[OS X TeX] Feedback

Alain Schremmer Schremmer.Alain at verizon.net
Fri Jun 4 10:58:30 EDT 2004


As I think I mentioned before, this TechInstallChallenged, starting from 
Slater's page, decided, mostly from hubris, "/iTEXMac, on the other 
hand, stresses features, at the expense of a less streamlined interface. 
It has enhanced features much more typical of a powerful programming 
editor/", to install iTeXMac via Fink. Fink was not a good experience 
even "commanded". Humbled, I "i-installed" TeXshop and lived happy ever 
since.

All of this to say that, now, I see why.

What I don't see is how i-install installs packages other than those 
already provided. But that is very, very low, if at all, on my priority 
list and just a matter of curiosity.

Regards and Thanks.
--schremmer

Gerben Wierda wrote:

> On Jun 4, 2004, at 03:59, Anthony Morton wrote:
>
>> Personally I like to think of i-Installer as 'Fink without the 
>> baggage', but I don't know that Gerben would want to go that far.  :-)
>
>
> No. Fink is a good idea mainly, I just happen to have started from a 
> different perspective, namely that it must be usable without people 
> having a developer system installed, good for more than compiling from 
> sources (fink can do that these days I think). I also have a different 
> opinion about a few philosophical points. Fink wants to make sure 
> everything works. It does that by separating an area on your system to 
> build its own subsystem and that things work together is possible by 
> keeping relations within that subsystem. That approach has one 
> potential security drawback, namely that you have to give the 
> possibility to override Apple stuff. But it is basically a good idea. 
> My project never was providing the installer and the packages, I 
> provide only a limited set in i-Installer. I wanted the installer to 
> be a citizien that can live in many worlds. You could use the 
> i-package to configure a TeX installation that you built from the 
> sources and I wouldn't care less. I lose the possibility of control 
> that fink has, I gain the possibilty of integrating i-Installer with 
> other modes of software install and I do not take it upon me to 
> maintain my own subsystem. Having subsystems in my mind is not the 
> most elegant situation, but it is the only situation if you want to 
> provide users with the stability only a controlled subsystem can give 
> you. It is give and take, both projects are in a different niche.
>
> G
>
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