gotten through classes where I had to show my work on pretty lengthy proofs without being able to copy the last line and modify it for the next.
disability doesn't mean mental retardation.
sorry, but untermensch don't get culled now.
>not joining surface pro masterrace
It is absolutely impossible, at least for the math classes I am taking, you must type about twice as quickly as you write by hand to do that.
But I am texing my notes after class I am even working together with another dude in a git repo to provide a script for the class.
Yes it's possible, I've been doing it for a year now in my master's for mechanical engineering.
I use Sublime-text with the 'LaTeXing', 'Latex Equation Preview', 'Latex-cwl' and 'LatexTab' packages and a bunch of custom snippets and completions for math.
I need to review the notes afterwards to correct spelling mistakes and add images from the lecture's slides.
I don't really need to compile while writting, as I won't have time to look at the screen anyway.
To do the equation I highlighted I'd type:
eq (begin equation)
w = (greek omega)
mat b (bracket matrix)
0 \\ 0 \\ pd v x (partial differential) - pd u y
* (cross product)
And so on and so on...
Snippets are super easy to write for Sublime-text, I highly recommend it.
Depends on the class but I used to do it, yes it's autistic but it looks pretty.
People tend to remember what they wrote with a pen better than what they typed.
It is also less distracting and you become more attentive.
Take a few minutes after lectures to write it in latex or whatever. It makes you think about what happened and immediately remembering makes it easier to commit to long term memory.
>not using 0,1,3,7,21 day gap of remembering crucial information
day 0- immediate review after going home
day 1- review again the next day
and so on
After 21 its pretty good and 5 mins go-thru will make you remember almost everything again
I never had time for that when I was a student. But working with the subject you are bound to remember some things.
I did it and made the semester super easy. can be a bitch to maintain what day youre at tho
yes
>he attends his lectures
LMAO, what are you, a first year?
Someone who spent their time revising and refactoring a proof in order to typeset a clearly written, well organized, technical piece of work will have a far better recollection of it than someone who sketched out a proof outline on some scrap paper. Moreover the typesetter will have a digital copy they can revisit and reflect on years later in case they need to review the mathematics or review themselves (see how their skills in mathematics and mathematical writing have improved).
>using LaTeX
>.gif
>I am even working together with another dude in a git repo to provide a script for the class.
cuck. she'll never fuck you.
>(see how their skills in mathematics and mathematical writing have improved)
past 25 it's all downhill. you just compare how shit you got.
Came here to post this.
it's perfectly viable if you are used to writing LaTeX. you should still always have pen and paper ready for drawings and you'll have to spend time after the lecture to touch up your notes, insert drawings and all that shit.
in my last maths class we had a github where people collaborated to have nice lecture notes.
>It's proven that you learn better when you write things down instead of typing them
this. this. this.
write it down with your hamfist or don't bother.
>someone who spends an hour doing extra work after their classes will have better recollection of the work covered
No shit, but you should actually spend that time with a pen in your hand instead of at a keyboard, writing things by hand has been proven to make content go into your memory better than typing it
Jesus you don't have to rewrite the whole thing, just circle the part with the error, draw a fuckhueg arrow down to a clear bit of paper, and write the correction, you can't possibly be telling me that the notes you take in class are your final notes that you keep forever, the notes you take while you're actually class should supplement what the lecturer covers, afterwards you're supposed to discuss the content with your peers, and write out clear and detailed notes when you're not on the clock
There is literally no female in that class.
You also then get a better recollection by rewording it as you type it up later from your handwritten notes.
IIRC the reason that handwriting works better is because it has to be taken on-board to actually has to be reworded by yourself already rather than simply going right to your fingers. Also you spend more time listening to the lecture than making sure you scrawl down everything that they're saying.
You should do both.
A pencil is more nimble in the sense that you can explore different approaches very quickly with it. However, a pencil isn't as good for taking a formalized proof and refactoring it. This doesn't just mean fixing mistakes like a pathological case you forgot to take into account early on but it also means generalizing it, restructuring it, and most importantly trying to figure out the 'best' way to explain/write it.
Problem solving is important, don't get me wrong, but communication is the core of mathematics. At the end of the day all of our definitions, theorems, and proofs are just abstractions and explanations. Clearly just as a good explanation is valued so is a clear and compelling proof.
This.
There is very little to gain from transcribing material word for word. This is true whether you're blindly typing everything the professor writes on the board or blindly writing down everything the professor writes on the board.
