A quick glossary of the terms and abbreviations that recur across TeX — output formats, the distribution/management infrastructure, and the “engine” vs “format” distinction.
Files and output formats
| Term | Meaning |
|---|
DVI | Device-independent — TeX’s intermediate output (no embedded fonts) |
PDF | The final portable output for distribution and print |
PostScript (PS) | A page-description language; DVI→PS via dvips |
.tex / .sty / .cls | Source / package / class files |
.aux / .log | Auxiliary (cross-refs, etc.) / the run log |
.bib / .bbl | Bibliography database / formatted bibliography |
Infrastructure
| Term | Meaning |
|---|
CTAN | The central TeX package archive (ctan.org) |
TDS | TeX Directory Structure — the standard texmf tree layout |
TeX Live / MiKTeX | The main distributions |
texmf | The tree(s) holding TeX’s files |
kpathsea / ls-R | The file-search library / the filename database |
Engine vs format
The key distinction people confuse — an engine is the program that does the work; a format is the system of commands. Their combinations give pdfLaTeX, upLaTeX, and so on (see “Choosing an engine and format”).
| Term | Meaning |
|---|
エンジン / Engine | The processing program: tex, pdfTeX, XeTeX, LuaTeX, pTeX, upTeX |
フォーマット / Format | The system of commands: plain TeX, LaTeX, ConTeXt |
pdfLaTeX など | An engine + format combination |
JFM | Japanese Font Metric (metrics for Japanese typesetting) |
MWE | Minimal working example: the smallest example reproducing a problem |
