[XeTeX] Xetex on linux as a batch generation tool

[Paul Howson]

How practical is it to use xetex on a linux system to generate pdf  
documents for a web application?

I need to prepare a nice looking report as part of a web application.

I can generate the report manually with xetex on a Mac, automatically  
accessing installed OpenType fonts.

Now I need to move this onto a linux system.

I've looked at using pdftex, since it is an all-in-one tool and is  
more mature. But its OpenType font support is not good and  
configuration of the font map files, etc is horrendous.

Xetex by comparison is so simple.

Does anyone have any recommendations or experience using xetex on  
linux systems with OpenType fonts?

Paul Howson
Qld Australia