ubcdiss -- a dissertation template for LaTeX
============================================

This distribution provides a LaTeX template for writing a dissertation
conformant with UBC's specifications (as of Oct 2010).  The template
uses only packages available in most LaTeX distributions such as
MacTeX, MikTeX, and TeXLive. 

The template has some documentation in doc.pdf.  This documentation
is itself written using the template, and the content is found in
ack.tex, glossary.tex, and intro.tex.  diss.tex is the main file
but all the content is contained in the other files which are included
from diss.tex using \include. 

Note that this is only a template: you'll likely need to add
additional packages to manage the particular quirks required for
your dissertation.  There are some pointers in diss.tex and doc.pdf
to useful packages for handling common problems/requirements.  You
may need to manually install these for your distribution; teTeX in
particular seems to ship with a much smaller package base.

GPS has very strict formatting requirements, and these requirements
may change.  You should review the various GPS Thesis Specifications
and Formatting Requirements.  GPS is very lenient with font choice,
as long as the fonts are used consistently.

    http://www.grad.ubc.ca/current-students/dissertation-thesis-preparation/structure-ubc-theses-dissertations
    http://www.grad.ubc.ca/current-students/dissertation-thesis-preparation/formatting-requirements

I developed this template independently from Michael Forbes's
ubcthesis.cls/genthesis.cls.  Forbes' class appears to be a heavily
a modified version of some other LaTeX class and suffers from
compatibility problems with some LaTeX packages from my experience
acting as a LaTeX guru to other students.   My template's document
class instead builds on top of the standard LaTeX book class, which
ensures much better compatibility with standard LaTeX packages.
The functionality is implemented using the commonly available
packages found in most LaTeX distributions such as MacTeX, MikTeX,
and TeXLive.  My thanks are owed to the countless volunteers who
write and maintain the many TeX packages!

Please let me know if GPS requires you to make formatting or
organization changes: I'll fold those changes into the template for
future students.

Please feel free to contact me should you have problems with the
template.  I can't really help with general LaTeX problems: you
really need to find a local LaTeX wizard. Before reporting a problem,
please ensure that:

 1. you have the latest version of the template (see the abstract
    in doc.pdf),
 2. you are using the latest version of your TeX distribution,
 2. your question isn't answered in the FAQ file, and
 3. you've exhausted your local LaTeX wizard's help.  Tip: You can
    often find your own wizard by buying beer for a CS grad at Koerner's.

When reporting a problem BE SURE TO INCLUDE:

 1. the version used of this template
 2. details on the operating system and TeX distribution you are using 
    (e.g., Windows XP and MikTeX 2.5, SuSE Linux 10 and its bundled
    installation, MacOS X 10.5.4 and MacTeX 2007),
 3. the log file (likely called diss.log).

Brian de Alwis
bsd@acm.org