[pdftex] win32 static binaries

[Fabrice Popineau]

> So what does "static" exactly mean in this context? Everything you
> need already included (kpathsea and so on), no additional DLLs from
> the bin\win32 directory needed?

Static means standalone executables, no dll required.

> Regarding your newest non-static binaries (as of February 2003): Will
> the DLL file names be tl8*.dll in the future or only for the coming
> TeXLive 8 distribution? 

Starting with TeXLive 8, the dll names will be tl80<whatever>.dll to
avoid clashes. It is really unwise to distribute something called
zlib.dll (even if only one person complained up to now).

> Will your DLL naming conventions in
> TeXLive/Win32 be different from those in fptex? What's the reason for
> changing the DLL file names - capability of "side-by-side
> installations" (e.g. support for older versions like pdftex <1.10 with
> encryption)?

Those dll are not known from the system and do not interact very much
with it. So the 'side-by-side' notion it reduced to its minimum (looking
for the dll in this or that place), but no my intention was only to
avoid dll clashes when upgrading, and also possibly with other
applications.

I wouldn't   rely on  features  like   encryption,  since it  has   been
withdrawn, and that possibly will be supported in a different way in the
future.

Fabrice