[OS X TeX] Re: More questions on MacTeX
Rob Rye
rye at usc.edu
Tue Mar 11 18:04:15 CET 2008
> - In the MacTeX readme file it is mentioned that the real directory
> structure of the MacTeX installation (e.g. usr/local or /usr/local/
> texlive/2007) is not visible in the Finder. Instead only Alias of
> these directories are accessible under Library/TeX/Root.
>
> Why is it so?
> Is there a way to see the real directory structure either in the
> Finder or somewhere else?
Just a quick note on the question of viewing "hidden" files in the
finder:
If you want to view /usr or some other hidden folder in the finder
you certainly can follow the shift-Command-G shortcut and enter /usr
or whatever other entry point you want, as has been suggested.
However, if, for some reason you want to view these files in the
finder on an ongoing basis, simply follow the above procedure and
then drag and drop /usr into your favorites list at the left side of
the window (the list with Desktop, username, Applications, Documents,
Movies, Music, and Pictures by default). From now on, until you
remove it, this folder should sit in the favorites list, and can
therefore be accessed by click on it at any time. In fact, this
favorites list is a useful place to put any folders you wish to view
regularly without having to dig for them. As a general rule, nearly
everything that you can do via the Terminal there is a way to do it
via the GUI, either built in or created by a user out there who
wanted the look and feel of Apple even when doing purely Unix tasks.
Then there is the question of why...
Others have weighed in on why, so I am probably overdoing it, but to
badly paraphrase Mr. Spock when he was on trial in "The Menagerie",
when you ask why you have to listen to whatever the defendant wishes
to present as evidence...
Apple markets computers to users with no understanding of how a
computer actually works. They like the GUI. The GUI is their friend.
They know of nothing else, and they like it that way. For their
sakes, and for the sake of the stability of their operating systems,
users never should directly interact with the Unix side of the house,
and so it is hidden by default.
Apple makes fantastic computers, with an incredibly flexible OS, that
geeks love to use. These users appreciate the GUI and use it, but
they are not wedded to it. Rather, they often make extensive direct
use of the Unix-underbelly of Mac OS X. MacTeX is one of myriad
packages out there that allow still others to take advantage of the
Unix-underbelly via a GUI. There are standard ways to make use of the
Unix side directly, most of which involve using the command line
interface, which Apple makes most easily available via the app they
call Terminal (for obvious historical reasons). By hiding many files
from the typical user they protect them from themselves. Only those
who know what they are looking for will go and look for these hidden
files. The assumption is that if you know what you are looking for
and you find it you will be able to handle it without doing any damage.
As Captain Marko Ramius, said "most things in here don't react well
to bullets." (Hunt for Red October) Someone blundering around in the
files Apple has chosen to make hidden would probably shoot things
they should not shoot. Of course, most critical things are also
protected by belonging to root. Again, Apple, by making it impossible
for the average user to accidentally login as root protects the user
from himself. Yes, there are ways around these protections, but you
have to know what you are doing to get around them. You have to know
how to login as the sudo user in Terminal, if you want to pretend to
be root for a few minutes. The vast majority of Mac users will never
do this. You have to know how to boot the machine in single user mode
in order to have absolute power over the whole shooting match, free
to defeat all the protections Apple has put in there for you... don't
do this at home!!! The vast majority of Unix geeks who use Macs will
never do that, nor should they. If you do either of those things and
then make a mess, that is your fault, not Apple's. Ah, so there is
the heart of their philosophy: Apple does not want the user to feel
that a problem they have introduced themselves on their machine is
somehow Apple's fault. Smart marketing...
We now return you to your regularly scheduled TeX mailing list...
Rob
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