Re: upload of mimetex.zip to ftp.tex.ac.uk

John Forkosh writes:

• what you've uploaded mimetex.zip
• which CTAN node you've uploaded to ftp.tex.ac.uk
• where you want the files to go support/mimetex (README is the first file in the mimetex.zip archive, which you may want to keep a separate copy of alongside mimetex.zip)
• what licensing conditions you apply to your software GNU GPL
• brief summary of what your upload is intended to do. MimeTeX parses LaTeX math expressions, emitting either mime xbitmaps or gif images of them, which can be used in html documents in the form, e.g., <img src=../cgi-bin/mimetex.cgi?f(x)=int_{-infty}^x~e^{-t^2}dt border=0 align=absmiddle> allowing you to embed math directly in html, which reduces the need for lots of external gif images and makes your html documents more readable and easily maintained. Similar non-MathML packages, like textogif and gladTeX, require setup procedures that use TeX to help generate external gif (or png) images of your equations, which are later included in your html document as it's being rendered. MimeTeX, as far as I know, is the only such non-MathML package that has its own built-in rendering engine, entirely independent of TeX, and therefore requires no setup procedure or external images whatsoever. It renders realtime, on-the-fly images directly from your LaTeX math embedded in html documents. You can think of mimeTeX as kind of a lightweight MathML, with somewhat less functionality but also with fewer requirements. MimeTeX's syntax is very TeX-like, requiring only a short learning curve (maybe 30 minutes) for a LaTeX-aware user to learn the occasional exceptions. And mimeTeX should work with almost any (graphical) browser and server.

thanks for the (interesting-looking ;-) upload. i've installed it as suggested.

Robin Fairbairns

For the CTAN team