## How the EPUB2 and MOBI formats can be used for typeset Math.

According to This preceding posting, I was experiencing some frustration over trying to typeset Math, for publication in EPUB2 format. EPUB3 format with MathML support was a viable alternative, though potentially hard on any readers I might have.

Well a situation exists in which either EPUB2 or MOBI can be used to publish typeset Math: Each lossless image can claim the entire width of a column of text, and each image can represent an entire equation. That way, the content of the document can alternate vertically between Text and Typeset Math.

In fact, if an author was to choose to do this, he or she could also use the Linux-based solutions ‘LyX’ , ‘ImageMagick’ , and ‘tex4ebook’ .

(Edited 1/9/2019, 15h35 … )

## Trying to bridge the gap to mobile-friendly reading of typeset equations, using EPUB3?

One of the sad facts about this blog is, that it’s not very mobile-friendly. The actual WordPress Theme that I use is very mobile-friendly, but I have the habit of inserting links into postings, that open typeset Math, in the form of PDF Files. And the real problem with those PDF Files is, the fact that when people try to view them on, say, smart-phones, the Letter-Sized page format forces them to pinch-zoom the document, and then to drag it around on their phone, not getting a good view of the overall document.

And so eventually I’m going to have to look for a better solution. One solution that works, is just to output a garbled PDF-File. But something better is in order.

A solution that works in principle, is to export my LaTeX -typeset Math to EPUB3-format, with MathML. But, the other EPUB and/or MOBI formats just don’t work. But the main downside after all that work for me is, the fact that although there are many ebook-readers for Android, there are only very few that can do everything which EPUB3 is supposed to be able to do, including MathML. Instead, the format is better-suited for distributing prose.

One ebook-reader that does support EPUB3 fully, is called “Infinity Reader“. But if I did publish my Math using EPUB3 format, then I’d be doing the uncomfortable deed, of practically requiring that my readers install this ebook-reader on their smart-phones, for which they’d next need to pay a small in-app purchase, just to get rid of the ads. I’d be betraying all those people who, like me, prefer open-source software. For many years, some version of ‘FBReader’ has remained sufficient for most users.

Thus, if readers get to read This Typeset Math, just because they installed that one ebook-reader, then the experience could end up becoming very disappointing for them. And, I don’t get any kick-back from ImeonSoft, for having encouraged this.

I suppose that this cloud has a silver lining. There does exist a Desktop-based / Laptop-based ebook-reader, which is capable of displaying all these EPUB3 ebooks, and which is as free as one could wish for: The Calibre Ebook Manager. When users install this either under Linux or under Windows, they will also be able to view the sample document I created and linked to above.

(Updated 1/6/2019, 6h00 … )

## Integrating Sage with LyX

I have been interested in the LaTeX typesetting system, but not in actually learning the extra syntax. And so I’ve been using a WYSIWYM GUI named ‘LyX‘. The .TEX-Files LyX exports are suitable to creating HTML Files, which in turn can contain typeset Math, by way of scripts, that provide MathJax code.

But then one compromise this has meant for me was, that I could either typeset Math which I had written myself, or that I could do Computer Algebra, the latter through the use of ‘wxMaxima’, which has its own system of exporting to HTML. But so far, I could not do both in one document.

Well, now that I have ‘SageMath’ and ‘SageTeX’ installed, I can do both within the same document. It’s possible to integrate SageTeX into LyX. The following is an article which explains how to do that, under the assumption that the user has both SageTeX and LyX installed:

https://wiki.lyx.org/Layouts/Modules#toc7

There is an important way in which I needed to modify the instructions however, to get the two working. First of all, there is a list of files to download – LyX does not support SageTeX out of the box – that the article above links to. Out of those files, ‘setup.sh’ is absolutely useless on a modern Linux computer. The following files from the repository above are essential:

1. sage.module
2. preferences
3. compile-pdf-sage.sh
4. example.lyx

The file ‘preferences’ needs to be edited, in that its last line needs to be uncommented.

The file ‘compile-pdf-sage.sh’ needs to be edited, in that the first two lines need to be commented out, and the next three lines which are commented by default, need to be uncommented. Then:


(As user:)

$cp sage.module ~/.lyx/layouts$ cat preferences >> ~/.lyx/preferences

(As root:)

# cp compile-pdf-sage.sh /usr/local/bin
# chmod a+x /usr/local/bin/compile-pdf-sage.sh




Then, within the GUI of LyX, one gives the command ‘Tools -> Reconfigure’. One shuts down and restarts LyX. Next, one opens ‘example.lyx’ to test the setup. The following is the document which I finally obtained (successfully), which was provided by the Web-site above (not written by me):

http://dirkmittler.homeip.net/sg_lyx_1.pdf

Enjoy,

Dirk

## I now have LyX working properly, on my Linux tablet.

According to This Earlier Posting, I had installed “GNURoot (Debian)” and “XSDL” on an old tablet, that are both Android apps available from Google Play, and which do not use ‘root’. There were numerous Linux-applications which would run, and many more that do not. I had also installed numerous Linux-packages that can collectively be referred to as “LaTeX” on that tablet, which actually just means by itself, command-line programs. Yet, even when typesetting using ‘LaTeX’, it’s often more fun to use a GUI. And the Linux-application “LyX” is such a GUI.

So, I have the hypothetical ability to do serious document-work on that tablet, even though the tablet is only using an emulated mouse, and “Hacker’s Keyboard”, and the mentioned emulated X-server.

What I recently did, was to get LyX to work properly: