[OS X TeX] Installing packages

[Gerben Wierda]

On Jun 4, 2004, at 21:48, Stephen Addison wrote:

>
> The question is how many of the packages are needed - I'd always 
> installed all available, but now find that the packages in GWTeX are 
> fine for most purposes.  I have installed less than 20 additionals - 
> and most of them are for journals and conferences that change format 
> frequently anyway.

Please everybody, don't go too fast. Unpacking .cab files is only one 
simple technical issue. Creating an installer for them will also not be 
impossible.

What is far more important is the distribution itself.  Is MiKTeX as 
up-to-date as what we have now? Will it follow suit when this year the 
TeX Directory Structure gets an overhaul? Can we combine the current 
setup with parts form MiKTeX. Yes you can, but the current setup does 
not have MiKTeX datestamps, so a MiKTeX like installer will think 
everything is out-of-date.

An initial MiKTeX package installer will probably be very simple. 
Choose from a large alphabetical list and install form the MiKTeX 
repository. Having someting more smart requires that I replace the 
teTeX distribution with the MiKTeX distribution as far as the tree is 
concerned. If that is a good move (given how well the basic 
distribution now works) is not a given.

So, please take a breath. A decent solution will not be there tomorrow. 
An intermediary one might be there sooner.

G

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