[OS X TeX] /private/var/root/Library/texmf

[Peter Dyballa]

Am 14.02.2006 um 21:24 schrieb Gerben Wierda:

>> I am quite sure that i-Installer runs only in the simple sudo mode  
>> -- because otherwise it might have problems to work in the  
>> *proper* environment. This proper environment is created from a  
>> PLIST (property list) file in the (normal) user's ~/Library/ 
>> Preferences directory. Migrating the process environment  
>> completely to root would create a completely new runtime  
>> environment. And this one could be faulty ... i-Installer wouldn't  
>> know where the i-Packages are saved on disk for example, or what  
>> the search path is.
>
> I don't understand this scenario (and I wrote the stupid program ;-)

I imagined i-Installer is a modular programme. There is one part that  
fetches i-Packages incrementally and needs root privileges to save  
them. Another module seems to install and a third one seems to  
configure the contents of the i-Packages.

Thinking about this first module it does not need to be associated  
with the user who invoked i-Installer, because it does not  
necessarily need to parse its PLIST file in the user's Preferences  
folder to know about paths. All this can be passed as parameters from  
the process that invokes this module. That's all part of the general  
concept. The main programme that controls the GUI, too, still runs in  
the user's environment and has access to all parameter lists saved.

Configuring TeX is obviously driven by a specialised Perl script that  
already runs as root. Otherwise one would need to supply more often a  
password. The more theoretical question is to which state it is  
privileged. Is this state the same as with a simple sudo or is it  
like with 'sudo -H root' which creates a whole new super-user login  
process environment? Since all utilities are invoked with 'sudo -H  
root' this state does not play a relevant role, since it's 'sudo -H  
root' which makes it certain that a complete new process environment  
is created to run the TeX utility in it.

--
Greetings

   Pete

Windows, c'est un peu comme le beaujolais nouveau: à chaque nouvelle  
cuvée on sait que ce sera dégueulasse, mais on en prend quand même,  
par masochisme.


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