[OS X TeX] Re: BasicTeX-2008

[Leo]

On 2009-06-15 20:11 +0100, Richard Koch wrote:
> Leo,
>
> I made the BasicTeX package and can answer your questions.

Many many thanks. I have read through your answer and they are extremely
useful. Comments to follow.

[...]
> There is a document explaining exactly how BasicTeX was made at
>
> 	www.uoregon.edu/~koch
> 
> Find BasicTeX-2008 on this page and download the adjacent "About The
> Distribution.pdf". Using this document, you can either install the
> package and then remove the pieces you don't want or else follow the
> instructions to create an installation directly from the TeX Live svn.

I didn't realise that .pdf actually contains a lot of useful
information. Should have read it in the first place.

> The links you mention form the TeX Distribution data structure by
> Gerben Wierda and Jerome Laurens. These links are in a subdirectory of
> the system Library folder and so easily removed. Personally, I think
> you are crazy to remove them since they take little space and make it
> possible for programs like front ends, BibDesk, LaTeXiT, and TeX Live
> Utility to "just work" without any configuration. These links don't
> modify the actual distributions in any way --- not a single file has
> been added or modified in TeX Live to make these facilities work.

I have suspected it is for integration into other applications. But I
use AUCTeX to edit LaTeX/TeX. It is sufficient to have those command
line tools available in the PATH.

> On the TUG site you'll find an article I wrote explaining why I was
> violently opposed to the TeX Distribution structure until one day I
> saw the light. So there is hope for you too.

Do you have the link or tile for that article? I did a search in
www.tug.org and couldn't find it.

> Dick Koch

Thanks,

Leo