[OS X TeX] Local additions and multiple TeX distributions

[Alan Munn]

Now that I've gotten around to updating my older teTeX distribution, 
I now find myself with two and a quarter TeX distributions: Gerbens' 
based on TeX Live, (which I installed with i-installer) the MacTeX TL 
distribution and the leftover texmf.local from my old teTeX 
distribution.  So here's a few of questions:

Since I have up-to-date versions via i-installer of Ghostscript, 
fondu etc., I didn't install any of these when I installed MacTeX. 
Is this the correct strategy?

Some things that were in my texmf.local are now included in TL, but 
not in Gerben's distribution.  So I guess I need to selectively copy 
what was in my texmf.local to the TL texmf-local, right?  (I have 
multiple users using TeX, so I don't generally install things in 
~/Library/texmf except for testing purposes)

Am I getting myself into a lot of hassles with two distributions, 
since I will need to make local additions in two places, or can I 
make texmf-local a symbolic link to (the new) texmf.local (or vice 
versa)?  Are there advantages to making the link in one direction or 
the other (or is is just a bad idea?)

Since Gerben's distribution is a subset of TL, I suppose it would 
make sense to add all new additions to texmf.local, and make 
texmf-local a symbolic link to texmf.local.  If I do this, and a 
package is simultaneously in TL and in texmf.local, which will take 
precedence?  (If I keep the local additions up-to-date this shouldn't 
pose any problems if the texmf.local files take precedence.)

Do I need to update the TeXShop macros (e.g. Claus Gerhardt's macros) 
to reflect changes in the distribution?  How do I do this without 
losing my own macros?

Thanks

Alan

-- 
Alan Munn 
amunn at msu.edu
Department of Linguistics
and Germanic, Slavic, Asian and African Languages   Fax.  +1-517-432-2736
Michigan State University, East Lansing MI 48824       Tel.  +1-517-355-7491

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