>> Note that doing this doesn't alter anything in /opt/local. It just >> sets up links in /usr/texbin to the appropriate location. The main >> disadvantage that I see is that because MacPorts installs TeXLive >> binaries in /opt/local/bin, when this TeX distribution is selected, >> /usr/texbin would link to /opt/local/bin. > > Well, you've said two different things here: > > 1. You've said links (to programs) will be set up *in* (the directory) > /usr/texbin > > 2. You've said /usr/texbin *will be a link* (to a directory containing > programs) > > Indeed, if method (2) is employed, and /usr/texbin *is* a link to > /opt/local/bin, then /usr/texbin will contain far more than just TeX, which > is probably not the right thing to do.
If I said it is currently like method (1), I was incorrect because method (2) is what actually occurs. > With method (1), this means you need a directory containing only the TeX > programs. MacPorts doesn't give you one, so you'd have to create one, and put > into it symlinks to each of the MacPorts TeX programs. The problem here is > that MacPorts TeX is split among several dozen ports, and the user most > likely won't have them all installed. If you only create links to the > programs currently installed, what happens when the user installs more ports > later? Answer: they're not available in /usr/texbin, so that's bad. If you > instead create links to all possible programs, even those not installed, what > happens when the user tries to run one of the not-installed programs? Answer: > No such file or directory, so that's bad. > > You could request a modification to all MacPorts TeX ports, which would be > for each of them to make symlinks to their own programs in a new directory, > say /opt/local/libexec/texlive/texbin. Then you could make /usr/texbin a link > to /opt/local/libexec/texlive/texbin with no problem; it would auto-update > when the user installs or uninstalls ports. My suggestion is exactly that. I think my first message sounds quite non-commital in retrospect, but I think that the MacTeX link /usr/texbin -> /opt/local/bin is not the best solution because of reasons I stated before. It would work much better if the link was /usr/texbin -> /opt/local/libexec/texlive/texbin as you suggest, Ryan. It would certainly be most efficient if it were done at the port install level so I'll go ahead and request a modification. I realize now that it would be even more specific if we could extend this treatment for texlive man and info pages. Faisal _______________________________________________ macports-users mailing list [email protected] http://lists.macosforge.org/mailman/listinfo.cgi/macports-users
