Typesetting Algorithms in LaTeX

I have found two good options for typesetting algorithms in LaTeX. Both packages, algorithms and algorithm2e, are both available on CTAN and both are included in standard LaTeX distributions. You can find both in the Debian/Ubuntu package texlive-science.

While both are very versatile, algorithms seems to be the most straightforward to use and the output it produces looks more like language-agnostic pseudocode. On the other hand algorithm2e is a bit more complicated but more flexible. By default, its output looks more like real code. By default, lines end in semicolons and comments look like C or C++ comments. This is, of course, all configurable.

If you are just looking for something easy to use, but a bit more aesthetically pleasing than itemize or enumerate, you would probably like algorithms. If you’re looking for something more flexible, such as the ability to define your own keywords, you might try algorithm2e.