install-tl: Changing trailing directory of TEXDIR makes TEXMFLOCAL release specific

Richard Koch koch at uoregon.edu
Sat Mar 23 23:50:15 CET 2024


Folks,

I create BasicTeX by installing TL using the Unix install script. I change to the small scheme, and change
the install directory to 2024basic. I change TEXMFVAR and TEXMFCONFIG to
~/Library/texlive/2024basic/texmf-var and ~/Library/texlive/2024basic/texmf-config. Then I install and use the image to create a Mac install package.

I'm not sure this issue is all that important since John Purnell is the only user who has written me about it. I believe BasicTeX is mainly used by people trying out TeX. Our documentation tells users that if they intend to use TeX regularly, we strongly recommend the full TL install.

A user who regularly installs BasicTeX could achieve the desired result by always using the Unix install script, switching to the small scheme, and installing as /usr/local/texlive/2024.

Or, if you folks think it best, I could change TEXMFLOCAL to /usr/local/texlive/texmf-local when I create BasicTeX (not this year, but in future years). Making a special case for basic tex in the Unix install script seems like overkill to me. (However, I greatly appreciate the reasonable defaults you offer Mac Users and thus me for other questions in the script.)

Dick Koch


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