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'''ConTeXt''' is a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/document_markup_language document markup language] and [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/document_preparation_system document preparation system] based on the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TeX TeX] typesetting system. It was designed with the same general-purpose aims as [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LaTeX LaTeX] of providing an easy to use interface to the high quality typesetting engine provided by TeX. However, while LaTeX insulates the writer from typographical details, ConTeXt takes a complementary approach by providing structured interfaces for handling typography, including extensive support for colors, backgrounds, hyperlinks, presentations, figure-text integration, and conditional compilation. It gives the user extensive control over formatting while making it easy to create new layouts and styles without learning the TeX macro language. ConTeXt’s unified design avoids the package clashes that can happen with LaTeX.
[[Image:Kochloewe_c.jpg|frameless|right|200px]]
Better intro
== In short ==
This is an example of a ConTeXt document:
<context source=yes>
\setuphead[section][color=red]
\starttext
\section{Hello}
World!
\stoptext
</context>
'''ConTeXt is ...'''
* ''typography-friendly'': where [[wikipedia:LaTeX|LaTeX]]'s philosophy is to insulate the author from typographical details, ConTeXt's approach is to make them accessible.
* ''unified'': nearly any feature you could want is in one of the many core modules, avoiding the common LaTeX problem of clashing third-party packages.
* ''extensive'': there is support for such diverse things as colors, adaptive backgrounds, hyperlinks, presentations, figure-text integration, typesetting for [[chemistry|Chemistry]] and [[Command/unit|physics]], [[Modes|conditional compilation]], non-latin languages, and [[Imposition|binding and imposition]].
* ''text-based'': you write the input document in plain text
* ''compiled'': you compile a document by opening a command-line window (like the Terminal on Linux or Mac OS, or the [[wikipedia:Command_Prompt|Command Prompt]] on Windows) and running {{code|context mydocument.tex}}
ConTeXt provides a multi-lingual user interface with support for markup in English, Dutch, German, French, and Italian and support for output in many languages including western European languages, eastern European languages, Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, and Korean. It also allows the user to use different TeX engines like
[http[wikipedia://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/pdfTeX |pdfTeX]], [[XeTeX]], and [[LuaTeX]] without changing the user interface. ConTeXt integrates a superset of [[MetaPost]] called [[MetaFun]] which allows the users to use the drawing abilities of MetaPost for page backgrounds and ornaments. Metafun can also be used with stand alone with MetaPost.
ConTeXt also provides integrates a macro package superset of [[MetaPost]] called [[MetaFun]] which allows the users to use the drawing abilities of MetaPost for typesetting chemical structure diagrams with TeX called '''PPCHTeX'''page backgrounds and ornaments. This package Metafun can also be used on its own with plain TeX and LaTeXMetaPost, without ConTeXt.
ConTeXt was developed from 1990 by Hans Hagen from [http://www.pragma-ade.com/ PRAGMA Advanced Document Engineering] (Pragma ADE), a Netherlands-based company. It is [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/free_software free software]: The program code (i.e. anything not under the <code>/doc</code> subtree) is distributed under the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GNU_GPL GNU GPL]; the documentation is provided under [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Creative_Commons Creative Commons] Attribution NonCommercial ShareAlike license.
