[OS X TeX] Need help collaborating with Windows user

[Michael Sharpe]

On Mar 11, 2010, at 9:25 PM, John B. Thoo wrote:

> Hello, everyone.
> 
> Please excuse me if this post is inappropriate for this list; I'm not sure to where else to turn.
> 
> I'm collaborating with a friend on a book project.  Let's call her Amy.  Amy uses Windows.  She has had trouble trying to compile the LaTeX files I've written.  I set up a Subversion repository for the project, but Amy has had trouble installing Subversion on her computer.  She managed to grab some of the files, but then had trouble compiling them.  So, after much time, I zipped the project files (from my Desktop) to see if she could compile that:
> 
> <http://ms.yccd.edu/~jb2/PickUp/trunk.zip>  (344.9 MB)
> 
> <http://ms.yccd.edu/~jb2/PickUp/interitemtext.sty>  (local .sty file called)
> 
> The main file is "narrowhom.tex".
> 
> This is what she's said:
> 
>> Hi John,
>> I tried to download the zip file twice. After about 45 minutes and almost a
>> complete download, the connection to your server was severed.  :-(
>> 
>> I had a friend here how does Mac and PC look at the files. We were getting
>> lots of errors when compiling, even in things I did not touch. It appears
>> that even though Tex is supposed t be portable, it is not. My Tex could not
>> figure out what \Oonehunderd was for example. It did not like any of the
>> citations. It also wouldn't import the images without the .gif, etc. So it
>> appears to us that my PC version of Tex is not as forgivable as your Mac
>> version.
>> 
>> For now, I have attached my revised version of chapter 1. I hope I did not
>> make too many syntax errors. Please let me know if it compiles.
>> 
>> I hope we can find a better fix soon.
> 
> I'm at a loss to help her because I'm completely ignorant about using Windows.  Does anyone have any suggestions?
> 
> What should I ask Amy about her set up, so that I can provide you the information you need to help?  For my part, I'm using TeXLive-2007, Mac OS 10.5.8, PowerBook G4 (12 inch).  I use "latex", "xdvi", &c. in X-Windows and not, e.g., TeXShop.
> 

I tried compiling your project using MikTeX2.8 on an XP machine using WinEdt as a front end. I did have to add the hieroglf font map to MikTeX using the method spelled out in

http://docs.miktex.org/manual/advanced.html

The processing by MikTeX appeared then to be identical to the Mac version. (Lots of warnings of overfull and underful boxes but no errors.) As you have embedded pstricks in your tex file, latex+dvips is the normal processing mode, but it makes for slow rendering.

It would be useful to send Amy a much smaller document with, say, one eps graphic inclusion and one  pspicture to check that she has an installation that is basically correct. Since pstricks has had a number of changes in the last couple of years, it would be wise for her to update to the latest version of MikTeX. Her message about \Oonehunderd  is an obvious typo.

Michael