[OS X TeX] Installing packages not available as iInstaller-Packages

[Roussanka Loukanova]

On Wed, 28 Feb 2007, Alain Matthes wrote:

>
> Le 28 févr. 07 à 11:19, Roussanka Loukanova a écrit :
>
>> Hi,
>> 
>> On Wed, 28 Feb 2007, Bruno Voisin wrote:
>> 
>>> Le 27 févr. 07 à 19:14, Axel E. Retif a écrit :
>>> 
>>>> The advantage of installing in ~/Library/texmf/tex/latex/
>> 
>> Installing a package in
>> 
>> ~/Library/texmf/tex/latex/
>> 
>> may have disadvantages in cases like this:
>> 
>> 1. a style package (or something like that) is already in TeXLive-07, but 
>> not in gwTeX, and
>> 2. the user typesets a file.tex which uses that package, while TeXLive-07 
>> is the active distribution.
>> 
>
> ?????
> 	Latex is rather difficult to use, to introduce additional 
> difficulties.
> The simplest solution is to choose a distribution and to work with this one.
>
> It is very surprising of currently reading the OSX TEX List.
> It seems that the normal situation, that is to say to have one,
> two, even three distributions TEX on its Mac.
>
> I understand that a phase of transition is been necessary
> but I do not see which difference, there is between now
> a distribution and another.
> It is possible to install any package on any distribution...
> 	Each package has a readme on CTAN and the installation of most 
> complicated
> is made in general by the distributions.
> These distributions also have files which explain how to use them .
>
>
> It seems to me that the current evolution will disturb much users.
>

I do not think so. I had some similar fears around last Christmas, but 
they are all gone away :) Even if nobody asks me to choose between 
TeXLive-07 and gwTeX, right now, all I can say is that both are needed:

1. gwTeX is an excellent self-contained distribution. It is all that
one may need, especially, if the user doesn't need much additional 
packages (but such can be added). And if one doesn't have much space on 
their computer, gwTeX would fit. (However, I am not an expert on 
memory, and how much space for what.)

2. TeXLive-07 on Macs is comprehensive, it includes almost everything 
that one may need. (The few packages that I mentioned are simply not 
included on CTAN, for which they are not in teXLive-07.)

I think that one of the big advantages of having a comprehensive TeX 
distribution, i.e. TeXLive-07 for MaCs, is its comprehensiveness: One does 
not need to worry of installing and maintaining up-to-date state of 
styles and fonts "by hand", with all the chances to miss updates.

3. The TeX Distr pane makes the switch between different TeX 
distributions easy. (Wen we get something good, we start thinking
of even better, and even more convenient, ways.)

Plus, one doesn't need to download and use both TeXLive-07 and gwTeX: 
just choose one and use it (until deciding on something else). However, I 
can't say which one of the two. I use both, almost up to the wish of my 
will. But here and there, it seems I prefer one or the other.

Roussanka

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