[OS X TeX] TeXShop setup query

[Robert Bruner]

Re executable bit:

Contents:
1. general discussion of execute bit
2. specific case
3. disclaimer (PS)

1. general discussion of execute bit ----------------------------

Here is the simplified version of this matter which has served me.
There are more issues, but I've never needed to know about them.
This is a standard Unix matter.  All files have various permissions
for three categories of users:  
  - oneself, 
  - one's group, and 
  - everyone else.  
For each category there are three things one might set:  
 - read
 - write
 - execute
(For directories the latter means 'search'.)
The standard abbreviations are r,w,x, resp., and are given in the
order listed above, so that, e.g.

Here is a sample taken from a directory of mine on my Linux machine
(where I am at the moment):

   $ ls -l
   total 34800
   -rw-r--r-- 1 rrb mn  3685029 2007-11-19 08:22 CPs.tar.gz
   -rw------- 1 rrb mn      294 2007-07-25 17:19 dead.letter
   drwxr-x--- 6 rrb mn     4096 2008-01-29 12:22 Desktop
   -rwxr-xr-x 1 rrb mn      949 2007-10-31 22:20 dolifts

Explanation:
CPs.tar.gz is readable by everyone (self, group and world), and
writable onbly by me.  It is not executable.

dead.letter is readable and writable by me.  No one else can do anything
with it.

Desktop is readable by me and my group, writable only by me, and searchable
by me and my group.  (This is a directory, as indicated by the d in the first
column.)

dolifts is readable AND EXECUTABLE by everyone, but writable only by me.


2. specific case -------------------------------------------------------
So, open a terminal and type

    cd ~/Library/TeXShop/Engines
    chmod a+x rmLatex.engine

will make the rmLatex engine executable by everyone 
(a = all = user, group and world.)

    chmod u+x rmLatex.engine

would make it executable by the user (you) only.

Hope this helps.


Bob Bruner

PS:  I know nothing about engines, but presumably they treat the
Unix permissions in this generic fashion.