Using LaTex

I have always used MS Word for writing my documents. I have done a little reading about using LaTex for writing documents. Is there any advantage of using LaTex over Word?

Frank. Latex is used primarily by organisation's to write periodicals for conference proceedings (e.g. scientific papers etc.). I had to use it once, and can with confidence tell you it is by far the most painful experience I have ever gone through. In the end, I reverted to using MSWord, and finding someone to convert it....itself a difficult task.

My advice is to stay away from Latex.

Golden, thank you for the good advice. I've done a little more reading about it and have pretty much come to the conclusion that I don't need it. You have confirmed that for me.

Frank, there are easier to use and learn alternatives to Ms Word.

LibreOffice is a free and open source office suite which can open and handle MS Office files. It includes following individual modules:

• Writer
  
  A word processor with similar functionality and file support to Microsoft Word or WordPerfect. It has extensive WYSIWYG word processing capabilities, but can also be used as a basic text editor
• Calc
  
  A spreadsheet program, similar to Microsoft Excel or Lotus 1-2-3. It has a number of unique features, including a system which automatically defines series of graphs, based on information available to the user
• Impress
  
  A presentation program resembling Microsoft PowerPoint. Presentations can be exported as SWF files, allowing them to be viewed on any computer with Adobe Flash installed
• Draw
  
  A vector graphics editor and diagramming tool similar to Microsoft Visio and comparable in features to early versions of CorelDRAW. It provides connectors between shapes, which are available in a range of line styles and facilitate building drawings such as flowcharts. It also includes features similar to desktop publishing software such as Scribus and Microsoft Publisher
• Math
  
  Math: An application designed for creating and editing mathematical formulae. The application uses a variant of XML for creating formulas, as defined in the OpenDocument specification. These formulas can be incorporated into other documents in the LibreOffice suite, such as those created by Writer or Calc, by embedding the formulas into the document
• Base
  
  A database management program, similar to Microsoft Access. LibreOffice Base allows the creation and management of databases, preparation of forms and reports that provide end users easy access to data. Like Access, it can be used to create small embedded databases that are stored with the document files (using Java-based HSQLDB as its storage engine), and for more demanding tasks it can also be used as a front-end for various database systems, including Access databases (JET), ODBC/JDBC data sources, and MySQL, MariaDB, PostgreSQL or Microsoft Access

(List from the Wikipedia article LibreOffice - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.)

Another alternative is OpenOffice.

Kari