Bug#245599: tetex-bin: mpost always fails with "Fatal mem file error; I'm stymied"

[Seth LaForge <sethml@ofb.net>]

Hilmar Preusse <hille42@web.de>:
> On 24.04.04 Seth M LaForge (sethml@ofb.net) wrote:
> > I installed tetex-bin, and whenever I run it I get the following:
> > 
> >   % mpost foo
> >   This is MetaPost, Version 0.641 (Web2C 7.4.5)
> >   (Fatal mem file error; I'm stymied)
> > 
> > (Regardless of whether the file foo exists or not.)
> > 
> Means, the mem-file (format-file) for Metapost was (probably) not
> generated for that version of metapost. It has to be regenerated.
> Was that an upgrade from an old version of tetex-bin?

Not directly, but tetex-bin was probably on the system at one point.

> > On a debian stable system, I get:
> > 
> >   % mpost foo
> >   This is MetaPost, Version 0.641 (Web2C 7.3.7)
> >   ! I can't find file `foo'.
> >   <*> foo
> > 
> >   Please type another input file name: 
>
> mpost on a not existing file should give you that error message...

Right, that was an example of mpost working correctly.

> > I purged tetex-bin and tetex-base and reinstalled them to clean out old
> > config, and the behavior changes a bit but is still broken:
> > 
> >   % mpost foo
> >   This is MetaPost, Version 0.641 (Web2C 7.4.5)
> >   kpathsea: Running mktexfmt mpost.mem
> >   fmtutil: format `mpost' not available.
> >   I can't find the mem file `mpost.mem'!
>
> Well, the old mem-files was purged. He tried to regenerate that file,
> but failed, cause the input file for generating the format-file was
> missing. You have to install tetex-extra to use Metapost.

Aha!  Then change the bug to: mpost won't run without tetex-extra
installed.  Either mpost should be moved to tetex-extra, or the files
required to run mpost should be moved to tetex-bin, or tetex-bin
should Require: tetex-extra.

Seth