[pdftex] pdfetex can't find map files

[h h extern]

Taco Hoekwater wrote:

> Probably the best advice for any Linux ConTeXt user out there is: immediately
> de-install your distribution-supplied tetex, and get a fresh tetex-beta or 
> TeXLive. Asking Hans to tell you *exactly* which build of pdftex he uses
> today is probably pointless, and I really doubt he has a 'clean' install
> that resembles a tetex or TL. But perhaps it makes sense to include the 
> versions that are current on http://live.contextgarden.net ?

On our website there are zips with win / lin / mac binaries (actually minimal 
context distributions) as i use them on our  win / lin / mac machines. They are 
just snapshots of the tex live repository (i.e. i use those binaries myself in 
projects).

Since tetex/fptex/gwtex are providing those binaries to tex live, they are 
normally in sync. So, in case of doubt, one can use them as test bed (beware: 
they are no replacements for tetex/fptex/gwtex, which i consider to be the 
reference implementations; but since in projects i keep these minimal tex's in 
parallel i need the small footprint (on our servers we run multiple projects and 
within projects multiple versions, each with their own [often commercial] fonts) 
in parallel.

Concerning the recent 'problems', normally context is downward compatible with 
older pdftex's so that can never be a problem (or needs to be fixed if it is); 
the most recent changes in map/enc/script files are only a problem now since 
pdftex/web2c is in transition, so that problem will disappear. In most cases, 
when users have no fonts other than those on tex live (or te/fe/gwtex), one can 
wipe out the old trees and start fresh. (Here, if i want the whole lot, i just 
install te/fe/gwtex new and put my local/font trees in parallel.)

BTW, the change in enc/map/script/pdftex.cfg/one-engine concerns all macro 
packages and i think that we can say that quite some time went into making sure 
that the problems were minimized (or at least known).

I think that with regard to tetex, the biggest problem can be 'vendor provided 
tetex's' since some distributers do funny things with repackaging. Thomas told 
me long ago that if you want to be 'up-to-date' one should never install those, 
but just take his latest version, so that's what i do then.

Hans



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