[OS X TeX] Linux --> Mac: Beamer and "Non-PDF special ignored!"

[Herbert Schulz]

On Sep 22, 2010, at 3:05 PM, Rick Chartrand wrote:

> After comparing my .log file with Dick Koch's for a Beamer file with one
> empty frame, I found 4 relevant differences:
> (1) his says "\write18 enabled", mine says "restricted \write18 enabled".
> This prompted me to try compiling with sudo pdflatex, and this actually
> works, for the empty file and for full presentations.  But compiling with
> sudo seems like a bad long-term idea.  The following are the other relevant
> differences (that I get if I compile *without* sudo; with sudo the only
> difference is the "restricted \write18 enabled").
> (2 & 3) His:
> ______________
> Package pgfsys Info: Driver file for pgf: pgfsys-pdftex.def on input line
> 885.
> 
> (/usr/local/texlive/2010/texmf-dist/tex/generic/pgf/systemlayer/pgfsys-pdftex.d
> ef
> File: pgfsys-pdftex.def 2007/12/20  (rcs-revision 1.20)
> 
> (/usr/local/texlive/2010/texmf-dist/tex/generic/pgf/systemlayer/pgfsys-common-p
> df.def
> File: pgfsys-common-pdf.def 2007/12/17  (rcs-revision 1.8)
> )))
> _______________
> Mine:
> _______________
> Package pgfsys Info: Driver file for pgf: pgfsys-dvips.def on input line
> 885.
> 
> (/usr/local/texlive/2010/texmf-dist/tex/generic/pgf/systemlayer/
> pgfsys-dvips.de
> f
> File: pgfsys-dvips.def 2007/12/12  (rcs-revision 1.19)
> 
> (/usr/local/texlive/2010/texmf-dist/tex/generic/pgf/systemlayer/pgfsys-common-p
> ostscript.def
> File: pgfsys-common-postscript.def 2008/02/07  (rcs-revision 1.18)
> \pgf at objectcount=\count109
> )))
> ________________
> It's as though mine wants ps output instead of pdf.
> (4) His has
> ________________
> (/usr/local/texlive/2010/texmf-dist/tex/latex/latexconfig/epstopdf-sys.cfg
> File: epstopdf-sys.cfg 2010/07/13 v1.3 Configuration of (r)epstopdf for TeX
> Liv
> e
> ))
> ________________
> and mine doesn't, consistent with the idea that something in my setup thinks
> it doesn't want pdf output, though in the end it does output a pdf (after
> all the Non-PDF special ignored! messages).
> 
> Anybody know what might cause this, and how to fix it?
> 
> Rick
> 

Howdy,

No need for `sudo` to enable write18 for the compile. Add the --shell-escape option to the pdflatex command line for that file.

As to why it wants to output ps rather than pdf I haven't a clue. Sigh...

Good Luck,

Herb Schulz
(herbs at wideopenwest dot com)