html5 latex,html - What is the best way to embed LaTeX in a webpage? - Stack Overflow

MediaWiki uses a subset of TeX markup,

including some extensions from LaTeX

and AMS-LaTeX, for mathematical

formulae. It generates either PNG

images or simple HTML markup,

depending on user preferences and the

complexity of the expression. In the

future, as more browsers are smarter,

it will be able to generate enhanced

HTML or even MathML in many cases.

(See blahtex for information about

current work on adding MathML

support.)

More precisely, MediaWiki filters the

markup through Texvc, which in turn

passes the commands to TeX for the

actual rendering. Thus, only a limited

part of the full TeX language is

supported; see below for details.

...

Pros of HTML

In-line HTML formulae always align properly with the rest of the HTML

text.

The formula's background, font size and face match the rest of HTML

contents and the appearance respects

CSS and browser settings.

Pages using HTML will load faster.

Pros of TeX

TeX is semantically superior to HTML. In TeX, "x" means

"mathematical variable x", whereas in

HTML "x" could mean anything.

Information has been irrevocably lost.

This has multiple benefits:

TeX can be transformed into HTML, but not vice-versa. This means that on

the server side we can always

transform a formula, based on its

complexity and location within the

text, user preferences, type of

browser, etc. Therefore, where

possible, all the benefits of HTML can

be retained, together with the

benefits of TeX. It's true that the

current situation is not ideal, but

that's not a good reason to drop

information/contents. It's more a

reason to help improve the situation.

TeX can be converted to MathML for browsers which support it, thus

keeping its semantics and allowing it

to be rendered as a vector.

TeX has been specifically designed for typesetting formulae, so input is

easier and more natural, and output is

more aesthetically pleasing.

When writing in TeX, editors need not worry about browser support, since

it is rendered into an image by the

server. HTML formulae, on the other

hand, can end up being rendered

inconsistent of editor's intentions

(or not at all), by some browsers or

older versions of a browser.