[OS X TeX] PATH in Leopard

[Martin Costabel]

Alain Matthes wrote:
> Hello
> 
> AlterMundus:~ ego$ $PATH gives this

You cannot *execute* $PATH; this does not make sense.

> -bash: /usr/bin:/bin:/usr/sbin:/sbin:/usr/local/bin:
> /usr/X11/bin:/usr/local/bin:/usr/texbin: No such file or directory
> 
> 
> Why this warning  "such file or directory" perhaps : at the end ?
> because all the directories exist.

The "warning" is in reality en error message saying "No such file or 
directory", because a file or directory with the name
"/usr/bin:/bin:/usr/sbin:/sbin:/usr/local/bin:/usr/X11/bin:/usr/local/bin:/usr/texbin"
does not exist on your system.

What you want to execute is not '$PATH', but 'echo $PATH' or 'printenv 
PATH'. You want to *examine* the contents of the variable PATH, not 
execute this content as a command.

> 
> Now I have a file paths in /etc
> 
> paths : the contents are
> 
> /usr/bin
> /bin
> /usr/sbin
> /sbin
> /usr/local/bin
> 
> and a directory paths.d
> 
> With a file X11
> 
> /usr/X11/bin
> 
> etc/paths and directory /etc/paths.d are described as the places where 
> search path action takes place now.
> 
> Does anybody know where important UNIX stuff like this is explained ?

This is not "important UNIX stuff", it is a little Apple-private kludge, 
badly documented.

Here is what some other people think of it:
<http://www.kilala.nl/Sysadmin/index.php?id=934>

-- 
Martin