[tex-live] HOME in win32 [was: dates]

[Staszek Wawrykiewicz]

> > > > As I wrote several times, HOME is not set in Windows and/or can be
> > > > differently interpreted on different Windows versions.
        ==========================================================!!!

> > > For XP/PRO, the following pair seem to be what is needed :
> > >
> > >       HOMEDRIVE=C:
> > >       HOMEPATH=\Documents and Settings\Administrator
> >
> > itym, for *your* xp/pro, when you're logged-in as "administrator".
> > i have
> >       homedrive=h:
> >       homepath=\
> >
> > (and, fwiw, homeshare pointing to the path associated with h:)
> >
> In my Win 2000:
> HOMEDRIVE=C:
> HOMEPATH=\Documents and Settings\wagner
> 
> I can examine Win98 and WinXP Home at home at around midnight
> (although I am not Win devotee).
> 
> > i doubt those variables _are_ available in all win32 systems, but i've
> > none other here (though i could sneak a login on one of the experimental
> > vista machines ... my machine isn't man enough for vista).

Dear Phil and others,

I do not think that's good time to investigate all that mess with
HOME on Windows *at this moment*. Sorry, but such discussion cannot have
any impact for *this* release of TL. 

I'm going again to describe in short the current state (sorry for bad 
wording, but I'm really in a hurry and overloaded):
1. HOME (as is) is *not* set on Windows
2. we can divagate again and again how it can be guessed and resolved
   on *so many* different Windows versions, but it does't lead to any
   final conclusion (any volunteer to reprogram all Windows binaries 
   for TL?...)
3. we need HOME set if we want to use any relative path patterns defined
   in texmf.cnf
4. most Windows users don't need HOME set at all
5. we can then persuade the BLU: please set HOME in your environment
   (or change TEXMFHOME in texmf.cnf to the *absolute* path), but as TL
   installation and configuration is still enough complicated, please 
   give me any advice where to put such information (on the CD cover?...) 
   and who is going to document it in the best way?

ad 2. As I recall, Fabrice tried to guess HOME (or set TEXMFHOME 
internally in the programs) but it not worked in the same manner on all
different Windows versions, and not all programs used that.

ad 3. at the moment $TEXMFHOME set in texmf.cnf is used only by
new getnonfreefonts.bat from Reinhard. No other win32 program from TL
needs TEXMFHOME set, as we still *do not have* (so don't use at all on 
win32) fmtutil-sys, updmap-sys, etc., introduced in teTeX 3.0.

Having all the above in mind (and after waiting so many months for any
advice or suggestion from this mailing list) I decided to include somehow
modified texmf/web2c/texmf.cnf-4WIN file which is copied into
$TEXMFVAR/web2c/texmf.cnf by the tlpmgui during installation. I made it 
even Reihard (the only fellow who wanted to discuss it!) was on opposite 
side, but I made it anyway after testing on different windows versions
just to make things working.

All in all, what's different in texmf.cnf for windows:

1. TEXMFSYSVAR, TEXMFSYSCONFIG and TEXMFCONFIG not declared, as not used 
   at all (so also removed from TEXMF)
2. 
%TEXMFVAR = $HOME/.texlive2006/texmf-var
TEXMFVAR = $SELFAUTOPARENT/texmf-var

3. upon request from Reinhard
% This used to be HOMETEXMF. On Windows $HOME is not set, so the user have
% to set TEXMFHOME to the absolute path. For the moment we use TEXMFLOCAL
%TEXMFHOME = $HOME/texmf
TEXMFHOME = $TEXMFLOCAL

still discutable solution, but it works. Anyway, I do not want to be 
accused any more personally by Reinhard that I broke everything!:)
I also made a provision, that TEXMFDBS does not include TEXMFHOME, so
every texhash does not try redundant run.

4. added for XeTeX
%OSFONTDIR = /please/set/osfontdir/in/the/environment
OSFONTDIR = $SystemRoot/fonts//

Hey, native Windows users (not counting Reihard:), do you have any 
comments?

-----
Please note also, that we got a great help from Akira, so again thanks to 
him we can still have win32 on TeX Live.

-- 
Staszek Wawrykiewicz
StaW at gust.org.pl