[OS X TeX] OS X TeX newbie needs help installing TeX on non-boot volume

[Gerben Wierda]

I generally do not take up flame wars and slander, but this goes a bit 
too far.

On Sep 11, 2005, at 23:19, Rowland McDonnell wrote:

>> Hmm ,  this triggers me. Looking back in my email archive I notice
>> that we had quit a bit of communication on i-Installer and the TeX
>> i-Package in May. I tried to help you then as well as I could, but I
>> was unable to.
>
> I rather felt that you were refusing to help, rather than unable to
> help.
>
> Certainly you have managed to help me today with your posts to this
> mailing list.  Maybe the knowledge that your words are being read by
> people other than me has changed your attitude?
>
> Whatever the reason, you have *NOW* become quite incredibly helpful to
> me.  I wish you'd been that helpful back in May, but you chose not to
> be.

This is what Rowland wrote to me personally then:

> So while I greatly appreciate the time and effort you've put in to help
> me, you've not actually helped me at all so far.  This is a great shame
> because you're clearly trying very hard.

Which indeed I did at the time. I spent more hours on trying to help 
Rowland than anybody else over the past years.

Rowland now:

> (Gerben, why didn't you just tell me this months ago when I asked you?)

May 26, I wrote at his question about this:

>> Also: is there any way of arranging things to install any of this 
>> software in a non-default place?
>
> Some packages support this other not, this depends on the contents of 
> the package and the author of the package. TeX is relocatable. 
> ghostscript is not because ghostscript itself is not easily 
> relocatable after it has been compiled. You can install TeX somewhere 
> else by changing the install location in the Pkg Properties tab. 
> However, most other packages are not relocatable because they are so 
> closely connected to the Unix level of Mac OS X.

The other comments Rowland has made about me and my actions are as 
consistently incorrect as the ones quoted above.

> <shrug>  It's what happened.  Maybe you don't recognise yourself - 
> well,
> some people do have difficulty spotting their own flaws, but this 
> really
> isn't the place to engage in personal remarks of any sort at all.

It isn't. And I feel dirty being dragged into this by your unfriendly 
and incorrect remarks about my supposed reluctance:

> Mmm.  Not sure of that at all.  I've managed to glean a little
> information - Gerben has (finally!) told me a little bit about using
> i-installer to install in non-standard locations.  He's been reluctant
> to tell me anything at all before now (what it's added up to so far is
> that he thinks I don't want to do it my way, I ought to want to do it
> his way, everything is better if you do it his way, there is no sanity
> in doing it my way so I mustn't do it my way, and I'm stupid because I
> can't use his software which is easy to use because he knows it's easy
> to use...  Frustrating and annoying rather than helpful, but there you
> go: this is the brave new world of exclusion that we live in.)

You write:

> I really don't like this sort of bickering and I'd like it to stop.
> Can't we stick to technical issues rather than bringing personal stuff
> into it, please?

I agree. I wrote a *lot* more about a lot more issues, irrespectively 
of the flames that were part of your messages to me. As long as those 
flames were private, I have no problem with them. It happens 
occasionally that a user is very frustrated and so far friendlyness and 
patience have helped (almost) all. However, these public statements do 
go too far afaic and require corrections. Stop the incorrect and 
personal public attacks and you'll find me helpful. If I get attacked 
privately, you find me helpful as far as my abilities and time permit.

Rowland, I am always happy to try to help but you're making it very 
difficult for me (or others) to help you. So far, you have succeeded 
only in being the first person that has been able to get me in this 
kind of a flame war in a long, long time.

G

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