[The updated version. Only paths for binaries need updating.]

Public release of LyX version 0.12
==================================

What is LyX?
------------

LyX is a program that provides a more modern approach to writing documents
with a computer, an approach that breaks with the obsolete tradition of
the "typewriter concept."  Compared to common word processors, LyX will
increase productivity a lot, since the job of typesetting is done
mostly by the computer, not the author.

Technically, this is done by combining the comfortable interface of a
WYSIWYG word processor with the high quality output of a real typesetting
system.  Lyx uses LaTeX, the most popular typesetting system available, 
but no deep knowledge about LaTeX is required.

All in all, LyX is a complete environment for writing documents.  It has
superior support for scientific writing, but works well for any kind of
document.  Several people have reported that they have dropped various
commercial word processors in favour of LyX.

Read more about LyX (including screen shots) at:

    http://la1ad.uio.no/lyx/

What's new compared to LyX version 0.10?
----------------------------------------

  - Updated documentation
  - Updated math editor
  - OS/2 XFree port
  - Improved speed
  - Improved look & feel
  - Support for internationalization
  - Fax support, export Ascii support, automated LaTeX runs, colored text,
    multipart documents, version control, minipages, chktex
  - Improved support for paper sizes and margins, vertical spaces, 
    216 bullets, tables, bibliographies, quotes, ...
  - New document classes: slides, foils, RevTeX
  - New advanced automatic configuration scheme
  - Improved quality of generated LaTeX
  - Improved support for ISO-8859-X
  - Improved source code quality
  - Most reported bugs are fixed

and much more.  Almost all features have been improved in some way
or another, and lots of new features have been added.

If you use LyX version 0.10.x or earlier, we strongly recommend you upgrade.

One important caveat though: LyX still can't read LaTeX documents, but it
will in version 1.0.

How stable is LyX?
------------------

LyX is developed in C++ using the XForms library. The source code is
more than 75,000 lines long, and nobody claims that those are bug free.

Nevertheless, LyX is to be considered "stable beta" software. LyX v0.12 is
considered more stable than 0.10, which has been used by hundreds of
people for production work. Pre-releases of LyX v0.12 have been beta
tested by up to one hundred people and all reported bugs were either fixed
or documented.

There have been no reports of serious problems, but as with any software,
you should take appropriate back-up steps in a production environment.

Where can I get it?
-------------------

The main LyX site is

   ftp://ftp.via.ecp.fr/pub/lyx/

with mirrors at

        ftp://fiwi02.wiwi.uni-tuebingen.de/pub/LyX/
        ftp://ftp.ibp.fr/pub/lyx/
        ftp://ftp.sdsc.edu/pub/other/lyx/
        ftp://ftp.fciencias.unam.mx/pub/Lyx/
        ftp://www.netaxs.com/web/people/dlj0/LyX/
	ftp://ftp.uni-frankfurt.de/pub/packages/lyx/

The source code package is available at:

   ftp://ftp.via.ecp.fr/pub/lyx/[somewhere]/lyx-0.12.0.tar.gz

You need to have XForms version 0.81, 0.86 or 0.87 to compile your own version.

Ready-to-run precompiled binaries for various platforms are available at:

   ftp://ftp.via.ecp.fr/pub/lyx/[somewhere]/

Binaries for i386-Linux are also available at your local sunsite mirror:

   ftp://sunsite.unc.edu/pub/Linux/apps/editors/lyx-0.12.0-bin.tar.gz

It is possible to run LyX in a temporary directory before you install it.

Experience shows that updates to v0.12.0 can be expected in the near
future, so make sure you get the latest version in the v0.12.x series when
you grab it.

Credits
-------

The LyX Team is composed of volunteers from around the world.  Many, many 
people have helped make the 0.12 release possible, including:

    Lars Gullik Bjoennes, Alejandro Aguilar Sierra, Asger Alstrup,
    Jean-Marc Lasgouttes, Juergen Vigna, John P. Weiss, Bernhard Iselborn,
    Andre Spiegel, Allan Rae, Henner Zeller, Robert van der Kamp,
    David L. Johnson, Amir Karger, ...

Special thanks should go to Matthias Ettrich who started it all.

Feedback
--------

Please direct any comments or questions to the appropriate mailing list as
described on the LyX homepage (http://la1ad.uio.no/lyx/).

Enjoy!

The LyX Team
