[OS X TeX] Keeping TeX installations synchronized between machines

[Alain Schremmer]

On Jan 5, 2010, at 6:30 PM, Herbert Schulz wrote:

>
> On Jan 5, 2010, at 5:24 PM, Chris Goedde wrote:
>
>> On Jan 5, 2010, at 5:15 PM, M. Tamer Özsu wrote:
>>
>>> But you are assuming that everyone is using TeXShop as their  
>>> front-end for latex processing and Bibtex for managing their  
>>> bibliographies. This is not the case; there are many who use  
>>> emacs or other front-ends and for them, ~/Library/TeXShop or ~/ 
>>> Library/Application Support/BibDesk. What you are proposing would  
>>> require all tex and related software developers to agree to a  
>>> single location, which is unlikely.
>>
>> Actually, I'm assuming the opposite, which is why I think it would  
>> be great for the user if the MacTeX people and the developers of  
>> various tex-related apps agreed on a common location for support  
>> files. Do people really think the current situation is better than  
>> having all the support files in subfolders of ~/Library/ 
>> Application Support/TeX? Why?
>>
>> Anyway, it's not worth arguing about, it's just a suggestion.
>>
>> Chris
>
> Howdy,
>
> I'd assume that folks would take their cue from Apple's behavior  
> and that is totally inconsistent!

1) Back when the Mac came out, people said that it didn't conform to  
the general idea of what a computer ought to be. I well remember  
people saying that it was a "nice toy".

2) Apple has not always been consistent or smart or nice. I remember  
someone saying Apple ought to have a clock in the menu bar. Apple  
derided the idea and he made one. Eventually, Apple did it  
themselves---rather than buy the existing one. What were they saying?  
Something like "If it has not been invented at Apple it doesn't exist"?

So, I still think that when someone wants to move her/his stuff from  
a desktop to a laptop and be able to work, it should be a one-button  
click matter. And, eventually, it will be.

Best regards
--schremmer