[tex-live] tu-clash

[Reinhard Kotucha]

On 2017-02-27 at 09:20:37 +0900, Norbert Preining wrote:

 > > I need a latex209 format to process a "legacy" document
 > > and every year I have to figure out how to do it. No doubt
 > 
 > Add a file
 > 	TEXMFLOCAL/web2c/fmtutil.cnf
 > that contains only the latex209 definition.
 > 
 > That is all.
 > 
 > > I see a latex209.fmt. Should I move it somewhere else? Can I
 > > remove everything else from
 > > 
 > > ~/.texlive2016/texmf-var/web2c ?
 > 
 > Yes. Remove. You can move the latex209 format to 
 > 	TEXMFCONFIG/web2c/...
 > 
 > See the documentation of fmtutil, section ENVIRONMENT

Since fmtutil isn't needed if the format file already exists, there is
no need to read the fmtutil documentation.  TEXMFCONFIG is not the
ideal place because its path contains <year> e.g. the TL version
number and thus one has to copy files every year.

There is also no need to add anything to fmtutil.cnf.  It's sufficient
to put the format file into either TEXMFLOCAL or TEXMFHOME.  Files in
these trees don't depend on the TeX Live release number. As Bob
pointed out, the LaTeX-2.09 format file will never change.  It is as
static as a file containing TeX macros.

The search path for format files is TEXMF/web2c and TEXMF expands to
a plethora of directories containing TEXMFLOCAL aqnd TEXMFHOME.

We need TEXMF[SYS]VAR and TEXMF[SYS]CONFIG only for files supposed to
be created automatically.

Regards,
  Reinhard

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