[OS X TeX] Page origin problem with TeXLive and dvips

[Bruno Voisin]

Le 1 févr. 07 à 08:01, Bruno Voisin a écrit :

> Le 31 janv. 07 à 22:28, Richard Koch a écrit :
>
>> So now we face a choice. Should MacTeX install a completely  
>> vanilla TeXLive, including the standard TeXLive paper  
>> configuration? In that case, users with a4 paper may need to fix  
>> the problem themselves by calling "texconfig-sys dvips paper a4"  
>> or else modifying simpdftex preferences. The advantage is that we  
>> stick with a "default TeXLive" and get conforming postscript  
>> recommended by the Dvips manual. The disadvantage is that we need  
>> to educate users who typeset with "tex and ghostscript". Another  
>> disadvantage is that Gerben uses  texconfig-sys dvips paper a4",  
>> so gwTeX and TeXLive would be configured differently.
>>
>> These arguments convince me that we should use "texconfig-sys  
>> paper a4" followed by "texconfig-sys dvis paper a4", and let those  
>> few users who worry about nonconforming postscript code reconfigure.
>>
>> By the way, it is now clear that this is not a TeXLive mistake.  
>> Faced with a difficult choice, the TeXLive folks went one way. I  
>> believe that the special circumstances of the Mac community (and  
>> in particular the fact that we almost never print by sending a  
>> postscript file directly to the printer) suggest that we should  
>> use a different default configuration.

The more I think about it, the more I tend to agree with you. TeX on  
the Mac, and especially MacTeX, should be a TeX that "just works".  
Having chosen a default paper size via System Preferences, the user  
is expecting that TeX, after installation, will honor that choice,  
without any extra step needed. The postflight script of the MacTeX  
installer package configures dvips based on this user choice, and  
that is just right I think. Gerben's approach is also just right I  
think.

Bruno
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