[OS X TeX] Lost in Mac space

[Alain Schremmer]

On Dec 13, 2008, at 12:26 PM, Joseph C. Slater PE, PhD wrote:

>
> On Dec 13, 2008, at 12:18 PM, Alain Schremmer wrote:
>
>>
>> On Dec 13, 2008, at 11:21 AM, David Derbes wrote:
>>
>>> It's Unix. Nothing about Mac OS X that I know about. The version  
>>> I know best is from 1993, and so absent time travel cannot  
>>> include anything about Mac OS X. There is a way more expensive  
>>> recent version that might include something, but I'd buy a cheap  
>>> copy from abebooks (just bought one to make up for the one a  
>>> friend stole, and yes, he's still a friend) for well under ten USD.
>>
>> Whenever I think of fiddling with the terminal—after all that is  
>> the Mac way, the thing that brings me to a halt is the fear that  
>> it is easy inadvertently to wipe out one's disk or to create  
>> similar havoc. So, it is easy to procrastinate and/or turn to the  
>> list. Which it is in any case.
>>
>>
>
> Unlikely unless you enter your administrator password to execute  
> the command.

For real?

> Further, if you "back up now" using Time machine before doing  
> anything, you can always rewind to that spot.
>
> The worst you can do, without entering a password at the command  
> line, is wipe out your personal directory. However, if you use Time  
> Machine, that is easily restored.

Yes, but I am still on Tiger and plan on staying so until the next  
feline comes around: I already got into trouble with TeXLive 2008  
(the "openout_any =" thing) but thanks to the TeX Distribution  
switcher, just went back to gwTeX and normality.

Grateful regards
--schremmer