--- /dev/null
+This is the README file for the AUCTeX distribution.
+
+ Copyright (C) 2008 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
+
+ Copying and distribution of this file, with or without
+ modification, are permitted in any medium without royalty provided
+ the copyright notice and this notice are preserved.
+
+Introduction to AUCTeX
+**********************
+
+This file gives a brief overview of what AUCTeX is. It is *not* an
+attempt to document AUCTeX. Real documentation for AUCTeX is available
+in the manual, which should be available as an info file after
+installation.
+
+AUCTeX is a comprehensive customizable integrated environment for
+writing input files for TeX, LaTeX, ConTeXt, Texinfo, and docTeX using
+Emacs or XEmacs.
+
+It supports you in the insertion of macros, environments, and sectioning
+commands by providing completion alternatives and prompting for
+parameters. It automatically indents your text as you type it and lets
+you format a whole file at once. The outlining and folding facilities
+provide you with a focused and clean view of your text.
+
+AUCTeX lets you process your source files by running TeX and related
+tools (such as output filters, post processors for generating indices
+and bibliographies, and viewers) from inside Emacs. AUCTeX lets you
+browse through the errors TeX reported, while it moves the cursor
+directly to the reported error, and displays some documentation for
+that particular error. This will even work when the document is spread
+over several files.
+
+One component of AUCTeX that LaTeX users will find attractive is
+preview-latex, a combination of folding and in-source previewing that
+provides true "What You See Is What You Get" experience in your
+sourcebuffer, while letting you retain full control. For more
+information, see further below.
+
+More detailed information about the features and usage of AUCTeX can be
+found in the AUCTeX manual. You can access it from within Emacs by
+typing `C-h i d m auctex <RET>'. If you prefer the standalone info
+reader, issue the command `info auctex' in a terminal.
+
+AUCTeX is written entirely in Emacs Lisp, and hence you can easily add
+new features for your own needs. It is a GNU project and distributed
+under the `GNU General Public License Version 3'.
+
+The most recent version is always available at
+`http://ftp.gnu.org/pub/gnu/auctex/'.
+
+WWW users may want to check out the AUCTeX page at
+`http://www.gnu.org/software/auctex/'.
+
+For comprehensive information about how to install AUCTeX read the file
+`INSTALL' or `INSTALL.windows', respectively.
+
+If you are considering upgrading AUCTeX, the recent changes are
+described in the `CHANGES' file.
+
+If you want to discuss AUCTeX with other users or its developers, there
+are several mailing lists you can use.
+
+Send a mail with the subject "subscribe" to <auctex-request@gnu.org> in
+order to join the general discussion list for AUCTeX. Articles should
+be sent to <auctex@gnu.org>. In a similar way, you can subscribe to
+the <info-auctex@gnu.org> list for just getting important announcements
+about AUCTeX. The list <bug-auctex@gnu.org> is for bug reports which
+you should usually file with the `M-x TeX-submit-bug-report <RET>'
+command. If you want to address the developers of AUCTeX themselves
+with technical issues, they can be found on the discussion list
+<auctex-devel@gnu.org>.
+
+preview-latex in a nutshell
+***************************
+
+Does your neck hurt from turning between previewer windows and the
+source too often? This AUCTeX component will render your displayed
+LaTeX equations right into the editing window where they belong.
+
+The purpose of preview-latex is to embed LaTeX environments such as
+display math or figures into the source buffers and switch conveniently
+between source and image representation.
+
+1 What use is it?
+*****************
+
+WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get) sometimes is considered all the
+rage, sometimes frowned upon. Do we really want it? Wrong question.
+The right question is _what_ we want from it. Except when finetuning
+the layout, we don't want to use printer fonts for on-screen text
+editing. The low resolution and contrast of a computer screen render
+all but the coarsest printer fonts (those for low-quality newsprint)
+unappealing, and the margins and pagination of the print are not wanted
+on the screen, either. On the other hand, more complex visual
+compositions like math formulas and tables can't easily be taken in
+when seen only in the source. preview-latex strikes a balance: it only
+uses graphic renditions of the output for certain, configurable
+constructs, does this only when told, and then right in the source code.
+Switching back and forth between the source and preview is easy and
+natural and can be done for each image independently. Behind the scenes
+of preview-latex, a sophisticated framework of other programs like
+`dvipng', Dvips and Ghostscript are employed together with a special
+LaTeX style file for extracting the material of interest in the
+background and providing fast interactive response.
+
+2 Activating preview-latex
+**************************
+
+After installation, the package may need to be activated (and remember
+to activate AUCTeX too). In XEmacs, and in any prepackaged versions
+worth their salt, activation should be automatic upon installation. If
+this seems not the case, complain to your installation provider.
+
+The usual activation (if it is not done automatically) would be
+
+ (load "preview-latex.el" nil t t)
+
+If you still don't get a "Preview" menu in LaTeX mode in spite of
+AUCTeX showing its "Command", your installation is broken. One
+possible cause are duplicate Lisp files that might be detectable with
+`<M-x> list-load-path-shadows <RET>'.
+
+3 Getting started
+*****************
+
+Once activated, preview-latex and its documentation will be accessible
+via its menus (note that preview-latex requires AUCTeX to be loaded).
+When you have loaded a LaTeX document (a sample document `circ.tex' is
+included in the distribution, but most documents including math and/or
+figures should do), you can use its menu or `C-c C-p C-d' (for
+`Preview/Document'). Previews will now be generated for various
+objects in your document. You can use the time to take a short look at
+the other menu entries and key bindings in the `Preview' menu. You'll
+see the previewed objects change into a roadworks sign when
+preview-latex has determined just what it is going to preview. Note
+that you can freely navigate the buffer while this is going on. When
+the process is finished you will see the objects typeset in your buffer.
+
+It is a bad idea, however, to edit the buffer before the roadworks signs
+appear, since that is the moment when the correlation between the
+original text and the buffer locations gets established. If the buffer
+changes before that point of time, the previews will not be placed where
+they belong. If you do want to change some obvious error you just
+spotted, we recommend you stop the background process by pressing `C-c
+C-k'.
+
+To see/edit the LaTeX code for a specific object, put the point (the
+cursor) on it and press `C-c C-p C-p' (for `Preview/at point'). It
+will also do to click with the middle mouse button on the preview. Now
+you can edit the code, and generate a new preview by again pressing
+`C-c C-p C-p' (or by clicking with the middle mouse button on the icon
+before the edited text).
+
+If you are using the `desktop' package, previews will remain from one
+session to the next as long as you don't kill your buffer. If you are
+using XEmacs, you will probably need to upgrade the package to the
+newest one; things are being fixed just as I am writing this.
+
+4 Basic modes of operation
+**************************
+
+preview-latex has a number of methods for generating its graphics. Its
+default operation is equivalent to using the `LaTeX' command from
+AUCTeX. If this happens to be a call of PDFLaTeX generating PDF output
+(you need at least AUCTeX 11.51 for this), then Ghostscript will be
+called directly on the resulting PDF file. If a DVI file gets
+produced, first Dvips and then Ghostscript get called by default.
+
+The image type to be generated by Ghostscript can be configured with
+
+ M-x customize-variable RET preview-image-type RET
+
+The default is `png' (the most efficient image type). A special
+setting is `dvipng' in case you have the `dvipng' program installed.
+In this case, `dvipng' will be used for converting DVI files and
+Ghostscript (with a `PNG' device) for converting PDF files. `dvipng'
+is much faster than the combination of Dvips and Ghostscript. You can
+get downloads, access to its CVS archive and further information from
+its project site (http://savannah.nongnu.org/projects/dvipng).
+
+5 More documentation
+********************
+
+After the installation, documentation in the form of an info manual
+will be available. You can access it with the standalone info reader
+with
+
+ info preview-latex
+
+or by pressing `C-h i d m preview-latex <RET>' in Emacs. Once
+preview-latex is activated, you can instead use `C-c C-p <TAB>' (or the
+menu entry `Preview/Read documentation').
+
+Depending on your installation, a printable manual may also be
+available in the form of `preview-latex.dvi' or `preview-latex.ps'.
+
+Detailed documentation for the LaTeX style used for extracting the
+preview images is placed in `preview.dvi' in a suitable directory
+during installation; on typical teTeX-based systems,
+
+ texdoc preview
+
+will display it.
+
+6 Availability
+**************
+
+The preview-latex project is now part of AUCTeX and accessible as part
+of the AUCTeX project page (http://savannah.gnu.org/projects/auctex).
+You can get its files from the AUCTeX download area
+(ftp://ftp.gnu.org/pub/gnu/auctex). As of AUCTeX 11.81, preview-latex
+should already be integrated into AUCTeX, so no separate download will
+be necessary.
+
+You will also find `.rpm' files there for Fedora and possibly SuSE.
+Anonymous CVS is available as well.
+
+7 Contacts
+**********
+
+Bug reports should be sent by using `M-x preview-report-bug <RET>', as
+this will fill in a lot of information interesting to us. If the
+installation fails (but this should be a rare event), report bugs to
+<bug-auctex@gnu.org>.
+
+There is a general discussion list for AUCTeX which also covers
+preview-latex, look at `http://lists.gnu.org/mailman/listinfo/auctex'.
+For more information on the mailing list, send a message with just the
+word "help" as subject or body to <auctex-request@gnu.org>. For the
+developers, there is the <auctex-devel@gnu.org> list; it would probably
+make sense to direct feature requests and questions about internal
+details there. There is a low-volume read-only announcement list
+available to which you can subscribe by sending a mail with "subscribe"
+in the subject to <info-auctex-request@gnu.org>.
+
+Offers to support further development will be appreciated. If you want
+to show your appreciation with a donation to the main developer, you can
+do so via PayPal to <dak@gnu.org>, and of course you can arrange for
+service contracts or for added functionality. Take a look at the
+`TODO' list for suggestions in that area.
+