[OS X TeX] biber error

[Herbert Schulz]

On Jan 2, 2011, at 11:52 PM, Alan Munn wrote:

> 
> On Jan 2, 2011, at 9:00 PM, Alan Munn wrote:
> 
>> On Jan 2, 2011, at 8:02 PM, Herbert Schulz wrote:
>> 
>>> 
>>> On Jan 2, 2011, at 5:56 PM, Alan Munn wrote:
>>> 
>>>> Hi, since Herb mentioned biber in his most recent update of latexmk, I have a question about installing it.  I installed it using instructions from Joseph Wright's blog <http://www.texdev.net/tag/tex-live/>, by doing:
>>>> 
>>>> tlmgr --repository http://tlcontrib.metatex.org/2010 install biber
>>>> This installed it in /usr/local/texlive/2010/bin/x86_64-darwin/biber, which isn't in any of the normal paths, but that can easily be fixed.
>>>> However, when I tried to run it I get the following error:
>>>> e.g.
>>>> $ /usr/local/texlive/2010/bin/x86_64-darwin/biber
>>>> dyld: unknown required load command 0x80000022 Trace/BPT trap
>>>> 
>>>> I get exactly the same error with a version downloaded directly from the biber web page:
>>>> <http://biblatex-biber.sourceforge.net/>
>>>> What's going on, and how can I fix it?
>>>> 
>>>> This is on a Intel MacBook running 10.5.8
>>>> Alan
>>> 
>>> Howdy,
>>> 
>>> Hmmm... It looks as though the biber you have is a 64bit version that will only run under OS X 10.6 so I'd expect a problem trying to run under 10.5. Looking at that repository there doesn't seem to be a version for Universal-Darwin so you may be out of luck.
>> 
>> 
>> Oh well.  I guess I'll update to Snow Leopard then. (Although it would be nice if there was a correctly compiled binary around that would work on any OS.)
> 
> 
> One more question.  Having upgraded to Snow Leopard, biber works, but it seems to be in a directory that isn't findable from the command line, since it's in /usr/local/texlive/2010/bin/x86_64-darwin/ .  What's the best way to fix this?
> 
> Alan

Howdy,

If you installed MacTeX there is a symbolic link, /usr/texbin, that indirectly points to the binaries. Which set of binaries it point to is controlled by the TeX Distribution Preference Pane found in system Preferences.

Hope that helps.

PS: after installing TeX Live 2010 via MacTeX please run TeX Live Utility (should be in /Applications/TeX), a really nice GUI interface to tlmgr, and get the numerous updates that have come out since TL2010 was released.

If you want to get to the active bin directory in Terminal just run

cd /usr/texbin

and you'll be there. You can get there via the GUI too using Finder's Go->Go to Folder... (Shft-Cmd-G) command and fill in the directory (Tab completion works).

Good Luck,

Herb Schulz
(herbs at wideopenwest dot com)