[texhax] documentclassslides

[Robin Fairbairns]

> I use latex quite a lot to write math papers but always have trouble
> when I try to make slides, using the slides document class.

slides is so ineffably feeble, and there are so many better
alternatives, that i am always surprised nowadays when someone appears
to say they're using it.

> I cannot get most of the usual math commands such as \begin{equation} or
> \begin{multline} or \begin{matrix} to work when I use the slides
> document class, with the result that I often have problems creating
> slides with complicated math formulae.
> 
> Is there something I need to add in the preamble or what is the
> solution?

multline needs the amsmath package: it may be worth trying it with
slides class.  however, slitex (the precursor of slides class) was
designed for a world of such trivial capabilities that it's strong on
producing colour overlays for slides (since colour printers weren't
generally available back then), and spurns many things one mostly
expects.

unless you're somehow stuck in the past, producing overlaid foils, i
strongly recommend that you review

http://www.miwie.org/presentations/presentations.html

which offers a constructive comparison of packages and classes designed
for presentations.

personally, i've switched to the (rather new) beamer class: its name
makes clear its aim in life -- for presentations done by projecting a
computer screen.  its documentation is a good read, even if you stop at
the points where it turns technical.

robin