- Typst, a free program that turns typed text into finished papers, books and slides, released a big update, version 0.15, in June.
- Typst 0.15 lets a book have a separate reference list for each chapter, a feature Typst users eagerly awaited.
- Typst 0.15 adds a test feature that shows math on web pages as real equations, not pictures, in almost all current browsers.
- Typst 0.15 supports variable fonts, which save space and let writers set letter thickness anywhere along a range.
- The tech news site LWN says very few journals that ask for a paper's original file, not just a PDF, accept Typst files yet.
Typst, a free program that turns typed text into finished papers, books and slides, released version 0.15 in June. Lee Phillips, who wrote the review of the update for the tech news site LWN on September 9, says it adds lots of new features. Fans often call Typst a future replacement for LaTeX, an older program that some science journals still require for papers.
Books made in Typst 0.15 can have a separate reference list for each chapter, which LWN says users eagerly awaited. Typst 0.15 also supports variable fonts. Most fonts come as a set of files, one for bold, one for italic and so on. A variable font keeps every style in one file, which saves space and lets a writer set letter thickness anywhere along a range.
Typst mostly makes PDF files, and its web page output is still a test feature that writers must switch on. In version 0.15, that feature can turn math into real equations on web pages. Almost all current web browsers can show them, so a website no longer needs pictures of equations or a separate math tool. LWN says this is a boon for scientific communication.
How these web equations look depends on the fonts available. On the discussion site Hacker News, Phillips said his web equation looked right on his desktop, which had a font called Latin Modern. His phone was missing that font, so every browser on it showed the equation badly. He says websites should offer the font along with the page or tell readers to get it.
Typst 0.15 can also build several documents at once. A writer describes, say, two web pages and a PDF in one Typst file, and Typst creates all three with clickable links between them. LWN says this suits people building a website, or a scientist making talk slides and the matching paper. This feature is also still a test.
Some journals want a paper's original file, not only the PDF. LWN says those journals still insist on LaTeX, Word or another format, and very few accept Typst files. LWN says that likely won't change while Typst stays below version 1.0, because updates could still force big changes to existing documents. One Hacker News reader wrote a thesis in Typst but had to switch to LaTeX for a conference paper.
