[OS X TeX] local vs. global symlink

[Claus Gerhardt]

MacTeX should of course set a global link. The individual user could  
set a local link and the only configuration needed is to replace /usr/ 
local/texprograms by /Users/username/texprograms and use the Local  
Switcher to switch tex sources.

The reveal button will show the path to the actual source and the tex  
version is mention in the first line of the log.

I don't see any complication. Besides, if there were complications  
then they will exist independently of the settings local/global.

The point that I wanted to make was that most users should opt to set  
a local symlink, because it won't require a password and offers the  
same functionality. The tex sources will  be identical in both cases.

Claus


On Nov 28, 2006, at 23:04, Maarten Sneep wrote:

> On 28-nov-2006, at 18:51, Claus Gerhardt wrote:
>
>> The last days I used the local symlink for tex and found that its  
>> more convenient for me: Switching is simpler, for no password is  
>> required, and the command line I didn't need, since I ran texdoc  
>> from Local Switcher and kpsewhich as a TeXShop macro, and these  
>> are the only tex related commands that I use in the terminal.
>>
>> The majority of tex users will therefore be better served by using  
>> a local symlink.
>
> I have a few observations:
>
> 1) support is going to get a whole lot harder, because individual  
> users on a single machine may have different settings. We already  
> have the problem that different versions exist, but this adds a lot  
> of opportunity to screw up, and adds configuration requirements for  
> individual accounts. The global links should exist as a backup.
>
> 2) the number of users that want multiple versions installed is  
> vanishingly small, in my estimate.
>
> 3) I think it is desirable to have a small tool that diagnoses the  
> current configuration and produces a summary suitable for posting  
> to this list, in case of trouble. I think over time we can come up  
> with a set of checks. I'd be willing to put those in a set of php  
> pages where users can run the checklist to avoid FAQs on this list.  
> Dick, is it possible to add a really small script to each version  
> of the tex distributions you create that does nothing more than  
> print the version of tex that is available? That should get us  
> started in pinpointing issues.
>
> Maarten
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