[tex-live] pdfetex the default engine

[Thomas Esser]

> What to do? Perhaps adding to pdf(e)tex any general switch-off
> for pdf concerned stuff? This would make pdftex really compatible
> with nopdf engines...

Well, as long as we stick with latex -> pdfetex, there will always be
a way that people run into trouble by not using that switch.  Assume,
that people have some application that first dumps a new format file
which does not use that switch and which does not use our .ini files.

I still hope that we can make it *one* engine and to let the TeX community
learn that pdf*tex can well generate dvi and that pdf-aware macros have
to be written more carefully. If we really fear about the additional pdf
primitives to break too much things, than we should not use pdf*tex for
formats which are used for creating dvi.

Thomas