[OS X TeX] Installing TeXLive without messing around with system wide configuration files

[Claus Gerhardt]

Let me offer an install solution for TeXLive (TUG) that wouldn't  
require to mess around with /private/etc/profile. Instead a local  
path setting in ~/.profile would suffice to install and configure  
TeXLive system wide. Returning to the prior state would be simply a  
matter of deleting ./profile and /usr/local/texlive/2005.

(1) If you already have a ~/.profile file, rename it (switch the  
display hidden files on if necessary).
Save a new ~/.profile file containing the lines

#  .profile for sh(1)

PATH="/bin:/sbin:/usr/bin:/usr/sbin:/usr/local/bin"
export PATH

PATH="$PATH:/usr/local/texprograms"
   export PATH

Use BBEdit for this, you can also try another text editor, since we  
shall check, if the new path is recognized.

(2) Open a new shell in the terminal, if it is not a bash shell,  
switch to a bash shell (if you don't understand what I am talking  
about but are still interested, read my recipe).

Issue

echo $PATH

then you should only see the two paths from above, if not forget  
about the rest or try BBEdit.

(3) Now you can simply follow the instructions of my old recipe  
observing that the path is already set. No need to edit any further  
files.

If you have already downloaded a version of my recipe, check, if the  
Applescripts provided are mostly applications, if not download again;  
this is only a safety measure for avoiding accidental mistakes.

Any other users wouldn't be affected by this installation. If they  
change the preferences in TeXShop to the new path, they could also  
use TeXLive in TS. However, if they would want to use TeXLive from  
the command line they should switch their local path as above by  
saving a new .profile file. They should not use their old one, if  
they had one, otherwise they might have to active tex installations  
in their path which I wouldn't recommend.

Also I would recommend to stick with the bash shell unless one knows  
how to implement a corresponding local version in  tcsh.

Claus


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