[OS X TeX] New TeX i-Package release in *EXPERIMENTAL* i-Directory

[Gerben Wierda]

On Feb 27, 2005, at 17:06, Bruno Voisin wrote:

> Le 27 févr. 05, à 16:30, Doug Fields a écrit :
>
>> I was responding to Gerben's comment here:
>>
>>> The question is where to keep the configuration stuff (and the 
>>> compiled
>>> fmt files) for each user. I find the HOME directory a bad idea. So I 
>>> am
>>> thinking about keeping it in
>>> /usr/local/teTeX/share/texmf.localuser.username with a symlink in 
>>> your
>>> home directory (this is a different tree than ~/Library/texmf)
>>
>> Which, in his final parenthetical comment, Gerben seemed to indicate 
>> that he did not want to store the new configuration file tree from 
>> the 2005 Experimental release in the ~/Library/texmf directory 
>> structure, but rather in a /usr/local/ subdirectory.
>>
>> I was simply saying that I'd rather not have any user-modifiable 
>> files in the /usr/local/ tree if it can be avoided, even if it has a 
>> symlink from the ~ directory somewhere. If necessary, I'd rather do 
>> it the other way (symlink from /usr/local/ to ~) or, preferably, 
>> avoid a symlink by the installation procedure altogether.
>>
>> Does this clarify?
>
> It does. Actually, going back to Gerben's message to which you had 
> responded, your suggestion makes much sense and I, too, would favour 
> having user-specific stuff (formats, configuration files) in 
> ~/Library/texmf rather than somewhere inside /usr/local/teTeX/share/. 
> Gerben does not say why he thinks the HOME directory is a bad idea;  
> possibly avoiding, due to space constraints, to reproduce the same 
> stuff in each user's HOME and using symlinks to 
> /usr/local/teTeX/share/... instead?

I think the HOME directory is a bad idea because it is often part of a 
back up. Suddenly adding 25MB to such a back-up (compiled formats) is 
generally not popular.

OTOH, the i-Packages live in ~/Documents, are far larger. But these can 
be thinned and still work.

It could be in ~/.texmf-config (which is close to what teTeX now has by 
default), be in the HOME directory but still separate from 
~/Library/texmf

G
--------------------- Info ---------------------
Mac-TeX Website: http://www.esm.psu.edu/mac-tex/
           & FAQ: http://latex.yauh.de/faq/
TeX FAQ: http://www.tex.ac.uk/faq
List Post: <mailto:MacOSX-TeX at email.esm.psu.edu>