Re: Would like MakeTeXPK to write into texmf/fonts/public/cm/pk/..

[te@informatik.uni-hannover.de (Thomas Esser)]

> I would first like to ask about teTeX.  This sounds like the solution
> to frustrating installs.  Is this available from a CTAN archive, or
> only commercially?  No matter what the answer, may I suggest making

Freely available on CTAN:systems/unix/teTeX/distrib. A CD with much
more fonts/macros/... than the standard teTeX distribution is just
being produced...

> extremely clear references to this package somewhere where a person
> such as myself might find this notice before blithely ftp'ing
> lib.tar.gz, base.tar.gz, packages.tar.gz etc etc.?

The location to look first is web2c/unixtex.ftp. And there *is* a pointer
to teTeX...

> everything from CTAN a few days earlier, so I think I have the very
> latest versions.  I have the LaTeX distribution from 21 Nov 95,

That is not the most recent...

>  + Might mention that directories texmf/fonts/* are (as set up in the
>    supplied texmf.cnf) file are not searched by LaTeX, but they ARE
>    searched by dvips. 

CTAN is not the way to organize your TeX installation. You may want to
read about the The TeX Directory Structure standard (CTAN:info/tds).
teTeX follows this standard.

>  + Maybe I'm on drugs, but I only made the .fd files available to
>    LaTeX2e, not the .tfm files, and it works fine.  What will not work?

LaTeX2e definately needs to read the .tfm files for the fonts you use.
Try KPATHSEA_DEBUG=4 ... :-)

> I'm really quite uncertain about the possible bug I reported WRT
> prioritizing directory seeks when using the ls-R database.  Some more
> info: we only have latex2e, and it's installed as "latex".  We do not
> have latex209 in any shape or form, except for compatability mode.
> My texmf.cnf is the original that's supplied with whatever package I
> ftp'd.  (Sorry, I'm confused here.)  Maybe I should name the installed
> binary latex2e???  I was trying to keep things simple.  What's the
> usual rule here?  And I don't have the double-slash in TEXINPUTS.

Well, what is your TEXINPUTS and where are the conflicting files?

Thomas