[tex-live] tlmgr query

[Reinhard Kotucha]

On 24 July 2009 Rowland McDonnell wrote:

 >> Rowland McDonnell wrote:

 > (once upon a time, I could learn how to use software much more easily,
 > but that was in the days when software came with proper manuals)

TeX Live comes with proper manuals too.
 
 > Do please understand that I am a Mac user and not any sort of Unix
 > expert at all.  In particular, I find it very hard to understand
 > man pages and I am *NOT* familiar with the structure of TeX Live.
 > I have tried to become familiar, but I have failed to find much
 > documentation I can learn from.  Remember, I'm not a Unix expert:
 > I'm a bewildered Mac user.

I understand.  But this is a general problem with GUIs and operating
systems depending on GUIs.  They support everything what normal users
need, but if you need something which is not supported already you are
lost.  I suppose that's why Norbert mentioned M$ Word.

If you need more, you have to learn to read manual pages.  This is
unavoidable.

 > >> I'd like to find out how to get tlmgr -gui to generate a
 > >> configuration information listing as:
 > >> 
 > >> texconfig conf
 > >
 > >It does not, neither does tlmgr. Use texconfig.
 > 
 > Thank you again.  I had read a lot of things telling me that I
 > should use tlmgr instead of texconfig.  It seems that the advice is
 > not properly thought out since texconfig can do things that tlmgr
 > cannot.

The sole reason that texconfig still exists is that not everything can
be done at the same time.
 
 > (and someone else told me that the command executed is fmtutil
 > --all).

The first thing I recommend you is to learn reading manual pages.
The fmtutil man page is quite clear in this respect.
 
 > Now I have to find out what fmtutil-sys --all does and exactly how
 > it differs from fmtutil --all.  I'm stuck at the moment.  I have
 > read the man page, but it does not tell me what the commands do in
 > exact detail.

It explains the difference.  If it's not detailed enough, there is
also the source code.  But you obviously didn't read the TeX Live
manual already. 

 > Remember that I'm a Mac user and I do not - yet - understand the
 > structure of texlive.  A lot of things you take for granted are
 > alien to me.

You first have to learn reading manual pages.  And please don't bore
us with phrases like "Remember that I'm a Mac user...".  There are
thousands of Mac users using TeX Live already but you are the only one
who claims that Mac users are idiots.  This is definitely not true.
You are obviously an exception.

 >>> What does `Re-initialize file database' mean?
 >>
 >>Calling
 >>   mktexlsr
 >>(was that difficult?)
 > 
 > I do not understand your question.
 >
 > It was impossible for me to work out what `Re-initialize file database'
 > meant.  I had absolutely no hints at all.  It was not hard: it was
 > impossible.

No hints at all???  It's described in the TeX Live manual on page 30.  
Did you ever read it?  Please read the whole document first.

 > I am not familiar with the command mktexlsr.  I am not a Unix guru.

You don't have to be a Unix guru in order to use mktexlsr.

 > I am not a long-standing expert in the care and maintenence of
 > texlive.  I am a Mac user who used to know exactly what he was
 > doing with OzTeX and is now trying hard to come to grips with a
 > radically different approach to setting up and using a TeX system.
 > 
 > I'm finding it very hard work.

Did you ever try

   texdoc texlive

?

 > Before an update is started by what, exactly?  I can't find
 > anything that tells me and I can't work it out.

Your TeX Live system is updated each time a sack of rice falls down
from a truck in China.  Or do you expect anything else?

 > I don't even know what `backup' means in this context.

If you don't know what an update is, just don't update your system.
Then you don't have to know what a backup is.

 > Nor do I know what a `package' is in this context.

I now get the impression that you are kidding us.
 
 > I know about LaTeX packages (pkg files - and their dtx/ins source

What is a pkg file?  

 > Please believe me that I have put a lot of time and effort into
 > finding my own answers to the above questions.

Forget your own answers.  Read the documentation instead.

 > (In my experience, man pages are only really useful for people who
 > already understand the subject of the man page.  I've read many of
 > them and I always get a headache when reading man pages.)

 > I'm not asking because I'm lazy: I'm asking because I simply can't
 > get to grips with the available documentation.

You are obviously the only one who is unable to read documentation.
Regarding your headaches, please consult a physician.  The TeX Live
team is not responsible for your disability, please read the license.

Regards,
  Reinhard

-- 
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Reinhard Kotucha			              Phone: +49-511-3373112
Marschnerstr. 25
D-30167 Hannover	                      mailto:reinhard.kotucha at web.de
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Microsoft isn't the answer. Microsoft is the question, and the answer is NO.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------