[tex-live] texmf-dist -> texmf for TL'13

[Zdenek Wagner]

2013/1/25 Reinhard Kotucha <reinhard.kotucha at web.de>:
> On 2013-01-25 at 19:44:23 +0900, Munehiro Yamamoto wrote:
>
>  > Dear Karl Berry,
>  >
>  > This is my first post for [tex-live] ML.
>  >
>  > I'm a core member of Vine Linux http://vinelinux.org/, in a supreme
>  > Linux distribution with integrated Japanese environment, making
>  > Vine Linux provide the most enriched built-in Japanese TeX
>  > environment.  Recently, I also contribute Darwin binaries for
>  > tlptexlive
>  > http://tutimura.ath.cx/ptexlive/?tlptexlive%A5%EA%A5%DD%A5%B8%A5%C8%A5%EA
>  > , which is maintained by Norbert-san.  So, I am so much interested
>  > in this topic :-)
>  >
>  > 2013/1/25 Karl Berry <karl at freefriends.org>:
>  > > For TL 2013, we have been contemplating merging texmf-dist back
>  > > into texmf, so there would once again be a single tree.
>  > >
>  > > The original idea of texmf-dist was to be the "TeX tree" sharable
>  > > among (TeX, not operating system) distributions, while texmf
>  > > would be the binaries and other distribution-specific files.
>  >
>  > That is a great idea.  If this idea is comitted, we simply can
>  > package/provide TeX Live environment as distro. packages.
>
> Hi Munehiro,
> I doubt that you can do anything which couldn't done in the past.
> Only the texmf and texmf-dist trees will be merged.  This is a rather
> cosmetical change unless a TeX distributor really depends on a
> separate texmf-dist tree.
>
I have looked into my environment. I need to add other trees to the
search path, therefore I have my own texmf.cnf in the root TL dir and
always copy it to the new version. It contains only defined variables
as $TEXMFMAIN, thus it will still work.

My scripts search for the directories (both from TL and from my added
trees) using kpsewhich, therefore they will continue to work.

Resume: I have quite a complex customized setup and it will NOT be
broken by such change.

>  > Indeed, I think if we distribute enough TeX Live environment as
>  > distro. packages,
>  > we need the following stages:
>  >  * distribution wide from the main tree of TeX Live and distro.'s
>  >    customizations
>  >  * system wide from the local tree of system maintenance
>  >  * per user from home user's tree,
>  > where per user settings override system wide settings,
>  > and system wide settings override distribution wide settings.
>
> If you have TEXMFLOCAL and TEXMFHOME in mind, there are no plans to
> change anything.  Files are searched in TEXMFHOME first, then in
> TEXMFLOCAL, and finally in the distribution tree.
>
> However, if you are talking about *settings*, there is a texmf.cnf
> file at the root of the TeX Live tree which can be used by system
> administrators in order to override settings inherited from the
> distribution.  But there is no such file for users.
>
> Regards,
>   Reinhard
>
> --
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
> Reinhard Kotucha                                      Phone: +49-511-3373112
> Marschnerstr. 25
> D-30167 Hannover                              mailto:reinhard.kotucha at web.de
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
> Microsoft isn't the answer. Microsoft is the question, and the answer is NO.
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------------



-- 
Zdeněk Wagner
http://hroch486.icpf.cas.cz/wagner/
http://icebearsoft.euweb.cz