[tex-live] Re: pdfeTeX as the only engine

[Staszek Wawrykiewicz]

On Thu, 15 Jan 2004, Thomas Esser wrote:

> > any special XXX.efmt, but failed since pdftex.cfg was not found.
> 
> Just answering this point: pdftex.cfg is no longer searched using
> TEXINPUTS, and has its own search path:
>   PDFTEXCONFIG = .;$TEXMF/pdftex/{$progname,}//
> which no longer depends on the right something.$progname setting in
> texmf.cnf.

Thanks. I compiled from source.development 1.11c-beta, changed the layout
of all .ini files according to P4 depot, but when preparing the formats
pdfetex still loads pdftex.cfg. Here is the current problem:
how to avoid reading pdftex.cfg while running pdf(e)tex --ini
I would vote for dumping the *default* output to the format, say
latex will use \pdfoutput=0, pdflatex will use \pdfoutput=1
So latex etc. could be linked just to pdfetex, without any other
command line switch (anyway not yet available). For such command&format
I'd suggest not reading pdftex.cfg at all (it sets things rather
concerned to pdf output).

Sebastian Rahtz wrote:
> surely pdftex.cfg does not _have_ to have that line in?

I don't think so. pdftex.cfg should be left as it is for commands&formats
which use pdf output by default. Just to avoid a mess with new
command line parameters for pdf(e)tex, more config files, 
and... for transparent use as (e)tex replacement as the main 
engine (actually not true).
In consequence we can just leave tex (for archeologists, like me ;-)
and pdfetex, and forget pdftex, etex etc. with all those variants like
ini... and vir...

-- 
Staszek Wawrykiewicz
StaW at gust.org.pl