[OS X TeX] R, paradigm to bring into the LaTeX world?

[Claus Gerhardt]

Installing missing packages is a bit of a nuisance, but not a major  
stumbling block. The list of packages provided by the i-Installer  
installation is fairly comprehensive, so that I rarely have to search  
for missing packages. In almost all cases when I had to do it, I was  
trying to compile a tex file created by someone else.

Of course it would be nice when TeXShop would automatically download  
and install missing packages, but would this feature be worth the  
trouble and the time Richard Koch or others would have to spend in  
order to make it happen? I would recommend to distinguish between  
really helpful features, that will increase productivity, and mere  
gimmicks.

I doubt that newbies, which are always cited as being the underlying  
reason for asking a special feature, are really missing any packages.

Claus


On Oct 23, 2006, at 3:04, John Vokey wrote:

> MacTeXers,
>
> I am a devoted (some use the adjective ``slavish'', others  
> ``monomaniacal'') proponent of both OS X and LaTeX.  But, there is  
> simply no question that the one (and only) place that Windoze users  
> have it all over OS X users is MikTeX.  I can get my Windoze  
> colleagues up and using LaTeX in mere minutes, and they never have  
> to find and install subsequent .sty and other files, as MikTeX does  
> that for them automagically.  As wonderful as i-installer is (and  
> it is), it requires some hand-holding for newbies.  MacTeX is a  
> great compromise, so great that I never even mention i-installer to  
> new OS X LaTeX using colleagues.  I assume that by the time they  
> will need it, they will be facile enough with LaTeX to grok it  
> themselves.
>
> Denis Chabot how now suggested a brilliant step that will make the  
> compromise even less of one.  Indeed, the R (GNU's S) and CRAN  
> interface for reviewing and installing new packages is simple and  
> effective (indeed, one nice package for R is Sweave, which  
> integrates R with LaTeX (i.e., the R-code is written into the LaTeX  
> document, and the r-output, including tables and figures, replaces  
> it in the LaTeX document when run through Sweave).  The analogy  
> with R is almost perfect: MacTeX provides the basic installation,  
> so all we need is a simple download interface (preferably from  
> within TeXShop) to list current packages, and provide for the  
> updating of packages and the addition of further packages.  True,  
> CTAN does not have dependencies built-in as does CRAN, but as every  
> such package usually lists the dependencies in the documentation,  
> could those not be added (uploaded by users) to the TeXShop site  
> (much as track titles are provided by iTunes users) to be added to  
> some database (p-list, or other xml list?). Then, when accessed  
> from TeXShop, if a dependency list is available, it is used.  Over  
> time, most dependencies should be resolved.
>
> On 22-Oct-06, at 6:00 PM, TeX on Mac OS X Mailing List wrote:
>
>> But I can think of one way LaTeX would be a bit more user friendly. I
>> don't think it is up to the people on this Mac list to make it
>> happen, it would have to be a more generic effort. I'd like LaTeX
>> (and especially LaTeX frontends like TeXShop  to behave more like the
>> open source R statistical system does.
>
> --
> Please avoid sending me Word or PowerPoint attachments.
> See <http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/no-word-attachments.html>
>
> -Dr. John R. Vokey
>
>
>
>
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