Helmut Kopka's interpretation of the TDS

[Sebastian Rahtz]

 > came to the conclusion that PC users (I mean users of DOS / OS2 /
 > Windows3.x /95 /NT) could run into trouble very easily, in a way
 > they cannot detect nor predict, as soon as they create relatively
 > complex documents. And I would hate to provide arguments for
i really think you are wrong, i am afraid. i run quite a complex
DOS networked-based TeX installation for my company, and the TDS is a real
godsend. similarly at home. i dont really consider using any software
which cant deal with the TDS layout

 > I think TDS is adapted to Unix and not adapted to PC because of
 > (at least) two technical reasons, that are bound to each other:
 > 1 - there is no equivalent of "ln" Unix command, neither in DOS,
 > nor OS/2 nor Windows 95 nor Windows NT. Therefore, users can have
 > several TDS hierarchies if they have several disks.
so? i dont see the problem. my Unix TeX environment at work has more
or less no uses of links, i dont see where i would need them

 > 2 - Length allowed for environment variables is very short (127
 > characters in DOS and DOS emulators of OS/2 and Windows95/NT). 
 > This can put users into trouble as no OS warns when truncating
 > environment variables.
i dont see why this is an issue. why do you need to
use long environment variables? in fact why do you need to use them
all? the system of putting all paths in config files seems much more
convenient and useable to me.

 > Other reasons are due not to TDS but to PC programs that have
 > been compiled with a different hierarchy. Using TDS is possible
 > but requires heavy use of environment variables, so we are back
whats your concrete example of this? anyway, why not recompile the
applications for a large distribution?

 > These are some of the reasons why I thought it was urgent not to
 > hurry to adopt TDS on PC. Of course, it is just an opinion.
 > Probably other implementors on PC have different ones.
as a PC TeX maintainer at work, i am firmly of the view that the
sooner all my users switch to W 95 or W NT the better. then i can get
them using a web2c-based compilation of TeX and friends, and I can
relax again. except that the thing is useless of course because there
is no decent previewer....

just my view

sebastian