LaTeX output, Markdown effort

Every ask, newest first

Each line is an AI paraphrase of what the writer wanted. The link goes to their own words on Hacker News.

Reader’s note. Few asks after Typst launched; some just want good Markdown to PDF.

1. Nov 2025Wants high-quality PDFs from AI-generated Markdown with good typography, page breaks, code blocks and diagrams, without LaTeX hassle. Read it: a post: “Ask HN: How do you convert AI-generated Markdown into high-quality PDFs?”
2. Mar 2023Asks why no typesetting system lets HTML plus CSS do print-quality book layout. Read it: a comment in “Laying Out a Print Book with CSS”
3. Jan 2023Wants a LaTeX alternative that is lightweight and not copyleft, for use in a writing app. Read it: a comment in “Skribilo: Document Programming Framework”
4. Dec 2022Wants a universal markup language with full PDF layout power, usable with existing HTML-style templates. Read it: a comment in “Save web pages as PDF in Firefox for Android”
5. Feb 2022Wants a Markdown-like markup for PDFs with CSS-like styling and BibTeX support, replacing LaTeX. Read it: a comment in “TeXMe Demo: Self-Rendering Markdown and MathJax Documents”
6. Mar 2021Wishes someone would reinvent LaTeX so nobody has to learn it. Read it: a comment in “Learnlatex.org: A place to learn LaTeX online”
7. May 2020Wants something between Markdown's ease and LaTeX power, compiling down to LaTeX for academic submission. Read it: a comment in “Why LaTeX's still the coolest tool for typesetting math”
8. Nov 2016Wants a tool producing good-looking PDF or Word documents from GitHub-flavored Markdown with clickable links. Read it: a comment in “Show HN: Generate Google Slides from Markdown”
9. Apr 2016Wants a modern markup language with built-in PDF/X support and simple infrastructure, replacing ConTeXt and LaTeX. Read it: a comment in “Brian Kernighan on the Typesetting of “The Go Programming Language” Book”
10. Feb 2015Wants a better way than LaTeX to write documents with formulas that render on GitHub. Read it: a comment in “P2P Synchronization of files with minimal index transfers”
11. Oct 2013Asks whether any software is better than LaTeX for theses. Read it: a comment in “LaTeX for thesis and basic introductions”
12. Mar 2011Wants an HTML/CSS-like alternative to LaTeX for simple presentations with many tables and math symbols. Read it: a post: “Ask HN:Suggest an alternative to LaTex”
13. Mar 2011Wants a math-friendly, lightweight TeX alternative that needs less typing. Read it: a comment in “Why is TeX still used? What are some good, modern alternatives?”