On Windows, TeXworks will auto-update, as will Sumatra. To get pstricks to work, if pdftricks or a similar package doesn't do what you need, then I would compile the diagrams separately into eps or pdf files, and then embed those into your document as graphics. The only issue with this approach is that you will be limited to LaTeX fonts and symbols. On the other hand, (pdf)LaTeX is a lot faster than XeLaTeX, which is a good thing if you're still fine-tuning your diagrams.
Hope this helps -Andy -------------------------------------------------- Subscriptions, Archive, and List information, etc.: http://tug.org/mailman/listinfo/xetex
