Software for writing Go books

Alakazam · #1

Can anyone link me to some good ones?

Phelan · #2

This might help:
http://senseis.xmp.net/?GoPrintingSoftware

I think either Drago or GoWrite are the most recommended, but I can't remember for sure right now.

apetresc · #3

If quality is important, and you have a bit of time to get over the learning curve, I highly recommend using LaTeX. Here's a document about typesetting Go diagrams in LaTeX, and I'd be glad to show you the ropes of LaTeX over Skype or the next time we meet up or something

I should add that this book on Go Seigen was typeset in LaTeX (using some scripts that automatically generated LaTeX from SGFs... but it doesn't have to be done that way)

Alakazam · #4

thanks guys!

Kirby · #5

Are you writing a book?

Tryphon · #6

Adrian Petrescu wrote:

If quality is important, and you have a bit of time to get over the learning curve, I highly recommend using LaTeX. Here's a document about typesetting Go diagrams in LaTeX, and I'd be glad to show you the ropes of LaTeX over Skype or the next time we meet up or something

I should add that this book on Go Seigen was typeset in LaTeX (using some scripts that automatically generated LaTeX from SGFs... but it doesn't have to be done that way)

If it must have the best typesetting quality, I strongly recommand LaTeX.

Though, I'd add that iGo generates Metafont, and it can be a problem if you want a PDF for output (you'll get bitmaps representations of diagram).

Psgo has not this problem (it generates vector based representations, and hence is resolution-independant). But it needs some adjustement (for example, the lines in the goban are ectangular, and not square, like in a real goban. I didn't see that in any go book).

I developped a little package that permits to enter diagrams like those on this forum or on sensei, and that generates a diagram from a SGF file (but you have to precise dead stones, it doesn't remove them from the board). It's still in beta, but works on most regular cases, I can send it to you if you're interested.

Alakazam · #7

I'm not going to write a book at the moment, as I'm very busy. I'm about to start a job at a coffee shop (finally), and playing in three online Go leagues at once. However, I'm thinking of starting a book fairly soon, because if successful, it may give me some extra money, and eventually I may get to use it to go back to Korea.

kirkmc · #8

If you're _not_ comfortable with LaTeX - which may be the case - then anything that can be turned into a PDF is probably fine. A lot depends on how you'll be getting the book printed; you should check with the printer before making any decisions. Many small printers (or POD shops if you're going that route) probably won't be able to handle LaTeX. In this type of work, don't look for what's "best" but what the printer and anyone else involved can work with.

CarlJung · #9

Helel wrote:

Noo, this can simply not be...

One of the major points of LaTeX is that it is so much easier to use than TeX.

kirkmc · **#10**

Helel wrote:

kirkmc wrote:

If you're _not_ comfortable with LaTeX - which may be the case

Noo, this can simply not be...

One of the major points of LaTeX is that it is so much easier to use than TeX.

Oh, my, geeks who think that everyone else can use the same tools as them... :geek:

rubin427 · **#11**

So, can anyone provide an example of a go diagram marked up in Latex with perhaps some text flowing around it?

Both the latex markup and an example rendering (screen shot) would be nice.

I've used Latex in the past, but not for go diagrams, and it seems there are many possible approaches. Embedded postscript for diagrams or even a custom font to mark up boards comes to mind.

amnal · **#12**

rubin427 wrote:

So, can anyone provide an example of a go diagram marked up in Latex with perhaps some text flowing around it?

Both the latex markup and an example rendering (screen shot) would be nice.

I've used Latex in the past, but not for go diagrams, and it seems there are many possible approaches. Embedded postscript for diagrams or even a custom font to mark up boards comes to mind.

For the igo package that was mentioned above, the documentation pdf contains many examples showing how it would work.

Edit: The pdf is at http://www.tex.ac.uk/tex-archive/fonts/igo/igo.pdf

The exact positioning of your diagrams is achieved the same way as anything else in LaTeX - a mixture of figures, tables, columns etc. depending on what you're doing. The igo documentation includes the basics.

freegame · **#13**

unless you are going to write a problem book I would just make print screens from a sgf editor and paste them as images in word (or your favorite text editor)

While definitely not the most elegant method it allows you to focus on the book instead of focusing on learning to use new software.

I know from experience that making print screens and pasting them in word is easy and works quite well (I had them printed by a professional printing company), but it's time consuming (so is learning to use new software, so you will have to make a trade off between that).

azazil · **#14**

With respect to the previous poster, printing screens is not going to look as professional as typesetting it properly in tex. It might be sufficient for many purposes, but it won't look like a proper book (the geeky explanation gets back to bitmaps versus vector graphics, but I don't know if you care).

In my experience the gobase sgf2misc tool produces top quality tex diagrams with a huge potential for customization, though you may have to work your way up a learning curve the first couple weeks (once the pain passes tex is wonderful). http://gobase.org/software/sgf2misc/

If you're thinking of getting this published I would strongly recommend tex.

- Az

amnal · **#15**

azazil wrote:

With respect to the previous poster, printing screens is not going to look as professional as typesetting it properly in tex.

Or even, if TeX is scary, using something like Drago or GoWrite. These should be able to produce far higher quality diagrams than just print screen.

freegame · **#16**

azazil wrote:

With respect to the previous poster, printing screens is not going to look as professional as typesetting it properly in tex. It might be sufficient for many purposes, but it won't look like a proper book

of course typesetting it in TEX will look cleaner, but I think that for a lot of purposes a bitmap will do just fine and will be a lot easier to do for most people (even if it's for in a book). I think the difference is often not big enough to justify learning to use new software (just like I wrote before) Below two examples of bitmap diagrams that I had printed. They look fine to me. (made in MoyoGo and put in word via printscreen)

azazil wrote:

(the geeky explanation gets back to bitmaps versus vector graphics, but I don't know if you care).

No need I know this. and others can google it if they want to

Phelan · **#17**

Doesn't moyo go also export diagrams? I remember frank talking about something like it.

CarlJung · **#18**

freegame · **#19**

how ?

Alakazam · **#20**

C?

^^

I'm glad this discussions heated up, a lot more information is being thrown around. I must admit that I'm just a Go player, and I know absolutely nothing of what you guys are talking about, though I understand enough to consider them. If directed toward me, make sure you take into account I don't know anything about anything. I assume you have

I haven't even decided what kind of book to write, but I know I will go for something unique

A long time ago I wanted to call a book "The Silent Stone", and teach how to win games with the peaceful moves, and expand on endgame and value calculation. It was going to teach a certain style, showing situations where there is a fighting move and a peaceful move that are both equally good, and how to win a game in the most simple way.

Now that I'm stronger than then, I think it's a bad idea. Those teaching would tell you how to beat 3 Dans, but later on you'd have to unlearn it. 4-Dan to 5-Dan for me was, quite literally, hogging territory --> Playing balanced, and looking for places to fight.

So what should I write?

I'm thinking a "Specific Level Up" type of book, as in, getting from 5 Kyu to 1 Dan.

I would show all kinds of practical Tesuji and stuff that I learned at that time that made me go, "Wow, you can do that?". I would also provide all the Joseki I think a 5 Kyu should know, and it would continue like that, giving the reader some new Joseki and fighting techniques to meet the needs of their level. Most importantly, I would like to explain how to think, and how to carve out all the incorrect and useless thinking by Kyu players based on my own experiences with my friends and I. I think when explaining such a thing, it's more appropriate, and more "correct", to speak very humanly and get the points across in the easiest way possible, rather than using the same language used to explain tactical diagrams.

I also want to wait until I get stronger, it's kind of a chicken and egg thing. If I'm not stronger, my book may not be as attractive. If I work on a book now, I may not get stronger very quickly

I just started 3 online leagues at once, and just got a job, so.....

Software for writing Go books

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