1 Preamble: LyX version scheme
3 In September of 1999 the LyX Team decided that we could no
4 longer successfully use the two strand development process
5 like the Linux kernel. The idea was to to switch to a
6 development model similar to that used by Fetchmail where only
7 we would will only make small stable changes between releases
8 and release more often. This lead to the 1.1.x series of LyX
9 releases where the inhards of the program have been rewritten
10 to make use of the C++ Standard Library features, establish
11 the foundations of GUI/system independence, and generally
12 clean up the data structures used in the core of LyX.
14 As of April 2002, this transition phase is completed and we
15 feel it is time to switch to (yet) another version scheme.
16 This new series will be in a state of continual advancement.
17 Note the word "advancement" and not "development." Development
18 will be occurring in branches of CVS and once the
19 feature/modification has proved stable it will be merged into
22 LyX still uses a continuous numbering scheme where odd or
23 even numbering is not significant. Prereleases are
24 labeled with a "pre" suffix and any fixes required between
25 stable releases have a "fix" suffix. Thus there are three
28 lyx-1.2.0.tar.gz -- stable release
29 lyx-1.2.2.tar.gz -- second maintenance release of the
31 lyx-1.2.0pre1.tar.gz -- potentially unstable test release
33 The maintenance releases are designed mainly to fix bugs. The
34 goal here is not to have parallel development as for the linux
35 kernel (the team is too small to afford that), but rather to
36 include all the simple (so that the maintenance burden on us
37 is not too high) and safe (so that system administrators can
38 install them without fear) bug fixes. Experience shows that
39 these releases will contain a few new features, and that the
40 bulk of the patches will be documentation updates.
44 LyX is an advanced open-source "document processor". Unlike
45 standard word processors, LyX encourages writing based on the
46 structure of your documents, not their appearance. It lets you
47 concentrate on writing, leaving details of visual layout to the
50 You can read more about this concept in the documentation,
51 which you'll find under the Help menu. If you plan to use LyX,
52 you really should read about it to be able to make the best of
57 LyX is not just another word processor that claims to be a
58 Desktop Publishing program. It's a more modern way of
59 creating documents that look much nicer, but without wasting
60 time with layout-fiddling. For these reasons you might need
61 little time to get used to the differences.
62 If you are looking for a free Desktop Publishing program for
63 Unix, you will be disappointed.
65 What do I need to run LyX?
67 A Unix-like system or Windows with cygwin, OS/2 with XFree
68 At least X11 Release 5
69 A decent LaTeX2e installation (e.g. teTeX or NTeX) not older
71 Perl5.002 or later to import LaTeX files into LyX
77 How do I install a binary distribution of LyX?
79 Unpack it and run it. We recommend unpacking it in /usr/local,
80 but it should work anywhere. In particular, you can try LyX
81 in a temporary directory before installing permanently by
84 We recommend that you configure LyX system-wide by copying the
85 file share/lyx/lyxrc.example to share/lyx/lyxrc, and then
86 reading and modifying it.
88 You should read the notes regarding this particular build in
91 How do I upgrade from an earlier LyX version?
93 Read the file UPGRADING for info on this subject.
94 If you are upgrading from version 0.12.0 or later, you don't
95 need to do anything special.
97 What do I need to compile LyX from the source distribution?
99 1. A good c++ compiler. Development is being done mainly on
100 gcc/g++, but some others work. As of LyX 1.2.0, you need at
101 least gcc 2.95.X (or egcs 1.1.x). Another compiler known to
102 work is compaq cxx 6.1.
103 2. The Xforms library version 0.89.6 (recommended) or 0.88.1.
104 3. LibXpm version 4.7 (or newer).
106 Read the file "INSTALL" for more information on compiling.
108 Okay, I've installed LyX. What now?
110 Once you've installed it, and everything looks fine, go read
111 the "Introduction" item under the Help menu. You should follow
112 the instructions there, which tell you to read (or at least skim)
113 the Tutorial. After that, you should also read "Help/LaTeX
114 configuration" which provides info on your LaTeX configuration
115 as LyX sees it. You might be missing a package or two that you'd
118 User-level configuration is possible via the Edit>Preferences menu.
120 Does LyX have support for non-English speakers/writers/readers?
122 Yes. LyX supports writing in many languages.
124 Menus and error messages have been translated to the following
125 languages (* means there are language-specific keyboard menu
151 Keymaps can ease typing in one or more of the following languages:
169 Internet resources of relevance to LyX
171 The LyX homepage contains valuable information about LyX and the
172 various LyX mailing lists, as well as links to mirrors and other
173 LyX homepages around the world:
176 Main LyX archive site:
177 ftp://ftp.lyx.org/pub/lyx/
179 The LyX Development page has information about the development
180 effort. LyX is now under CVS control, so you can get the very
181 latest sources from there at any time.
182 http://www.devel.lyx.org/
183 ftp://www.devel.lyx.org/pub/lyx/
185 How do I submit a bug report?
187 If possible, read the Introduction found under the Help menu in LyX.
188 You'll find detailed info on submitting bug reports there.
190 If you can't do that, send details to the LyX Developers mailing
191 list, or use the LyX bug tracker at http://bugzilla.lyx.org/.
192 Don't forget to mention which version you are having problems with!
194 How can I participate in the development of LyX?
196 Any help with the development of LyX is greatly appreciated--
197 after all LyX wouldn't be what it is today without the help
198 of volunteers. We need your help!
200 If you want to work on LyX, you should contact the developer's
201 mailing list for discussion on how to do your stuff. LyX is being
202 cleaned up, and therefore it's important to follow some rules.
203 Read about those rules in development/Code_rules/.
205 If you don't know C++, there are many other ways to contribute.
206 Write documentation. Help to internationalize LyX by translating
207 documentation or menus/error messages, or by writing a new keymap.
208 Write a new textclass. Work on reLyX (Perl). Find bugs (but please
209 read the list of known bugs first). Contribute money. Or just offer
210 feature suggestions (but please read the online TODO list first).
212 Thank you for trying LyX, and we appreciate your feedback in the mailing