Re: distro info

["Thomas A. Schmitz" <thomas.schmitz@uni-bonn.de>]

On Jun 14, 2008, at 3:57 PM, Andrea Valle wrote:

> Thomas, I do not know what Oliver is actually doing.
> But just 2c:
> - suppose you have a ConTeXt distro (the minimal) inside a mac app.  
> At the end a mac app is typically a folder containing different  
> programs/libraries etc
> - suppose you are provided inside the app of an editor (say,   
> TeXShop)  already configured to read in the app's folder.
>
> In sum, you have a TeXShop ready to go for the ConTeXt in the app.
>
> Then, you have a context distro working out of the box.
> It can be installed easily. You have always worked with Word and you  
> want to try to work with ConTeXt? Download, drag and drop, open.
> There shouldn't been configuration problems (they have been solved  
> while creating the installer).
> If there are bugs depending on ConTeXt,  as usual in case of an app,  
> the user has to wait for a next release of the app including the new  
> ConTeXt version.
> (with a bit more expertise, maybe you can simply replace the right  
> folder inside the mac app)
> This is indeed a limit, but the previous points can be pros for  
> another user.
>

Andrea, I can see what you want, and from your POV, this is a  
reasonable demand. But allow me to explain why I see quite a few  
obstacles:

1. ConTeXt is cross-platform, so you'd need someone to take care and  
prepare this for widnoze and linux as well.

2. More importantly: yes, a self-contained app would work. But what if  
your user wants to use a different font? What if (s)he wants to use a  
third-party module or package such as tikz? bibtex?

What it boils down to, of course, is how you want to use your  
computer. You're right: a mac application is nothing but a couple of  
directories with files and binaries etc. So in theory, you could have  
a minimal ConTeXt in such a bundle. But it would be a nightmare to  
maintain, to add stuff, to make it cohabitate with other packages. One  
bundle that does just what you like is lilypond. A wonderful  
typesetting application, all in one installer, not complex to install.  
It has been broken on intel mac for half a year now. Nobody has the  
knowledge or the time or the energy to fix it. Result? No lilypond for  
intel mac users. You know, I cannot stress too much how intensely I  
prefer my TeX installation. When something goes wrong, I can look  
under the hood, find documentation, configuration files, I can upgrade  
etc. I prefer to be able to change the lightbulbs in my house myself,  
and not wait for somebody to release house 1.1 with all new and  
improved lightbulbs. So I hope you see why I don't think a GUI  
installer is such a good idea.

Thomas
___________________________________________________________________________________
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
___________________________________________________________________________________