[OS X TeX] path not found after transferring files

[Bruno Voisin]

Le 6 janv. 05, à 19:06, Sandra Schwartz a écrit :

> I recently transferred files to a new computer [both are G4 
> PowerBooks,  aluminum] - everything works except TexShop
> I get this message
>
> Can't find required tool.
> /usr/local/teTeX/bin/powerpc-apple-darwin-current/pdflatex does not 
> exist.  Is one of the tool paths configured incorrectly?
>
> Must I download everything again or is there something simpler I can 
> do?

Especially on Unix (which OS X indeed is, behind the scene), you cannot 
just transfer software from one computer to another and expect it to 
work. Much software relies not only on the content of the application 
itself (the .app "file" -- actually a special type of folder called 
"bundle" or "wrapper" -- inside /Applications), but also on components 
installed by the installer at specific locations like /Library, 
/System/Library or ~/Library, or even at hidden locations like 
/usr/local; moreover, sometimes the installer also modify config files 
like /etc/csh.login and /etc/profile.

This is indeed the case with the teTeX-TeXLive distribution, installed 
by i-Installer and to which TeXShop is "only" a front-end: this 
distribution lives at /usr/local/teTeX, and its installation modifies 
by default both /etc/csh.login and /etc/profile.

So the short answer is: yes, you must re-run the installation of the 
TeX i-Package and ancillary i-Packages (like GhostScript) on the new 
computer.

Generally, after moving to a new OS X computer, or doing an Archive & 
Install of a new OS X version, it's safer to reinstall all your 
software through their original installers.

Welcome to Unix world!

Hope this helps,

Bruno Voisin

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