TeX Live on Windows: Texinfo not available?

[Reinhard Kotucha]

On 2020-05-31 at 06:36:45 +0900, Akira Kakuto wrote:

 > I think users can find tl-texinfo.zip at
 > CTAN/systems/win32/w32tex/TLTEXINFO a few days later.
 >
 > A document:
 >
 >         How to install Texinfo addin in TeX Live W32
 >
 >
 > In the following, $INSTALLDIR is $SELFAUTOPARENT in the TeX Live,
 > that is, the parent directory of "texmf-dist". Actually the
 > directory $INSTALLDIR is shown by a command:
 >
 >     kpsewhich --var-value=SELFAUTOPARENT
 >
 >
 > (1) Expand the file tl-texinfo.zip in $INSTALLDIR.
 >     Then you can typeset basic Texinfo files:
 >     texi2pdf --verbose filename.texi
 >     texi2dvi --verbose filename.texi
 >     dvips filename.dvi
 >     etc.
 >     makeinfo etc. in the original Texinfo are not supported.
 >
 > (2) If you define an environment variable TEXINPUTS as
 >     set TEXINPUTS=$INSTALLDIR/texmf-texinfo/tex/texinfo;
 >     The latest Texinfo becomes available. For example, Japanese
 >     extension by M. Hosoda becomes available:
 >     set TEX=xetex& texi2dvi --verbose yatex-lx.texi
 >     in cmd.exe command line creates yatex-lx.pdf.
 >     An example file yatex-lx.texi is in texmf-texinfo/doc/texinfo.
 >     Note that, in defining the environment variable TEXINPUTS,
 >     you should input the actual value of $INSTALLDIR, for example,
 >     set TEXINPUTS=C:/texlive/2020/texmf-texinfo/tex/texinfo;
 >     and the trailing semicolon, ";" is absolutely necessary.

Dear Akira,
thank you for the instructions.  As you know I prefer a simple script
over lengthy explanations.  In this case even a script is not needed.

TeX Live cannot provide texinfo because Linux distributors want to
decouple texinfo from TeX Live for a good reason.

On Windows there are no such restrictions.  The best thing one can do
is to upload a texinfo package for Windows to CTAN which is activated
by TeX Live for Windows only.

It's certainly easier said than done because we have to make sure that
the said package is not found by kpathsea on Unix.  But I'm convinced
that this problem can be solved one way or another.


Regards,
  Reinhard

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Reinhard Kotucha                            Phone: +49-511-3373112
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