[tex-live] map file / new path settings

[Thomas Esser]

> >On the other hand, much more people add texinput related stuff to their
> >TeX system than font related stuff; I don't think that you can make a
> >point here.
> 
> the main tree?

Sorry, I did not notice that you were talking about the main tree. Which
programs install map / enc files there?

> if so, then it would be interesting to know how updating 
> takes place, e.g. do people copy old things first, or just run an update 

Well, if map / enc files are stored into the main tree by programs, the
same question comes up.

Maybe, I still did not get what you are talking about...

> on a central server, with small personal trees on users system; what i do 
> know is that i run into people who have big troubles to convince sysadms to 
> update, and i'm not sure if sysadms (who are not tex users themselves) will 
> deal with changes;

Good point. I think that the TeX Live documentation for the next release
should have precise instructions for people who want to adopt their local
tree to the new release. These instructions need to be clear enough even
for sysadmins without a TeX background.

Something like:
  TeX Live follows a chnage of the TeX Directory Standard made in
  Feb. 2003 which means that you need to rearrange your local texmf
  trees if they still use the old organization.

  If you have map files inside the dvips or pdftex directory tree, move
  them to fonts/map. If you have enc files inside the dvips directory
  tree, move them to fonts/enc. If you have input files for etex, mltex,
  omega and pdftex at top-level in your directory tree, move them to
  the tex tree. Try to preserve the structore that was below the old
  tree, e.g.  move pdftex/foo/baa/x.tex to tex/foo/baa/x.tex.

> This brings me to a possible way out: can the tex live installation scripts 
> provide a solution here? Say that after the installation the scripts 
> (installers) report tex/map/enc files that are in odd places and suggests 
> to move them?

Yes, another good point. Maybe, it would be helpful enough to prompt
the user for a list of local trees where we just look for problematic
files and issue a warning?

> font xyzo (oblique variant of xyz) with slant 1.67  (in a map file)
> font xyzo (oblique variant of xyz) with slant 1.78  (in another map file)
> 
> in that case one needs to control map file loading

Ok, I see what you neen. Most tools cannot handle that at all. Still,
off-topic...

Thomas