[XeTeX] Suggestions for the XeTeX distribution

[Bruno Voisin]

Hi all,

Based on questions asked several times on this list, or on the OS X TeX 
list, here are two suggestions for the XeTeX distribution:

- During installation, put modified config files graphics.cfg and 
color.cfg at

/usr/local/teTeX/share/texmf.local/tex/xetex/color.cfg
/usr/local/teTeX/share/texmf.local/tex/xetex/graphics.cfg

to supersede the default ones at

/usr/local/teTeX/share/texmf.tetex/tex/latex/config/color.cfg
/usr/local/teTeX/share/texmf.tetex/tex/latex/config/graphics.cfg

The modified files would be a mere copy of the default ones, with

% Select an appropriate default driver
\begingroup
   \chardef\x=0 %
   % check pdfTeX
   \@ifundefined{pdfoutput}{}{%
     \ifcase\pdfoutput
     \else
       \chardef\x=1 %
     \fi
   }%
   % check VTeX
   \@ifundefined{OpMode}{}{%
     \chardef\x=2 %
   }%
\expandafter\endgroup
\ifcase\x
   % default case
   \ExecuteOptions{dvips}%
\or
   % pdfTeX is running in pdf mode
   \ExecuteOptions{pdftex}%
\else
   % VTeX is running
   \ExecuteOptions{vtex}%
\fi

replaced by

% Select an appropriate default driver
\begingroup
   \chardef\x=0 %
   % check pdfTeX
   \@ifundefined{pdfoutput}{}{%
     \ifcase\pdfoutput
     \else
       \chardef\x=1 %
     \fi
   }%
   % check VTeX
   \@ifundefined{OpMode}{}{%
     \chardef\x=2 %
   }%
   % check XeTeX
   \@ifundefined{XeTeXversion}{}{%
     \chardef\x=3 %
   }%
\expandafter\endgroup
\ifcase\x
   % default case
   \ExecuteOptions{dvips}%
\or
   % pdfTeX is running in pdf mode
   \ExecuteOptions{pdftex}%
\or
   % VTeX is running
   \ExecuteOptions{vtex}%
\else
   % XeTeX is running
   \ExecuteOptions{xetex}%
\fi

or similar (and appropriately modified comments). The aim would be to 
avoid people having to specify the option [xetex] explicitly, when the 
XeLaTeX engine is used (the modification would work by checking whether 
\XeTeXversion is defined, and, if it is, forward the [xetex] option to 
the graphics.sty and color.sty packages automatically). People are used 
to no longer having to specify the option for dvips and pdtTeX, and 
seem to be confused by the XeTeX behaviour in this respect. Moreover, 
there are packages (like pgf.sty recently) that rely on this automatic 
switch, and can't work with XeTeX without the modification.

- Alter the XeTeX i-Installer i-Package, so that, during installation, 
the option is offered to install documentation (in the form of the 
XeTeX samples folder). People who use the Apple Installer .pkg package 
have the existence of this folder brought to their attention on the 
XeTeX Download web page, but people who use the i-Installer .ii2 
i-Package may easily miss the existence of the example files, creating 
confusion and support requests.

Bruno Voisin