Re: Update failure: I'm losing my mind

["George N. White III" <aa056@chebucto.ns.ca>]

On Thu, 11 Dec 2003, Gary Pajer wrote:

> C:\Documents and Settings\Gary Pajer\My Documents>texexec --verbose
>
>  TeXExec 3.2 - ConTeXt / PRAGMA ADE 1997-2003
>
>           current path : C:/Documents and Settings/Gary Pajer/My Documents
>      locating ini file : not found by kpsewhich
>      locating ini file : not found by searching
>      locating ini file : no environment variable set
>      locating ini file : not found in own path
>                warning : texexec.ini not found, did you read 'texexec.rme'?
>
> It's really not finding it.  The thing that surprises me is that no-one else
> has mentioned this.  That's why I keep thinking that I've done something
> wrong.

Maybe trying to run ConTeXt with MikTeX instead of using TeX Live 2003,
or trying to run ConTeXt in a Win32 configuration that puts spaces in
the paths?

We are running ConTeXt under TL2003 (with a newer cont-tmf.zip and pdftex
1.11b) on SGI Irix because the Win32 PC's I tried did not survive the
experience.  At home I find TL2003 (same updates) works well on linux. The
unix systems don't let spaces into paths (and did fail in pre-release
testing if I tried to run in a directory like "a b").

I reported the above problem with the TL2003 pre-release tests.  Using the
current cont-tmf.zip gets you a TeXExec 4.0 that seems more robust, but
that could be because I also abandoned a configuration that puts spaces in
the paths (e.g., install to C:\TeXLive and set HOME=C:\Home).

One system (Win98) had problems with forward slashes in the argument to
perl's backtick, but then the hard disk failed and I've been waiting since
Sept. for the warranty replacement to arrive.  TeX Live 2003 texexec seems
to be hard on PC's -- maybe because when kpathsea fails texexec.pl
recursively searches the drive for the ini file.  In any case, after the
1st PC died I tried to install TL2003 on another machine which also failed
(terminal overheating) while creating formats after installing the fpTeX
updates.  Maybe cheap PC clones can't tolerate ls-R too many times in a
short time period.

btw -- before the machine died I did notice that the new version of fpTeX
has a 1.11b pdftex.

I've been asked to put TL2003 on a ThinkPad running XP -- hope it survives
the experience!

--
George N. White III  <aa056@chebucto.ns.ca>
  Head of St. Margarets Bay, Nova Scotia, Canada