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Comment by Stefan_K | Hacker News Reader

My suggestion: Make the LyX program capable of using online LaTeX compilers. (I posted this already to http://tex.stackexchange.com/q/108283/213).

This means having an API and usable connections to existing online services. I'm sure the vendors of such services would support it. So a user could simply install LyX, and benefit from the newest TeX version without installing it - slim but capable and up-to-date installations would be possible.

File storage services such as dropbox could be connected, the storage of an online compiling service used, or files could simply be uploaded each time when being compiled - LaTeX files are small, and compressed uploads or syncs would be quick.

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Then ports of LyX to iOS and Android would be great: so we could use LaTeX on the iPad or Android tablets when we have Internet via WiFi or 3G/4G available.

I've been maintaining an open source LaTeX web API called the CLSI (https://github.com/scribtex/clsi) for a few years now. This powers ShareLaTeX and ScribTeX, and I'm really keen for others to use it, and for the standard to evolve with more focus than just what I decide to add on a whim! As far as I'm aware, it's the only documented API for calling an online LaTeX compiler, and the design of the API is meant to be separate from the backend, so that the other online services could also expose a compatible API. If you're interested in perusing some sort of integration for LyX, then we need to talk further! My email address is in my profile.

Great idea! This is something we'd be happy to support on writeLaTeX (https://www.writelatex.com)

Edit: I should also point out that there is a fairly well-established protocol for online latex compilers, namely that of the CLSI (https://github.com/scribtex/clsi), which is maintained by jpallen at ShareLaTeX. So, it should be straightforward to do this in a vendor-neutral way.

Great idea! This would also allow LyX to take advantage of collaborative editing and version control built into the online LaTeX compilers.

We're in the process of exposing our own compiling API for SpanDeX (https://spandex.io) already so this is good timing. Another benefit is that features available with online services could also be exposed to LyX users.

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