[tex-live] updmap and TEXMFHOME

Norbert Preining preining at logic.at
Fri Dec 3 13:49:35 CET 2010


Hi Bob,

> Then there might be something wrong with my
> configuration because I lost all recent updates to my
> $HOME/.texlive2010/texmf-config/web2c/updmap.cfg when tmlmgr did a
> system update.

This is really strange and I cannot see how that can under normal circumstances happen.

Can you send the output of
    tlmgr conf
please? Both running as normal user and as root.

> (And other strange things have happened; kpsewhich still
> can't find tcfmgr.map unless there's a copy in the pwd.)

Well, something seems badly wrong on your side ... some env variables?

> Surely we can do better than this. The problem seems to be that updmap
> currently expects a *single* configuration file. It should instead
> merge system, local, and user files when it is called. Or it should be
> possible for one config file to link to another; then they could be
> changed independently (without necessitating regeneration of the one
> true updmap.cfg).  

Yes we know, but nobody came up with a solution. Mind that updmap is a mdta program, it generates conf files for other progs, so simply including other (users) files is not enough, optimally *all* programs should read from different sources....


> Lots of applications allow for system/local/user 
> configuration files, and allow call-time options as well.

If someone steps forward and does that for tex, pdftex, xetex, dvips, luatex, etc etc that would be great ... but nobody did.

> I wouldn't expect tlmgr to *manage* user config files; but they should be
> allowed for.

As said, I'm quite surprisedbut other symptoms on your system point to a seriously broken system.

Norbert


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