Re: ConTeXt on MikTeX broken

["George N. White III" <gnwiii@gmail.com>]

On Tue, May 6, 2008 at 11:57 AM, Mojca Miklavec
<mojca.miklavec.lists@gmail.com> wrote:

> On Tue, May 6, 2008 at 4:29 PM, George N. White III wrote:
>  > On Sat, May 3, 2008 at 7:00 AM, Mojca Miklavec
>  >  <mojca.miklavec.lists@gmail.com> wrote:
>  >
>  >  >  some time ago some MikTeX users have complained that ConTeXt doesn't
>  >  >  work on MikTeX. It seems to be a problem with MikTeX itself since this
>  >  >  workaround seems to solve the problem, at least temporary:
>  >  >     ruby "C:\Program Files\MiKTeX
>  >  >  2.7\scripts\context\ruby\texmfstart.rb" texexec
>  >
>  >  I'm not so quick to blame MiKTeX -- I suspect texmfstart.rb would need
>  >  to provide some path searching tailored to MiKTeX.   It seems to rely
>  >  on $0 with a tetex/texlive directory structure where SELFAUTOPARENT
>  >  can be used.
>
>  Christian has indeed replied that he uses the binary version of
>  texmfstart from CTAN (which is a bit older that the one on PRAGMA).
>  But I still don't understand what can go wrong "in the middle of
>  nothing", without any major changes. So there is either a problem in
>  MikTeX or in ConTeXt.
>
>
>  >  The only criticism of MiKTeX is that it is silly to distribute
>  >  a broken package, but then it is up to ConTeXt users to report breakage
>  >  and, ideally, supply fixes.
>
>  I completely agree. Except that I have no MikTeX any more. And I don't
>  have the slightest idea what could have caused the problem. I don't
>  see any serious changes in the texmfstart code that could break the
>  3-week-old version, while it has worked OK before.
>
>  Mea culpa. I should have forced Hans to fix it during BachoTeX ... :)
>  I will try to misuse some windows computer next week to see if I can
>  find any bugs (but it's difficult to test since one cannot simply
>  modify the ruby script as on other platforms).

You can replace texmfstart.exe with a .cmd script::

C:> type texmfstart.cmd
@ruby c:/PROGRA~1/MIKTEX~1.7/scripts/context/ruby/texmfstart.rb %*

C:> ruby c:/PROGRA~1/MIKTEX~1.7/scripts/context/ruby/texmfstart.rb
texexec.rb cont-sample2e
TeXExec | processing document 'cont-sample2e'
TeXExec | no ctx file found
TeXExec | tex processing method: context
TeXExec | TeX run 1
TeXExec | writing option file cont-sample2e.top
TeXExec | using randomseed 780
TeXExec | tex engine: pdftex
TeXExec | tex format: cont-en
This is pdfTeX, Version 3.1415926-1.40.8-alpha-20080323 (MiKTeX 2.7)
entering extended mode
(cont-sample2e.tex

ConTeXt  ver: 2008.01.28 21:28 MKII  fmt: 2008.2.18  int: english/english

language        : language en is active
system          : cont-new loaded
("C:\Program Files\MiKTeX 2.7\tex\context\base\cont-new.tex"

FatalError      : Your format does not match the base files!

FormatVersion   : 2008.01.28 21:28 MKII
FilesVersion    : 2008.04.18 14:17

TeXUtil | parsing file cont-sample2e.tui
TeXUtil | shortcuts : 297
TeXUtil | expansions: 308
TeXUtil | reductions: 0
TeXUtil | divisions : 0
TeXUtil | loaded files: 1
TeXUtil | temporary files: 0
TeXUtil | commands: 30
TeXUtil | programs: 0
TeXUtil | tuo file saved
TeXExec | runtime: 0.641

c:> texmfstart texexec.rb --make
TeXExec | using search method 'kpsewhich'
TeXExec | updating file database

.
.......
.......................
..........
.........

[...]
TeXExec | generating mps format metafun
mpost: Invalid command-line option

[The command line can be captured by renaming mpost.exe to
mpostbin.exe and making a script:
>type mpost.cmd
mpostbin %*

This shows:
>mpostbin -alias=metafun -initialize -tcx=natural.tcx --8bit metafun

[...]

With this, I can format simple documents.  The mpost problem seems to
be with the "--8bit" option, which comes from
tex.rb.


>  >  >  (But apparently there are not many MikTeX users on the list anyway.
>  >  >  Else more would have complained.)
>  >
>  >  Don't complain, just switch to a platform/distro where ConTeXt works
>  >  and use mpm (since few others provide updates with the speed and
>  >  convenience of MiKTeX).
>  >
>  >  I think MiKTeX should remain focusing on the packages and binaries,
>  >  and rely on upstream to fix broken packages.
>
>  I agree. But I have thought that some change in MikTeX might have
>  occurred in the meantime.

The problem with mpost suggests some tweaks are still needed
to handle differences between linux and miktex command lines.

-- 
George N. White III <aa056@chebucto.ns.ca>
Head of St. Margarets Bay, Nova Scotia
___________________________________________________________________________________
If your question is of interest to others as well, please add an entry to the Wiki!

maillist : ntg-context@ntg.nl / http://www.ntg.nl/mailman/listinfo/ntg-context
webpage  : http://www.pragma-ade.nl / http://tex.aanhet.net
archive  : https://foundry.supelec.fr/projects/contextrev/
wiki     : http://contextgarden.net
___________________________________________________________________________________