Bug#403026: TeX Policy, TEXMFSYSCONFIG and TeXlive (was: lenny release goals and the tetex->texlive transition)

[Frank Küster <frank@debian.org>]

Package: tex-common
Version: 0.42
Severity: normal

Norbert Preining <preining@logic.at> wrote:

> On Die, 12 Dez 2006, Frank Küster wrote:
>
>>     * Decide whether TeXlive continues to work with conffile links and a
>>       separate /etc/texmf/texlive, or switch to the teTeX scheme, and implement
>
> I don't understand?


TEXMFSYSCONFIG=/etc/texmf

Consequently, the files that are now below /etc/texmf/texlive could be
at their "ordinary" places instead, 

/etc/texmf/texlive/dvips/config.ps -> /etc/texmf/dvips/config

and the symlinks removed.  The current setup is a bit against the
written TeX policy, but it's necessary for cooperation with tetex.  Now,
if we drop tetex, we can reconsider this: Either move them into their
ordinary texconfig locations, or keep it and change policy.

The drawback of the first (and of the way policy is written in general)
is that we get the same problem again if someone packages miktex in 10
years (or so), or that we need to deal with "shared configuration
files".  On the other hand, if we keep them in the texlive subdirectory,
the whole purpose of TEXMFSYSCONFIG is defeated.  I think the long
discussion about tetex's adoption of this hierarchy has shown that the
issue is complex, but that all in all having and using TEXMFSYSCONFIG is
better. 

Maybe shared configuration files are not a bad idea, I should look up
the Debian Policy about that.

Regards, Frank
-- 
Dr. Frank Küster
Single Molecule Spectroscopy, Protein Folding @ Inst. f. Biochemie, Univ. Zürich
Debian Developer (teTeX/TeXLive)