[tex-live] Basic questions for MacTeX installation on a MacBook Air.

[Haines Brown]

Sorry for a slow reply, but didn't have access to the MacBook.

I finally downloaded the MacTeX and Texmaker to my Linux machine,
transferred to a USB Key, copied over to the Mac and installed it
there. Installation of both went well.

I tried this morning to download the MacTeX.pkg file from the TUG site,
and still may not be getting what I need. A file MacTeX.pkg.download
shows up in the Download folder. I found the terminal on the MacBook. I
discovered that the downloaded MacTeX file is a folder. It contains two
files, Info.plst and MacTeX.pkg. The latter is 3.75 Mg/Gb and remains
that size. I'm beginning to suspect this is a network installer rather
than a self-contained TeX system.

It may be that I had suceeded without realizing it. It never occurred to
me that a download installer would be a folder. If so, the ".download"
file extension does not mean a download in process, but this is a
downloaded file. The folder can't be clicked to start the installation,
and my guess is that I can start the installation from the terminal
by simply entering the MacTeX.pkg binary. But this is not what the
instructions say to do. There does not seem to be an icon for the .pkg
file to click, but I don't know much about the GUI world and mices.

Haines