[OS X TeX] epstopdf

[Alain Schremmer]

Bruno Voisin wrote:

> Le 28 sept. 05 à 02:03, Claus Gerhardt a écrit :
>
>> On Sep 27, 2005, at 22:27, Chris Goedde wrote:
>>
>>> That'saninterestingattitudebutIdon'tthinkI'llbetakingthatparticularpi 
>>> eceofadviseanytimesoon.I'dratherencourageprogrammerstodealproperlywit 
>>> hspaces(whichiseasytodo) 
>>> ratherthancontortmylifetoaccomodatetheirlaziness.
>>
>>
>> The unix conventions were created out of necessity or out of  
>> convenience and most, if not all, software that uses these  
>> conventions is free. When the Mac became a unix machine and tetex  
>> and friends were ported to OS X by the unselfish work and devotion  
>> of people like Thomas Esser, Gerben Wierda, Richard Koch, Sebastian  
>> Rahtz to name only a few, these conventions were kept at least at  
>> the shell script's level.
>>
>> Calling these people lazy because the restrictions do not suit your  
>> idiosyncratic naming  habits strikes me as slightly ungrateful.
>
>
> I do not think this is what Chris had in mind.
>
> Calling idiosyncratic the use of spaces in file names, and more  
> generally of non-alphanumeric characters, strikes me as slightly  
> provocative.
>
> For years and years spaces and all characters except for ":" have  
> been allowed in Mac file names. Now with OS X "/" is forbidden as  
> well (depending on the application), and I feel it inconvenient  
> enough already to no longer be able to use dates such as 28/09/2005  
> in file names.
>
> You cannot expect people, or ask them, to stop giving files natural  
> names, just because that makes the programming task easier. The Mac  
> has made its success by adapting the machine to the man, and not the  
> other way round.
>
> Please don't misinterpret me: this is not a criticism of the work of  
> Gerben, Thomas, Dick or Sebastian in any way. They give away their  
> time and energy freely for the benefit of the whole scientific  
> community and far beyond this community (humanities, art, ...). Their  
> system is fully usable, and the restriction in the use of epstopdf is  
> minor indeed (and, on the Mac, dragging the eps files onto TeXShop to  
> have them converted automatically suppresses this restriction).
>
> But telling this is a perfectly satisfactory situation and people are  
> foolish to use spaces in file and directory names: this is a  
> statement with which I simply can't agree. Yesterday when reading  
> your first message I thought that was irony; but reading today your  
> second message, and realizing you were indeed serious, I just can't  
> stay silent.

Many people think the status quo is its own justification: The very fact 
that it IS proves that it can only be the best of all possible worlds.

As for myself, I wish to be counted with Goedde and Voisin even though I 
have no use for epstopdf. But of course, I do resent "to no longer be 
able to use dates such as 28/09/2005 in file names."

As someone said, "Apple is just as bad as Microsoft, only much smaller." 
(Approximate.)

Regards
--schremmer
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