[OS X TeX] MacTeX 2008?

[Adam M. Goldstein]

On Apr 8, 2008, at 5:27 PM, Herbert Schulz wrote:
>
> On Apr 8, 2008, at 4:16 PM, Jasper Knockaert wrote:
>> Maarten Sneep schreef op 08-04-2008 22:31:
>>> On 8 apr 2008, at 00:43, Adam M. Goldstein wrote:
>>>> Maybe this is something everyone knows but me---when (if at all)  
>>>> will a TeXLive-MacTeX 2008 distribution be put together?
>>> When it is done, I guess. I think there are some milestones  
>>> expected this year in the development of LuaTeX, with a first  
>>> formal release at TUG2008. That is late July, and I expect that  
>>> TeXLive 2008 will include a luatex release, if only to get a wider  
>>> test of the application. That said, the disk image gets updated on  
>>> a regular basis, and work is underway for texlive itself to  
>>> support better updating. So a lot is happening, but I don't expect  
>>> the texlive 2008 DVD set to be one of my birthday presents (late  
>>> october).
>>> Remember that a release on December 31st still counts as a 2008  
>>> release...
>>> Is there a particular reason you ask?

I am motivated by the concerns that Herb mentions below---I feel  
pretty sure that the various packages have probably been updated with  
new capabilities, maybe some bug-fixes (although when have I come  
across a bug? Really, never, even including those concerning  
compatibilities among packages) but I want to take advantage of the  
fact that TeX Live 200x maintainers will have done some work to put  
everything together for me.

Also, I think I have the "early adopter" virus and just want to see  
what's new.

I suppose I have been spoiled by gwTeX---every now and again something  
new and interesting would appear and Gerben would create an i- 
Installer package for it, and then one click (or maybe three or for  
including the final "ok") and I would be done.

>>>
>>
>> I have always perceived the developments in the world of tex as  
>> being both exciting and chaotic.

I agree with this and I think it's healthy.

>> There has been the ongoing and somewhat unfocused effort of the  
>> LaTeX3 project (with the question still open if it will arrive  
>> before Hurd), then there are the more tangible results of the  
>> efforts around pdflatex/pdftex/pdfetex (I never really understood  
>> what this naming is about) and the closely related microtype  
>> package and probably also hyperref. To get better OS integration  
>> especially with respect to fonts support and probably also unicode  
>> we got XeTeX which unfortunately does not integrate well with the  
>> microtype developments. On the packaging front there were the more  
>> or less annually TeX Live distributions (that come in different  
>> flavours, MacTex being one of them), the ubiquitous tetex distro  
>> which is outdated but still comes with fink and macports, the very  
>> state-of-the-art MikTex (unfortunately with a strong Windows  
>> focus), and apparently something new is in the works on the TeX  
>> Live front. And now there seems to be need for a LuaTeX as well  
>> (but forgive me for not having got the message what it is about).  
>> And I could go on and elaborate on BibTex (where is this story  
>> going?), hlatex (anyone ever managed to successfully update it?),  
>> etc.
>>
>> I may be the only one, but sometimes I wished there would be just a  
>> "click here" button that provided me with an up-to-date (and  
>> working) LaTeX distribution so now and then. MikTeX on Windows  
>> comes pretty close to that.
>>
>>
>> Jasper.
>
>
> Howdy,
>
> There is... it's called TeX Live 200x and it comes out (very)  
> approximately once a year. :-)
>
> Upgrading one part of a system may lead to instability since some  
> packages depend upon other packages. If you have a system that is  
> working why worry about updating until it is all going to work  
> together.
>
> On the other hand, some package updates have added features or bug  
> fixes that can be useful. If you know that is true of a given  
> package it really isn't difficult (well, not as simple for fonts),  
> in most cases, to get it from CTAN and install in your personal tree  
> (~/Library/texmf/...) where it will be found. Most simple packages  
> can go into sub-directories of ~/Library/texmf/tex/latex/.
>
> Good Luck,
>
> Herb Schulz
> (herbs at wideopenwest.com)


=================================
Adam M. Goldstein PhD MSLIS
Assistant Professor of Philosophy
Iona College
--
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