[OS X TeX] How Long...

[Adam R. Maxwell]

On Jun 21, 2008, at 5:25 PM, Herbert Schulz wrote:

>
> On Jun 21, 2008, at 7:11 PM, Ross Moore wrote:
>
>> I don't think that is the best attitude to adopt.
>>
>> A later distribution may well have extra packages and
>> software tools that *will* work under the older OS.
>> A user may well think that the easiest way to get these
>> is from the later MacTeX distribution.
>>
>> But if trying to install this way forces other changes that lead
>> to a non-working system, with no easy way to reverse the unwanted
>> changes, then there's a potential disaster lurking here.
>>
>> Devising installation procedures to avoid this trap could well be
>> quite tricky. Simply demanding that *only* the later OS can be used
>> is not an acceptable solution, IMO.
>>
>>
>
>
> Howdy,
>
> The software in the MacTeXtras part of the distribution consists of  
> separate dmg or zip file for each application or other item. There  
> is a pdf file that lists the OS versions that will work with as well  
> as active links to the web sites for the software. E.g., the  
> Aquamacs Emacs URL is given as <http://aquamacs.org/> and the latest  
> version, to be supplied as part of the MacTeXtras will be 1.4 which  
> only runs under Tiger and Leopard but you can still get version 1.3b  
> via that web site.

Likewise, you can still get a version of BibDesk (1.2.x) that runs  
under Panther from Sourceforge.  If possible, I'd agree with others  
that keeping a snapshot of MacTeXtras for legacy OS versions would be  
helpful, if server space is available.

> Note: the TeX distribution itself, TeX Live 2008, will operate on  
> Panther, Tiger and Leopard. What the future will bring I can't  
> predict.

Personally, I think supporting Panther in the current version of an  
application is a waste of time.  As soon as you move development to a  
newer platform, newly added code that works on the new OS may break on  
the old one, even if it's supposedly compatible.  If you're unable to  
test on legacy OS versions, the lack of testing can hurt users and be  
almost impossible to debug (BTDT).

-- 
adam