TUG Aims

A summary of the general aims of the TUG organization (complete bylaws):

1. To encourage and expand the use of TeX, LaTeX, Metafont and related systems.
2. To ensure the integrity and portability of TeX, LaTeX, Metafont and related systems.
3. To foster innovation in high-quality electronic document preparation.

The most important reason to join TUG is to support these goals. The major projects related to these goals, which membership dues are used to fund, are listed below. A summary of current TUG activities is also available.

It does not matter when you join or renew during the year: all benefits are shipped physically or available electronically to all members for a given calendar year.

TUG benefits

When you join, you receive these benefits, all of which are member-supported:

1. TUGboat: A one year subscription to the journal TUGboat, The Communications of the TeX Users Group, containing tutorials, announcements, and plenty of articles. Beginning with the 2003 membership year, there will be three issues of TUGboat (or comparable publications) per year. Back issues are available through the TUG store. Technical articles in current issues are accessible online to members only.

2. TeX Collection software: ready-to-run TeX systems for most Unix variants, MacOSX, Windows, and an extensive set of fonts and macros. The TeX collection includes:
   • TeX Live for all major platforms and many Unix architectures,
   • MacTeX for MacOSX (based on TeX Live),
   • proTeXt for Windows (based on MiKTeX), and
   • a CTAN snapshot (available in the member area).

3. CTAN: the Comprehensive TeX Archive Network, the central repository for TeX packages and programs. TeX user groups help sponsor the primary nodes of CTAN, which accept uploads, distribute the contents to many mirrors, and generally manage the archive.

4. TeX worldwide: When you belong to TUG you connect with other TeX user associations around the world. Reciprocal membership arrangements are currently available with many other user groups; see the membership information page for the list. Join the group of your choice and select their option for joint membership with TUG.

5. Books: TUG published two books, TeX's 2⁵ Anniversary: A Commemorative Collection in June 2010 and TeX People: Interviews from the world of TeX in July 2009. Both are available online in the TUG member area, or as physical books from TUG or general online bookstores.

6. Discounts:
   • TUG is a tax-exempt charitable organization in the United States, so donations and some membership dues are tax deductible.
   • Discounted conference (see below) fees for all members.
   • Discounted membership rates for students, seniors, and citizens of countries with modest economies. (More info.)
   • Discounted membership rates for institutional members, which may name up to eight individual members.
   • Discounts on the purchase of Lucida fonts, TUG publications, and other items from the TUG store.
   • Discounts on books from many publishers (and bookplates).
   • Discounts on WinEdt registration.

   One other discount is available to anyone, not just TUG members: when buying books published by Addison-Wesley (or other Pearson imprints) through our TeX books page, you get a 30% discount and free shipping (within the USA).

The software distributions are produced entirely by volunteers, so the exact contents and timing of releases can and do vary from year to year.

Additional TUG activities

Members also support these TUG activities and initiatives:

1. TeXnical conferences: TUG's annual conference, and other sponsored conferences, bring TeX users together in a friendly setting to learn practical techniques, helpful hints, and the latest news in the TeX world through workshops, talks and informal gatherings. They offer an opportunity to connect with other TeX users at every level.
2. The PracTeX Journal: TUG's online journal, established in 2005, focuses on practical and user-related articles, generally at an introductory or intermediate level. It is available to anyone, not only members.
3. Mailing lists: TUG runs many electronic mailing lists on a wide variety of topics, from general help to special applications, for the benefit of the TeX community.
4. TeX Development Fund: created in 2003 to aid growth of TeX-related technical projects.
5. TUG Bursary Fund: provides financial assistance for attending TUG conferences.
6. Libre Font Fund: provides support for development of free (libre) fonts and related software.
7. TeX Consultants: listing of TeX consultants and companies, for TeX users seeking professional service.
8. Local Area Gatherings: listing and encouragement of smaller, more informal groups of TeX users wherever possible.

Ideas for additional benefits and initiatives TUG might undertake would be very welcome. Just contact us. Thanks for your support.