[OS X TeX] Error: I can't write on file '(name)'

[Alain Schremmer]

On Mar 9, 2012, at 5:34 PM, Herbert Schulz wrote:

>
> On Mar 9, 2012, at 4:17 PM, Alain Schremmer wrote:
>
>> ...
>> So, my question, my gripe, is why, out of the box and without  
>> warning, does openout in "/usr/local/texlive/2010/texmf/web2c/ 
>> texmf.cnf" have to be "paranoid" rather than merely "restricted"?  
>> In other words, why "disallow going to parent directories ..."?
>> ...
>
> Howdy,
>
> Because that's the way TeX Live ships

Fair enough. So, let me rephrase my question:

Why does TeXLive ship, out of the box and without warning, a version  
where openout in "/usr/local/texlive/2010/texmf/web2c/texmf.cnf" have  
to be "paranoid" rather than merely "restricted"? In other words, why  
"disallow going to parent directories ..."?

> and MacTeX supplies a default TeX Live with the only changes being  
> where the personal tree and personal texlive tree are placed in ~/ 
> Library.

Are you saying that I should move the modified "texmf.cnf" to a place  
that TeX can find but that TeXLive is not going to overwrite next time  
I upgrade?

Regards
--schremmer