Dear LyX Users,
I'm putting together a one-page guide to installing and using LyX on the
latest stable version of Debian Linux.
My hope is that the installation procedure it contains could be followed
by a local charity which installs Linux on old donated hardware, but even
if that doesn't happen I'd be satisfied just having something I can pass
on to other Debian users who want to get started using LyX.
What follows is the guide I have so far, which represents what I did to
set up LyX on my own Debian 6.0.1 machine. Any suggestions, particularly
as regards potential "gotchas" I should address, extra software which
users might appreciate being installed as they advance in their
understanding of LyX, or common points of confusion for new users, would
all be appreciated. [Note: The steps I used to lay down the operating
system are at http://russellb.livejournal.com/1335718.html but I doubt
they'd be relevant for the limited purpose of critiquing the LyX install.]
A ONE-PAGE GUIDE TO INSTALLING AND USING LYX ON DEBIAN 6 DESKTOPS
1. To install LyX, start by opening System->Administration->Synaptic
Package Manager. Under Settings->Preferences->General make sure "Consider
recommended packages as dependencies" is checked, then install the
following packages: texlive-full, latex2rtf, chktex, rcs, and lyx. [Note:
If you anticipate creating multiple documents with lengthy bibliographies,
then install the "pybliographer" package as well.]
2. Open System->Preferences->Keyboard->Layouts->Options->Compose Key
Position, and check "Right Win" (check something else if your keyboard
doesn't have those generally unused Windows logo keys): you can then press
and release this key, followed by two other keys according to the chart at
http://www.hermit.org/Linux/ComposeKeys.html to type special characters.
3. If you're using US "letter" sized paper (i.e. 8 1/2" x 11") rather than
the slightly larger European "A4" sized paper, then LyX needs to be told
this. Start LyX, make the change to "US letter" paper in
Tools->Preferences->Output->LaTeX, then select Save. Next, open a new
document in LyX (via File->New), go to Document->Settings->Page Layout,
change the paper format to "US Letter", and click on "Save as Document
Defaults". You shouldn't have to make either of these changes again.
4. The fact that you installed "latex2rtf", "chktex" and "rcs" enables a
few more features in LyX (if you don't see them right away run
Tools->Reconfigure and then restart LyX): you can use File->Export to
export a LyX file as Rich Text Format (which Microsoft Word and almost all
other word processing software can understand), the "Check TeX" command in
the Tools menu helps you find typographical problems with your document,
and "Version Control" in the File menu lets you track your writing
progress and revert to any earlier version of your document (for more
details on using version control see Help->Additional Features->Table of
Contents->LyX Features needing Extra Software->Version Control in LyX).
5. If you'll be exporting as Rich Text Format, and then importing into
Microsoft Word, any LyX documents which contain equations, then go to
Tools->Preferences->File Handing->Converters and remove the "-p" and "-S"
switches from the command which invokes latex2rtf [Note: after saving this
change you'll need to run Reconfigure and restart LyX].
6. It bears mentioning that the only reason you should ever have to export
a LyX document as Rich Text Format is if the person you'll be sending that
RTF file will be taking over the job of editing it: if the recipient only
needs to read your document, then you should save it in standard PDF
(pdflatex) format, which unlike RTF format will present your document
exactly as it is supposed to look.
7. If you're creating an Encapsulated Postscript graphic for later
inclusion in a LyX document, it's generally best to save that graphic
without the "preview."
8. If you're asked to use double-spacing with a 12 point font, then open
your LyX document and go to Document->Settings->Text Layout to set "Line
spacing" to Double, and go to Document->Settings->Document Class to enter
"12pt" as a Custom Class Option.
