[OS X TeX] Lost in Mac space

[Victor Ivrii]

On Sat, Dec 13, 2008 at 2:15 PM, Claus Gerhardt <gerhardt at me.com> wrote:
> There is no need for delving into unix unless you want to be become a system
> administrator or do scripting.

Complete disagree

>
>
> The problems that arise for novices or illiterates are usually related to
> installing TeX or a latex package. Here are my recommendations:
>
> (1) Use MacTeX for installing TeX, but only the full TeXLive version, if you
> feel insecure.
>
> (2) Download the current TeXLive iso image or insert the corresponding DVD
> and install TeXLive with the help of Local Switcher, if you are not afraid
> of reading two pages of instructions and pressing two buttons instead of
> one.

Why one needs to download TL and MacTeX? TL = MacTeX - front_ends +
non-mac-binaries
>
> (3) Don't bother updating your installation with the help of tlmgr, wait for
> the next TeXLive edition. If you need a package that is not already
> installed, google for it and install it manually in your local texmf folder
> in the correct place. The local tex tree has been described on this list at
> least a dozen times.

It is much easier to update with tlmgr. I suggest to use texmf-local
only for packages (etc) which either not part of TL or which you get
from svn or cvs. I am not sure when next TL comes. With tlmgr there is
no pressing need in it:


>
> (4) If you have a problem which you cannot solve, then first google for it.
> If this doesn't help, ask this list.

Or look at mactex-wiki

>
> (5) Use TimeMachine for regular backups.
>
> Claus


Victor

PS There are two specific MacOSX terminal commands open f.e.

% open /usr/local/texlive/texmf-local/

or

% open /Applications/TeX/TeXShopp.app

and say

% say "Every mac user needs to learn UNIX"








-- 
========================
Victor Ivrii, Professor, Department of Mathematics, University of Toronto
http://www.math.toronto.edu/ivrii