Gentoo Archives: gentoo-user

From: pk <peterk2@××××××××.se>
To: gentoo-user@l.g.o
Subject: Re: [gentoo-user] plainTeX instead of LaTeX
Date: Sun, 28 Jun 2009 21:05:57
Message-Id: 4A47DB2C.4070009@coolmail.se
In Reply to: Re: [gentoo-user] plainTeX instead of LaTeX by meino.cramer@gmx.de
1 meino.cramer@×××.de wrote:
2
3 > ...and dont forget to do a
4 >
5 > ls -R . > ls-R
6 >
7 > in the according root directory, from where are all
8 > *.fmt are installed, otherwise kpathsea will fail to find the file.
9
10 Oh yeah, forgot about that.
11
12 > But what was the idea behind "tex" to behave like compiling/texing
13 > for /LaTeX/ instead of plain TeX? This is the first time, when I
14 > have to call virtex to compile/tex for plain tex format...
15 >
16 > Even the manpages say:
17 >
18 > This version of TeX looks at its command line to see what name it
19 > was called under. If they exist, then both initex and virtex are
20 > symbolic links to the tex executable. When called as initex (or
21 > when the -ini option is given) it can be used to precompile macros
22 > into a .fmt file. When called as virtex it will use the plain
23 > format. When called under any other name, TeX will use that name
24 > as the name of the format to use. i
25 >
26 > (But:)
27 > For example, when called as tex the tex format is used, which
28 > is identical to the plain format. The commands defined by
29 > the plain format are documented in The TeX for nroffbook.
30 > Other formats that are often available include latex and
31 > amstex.
32 >
33 > So, there seems something non-standard or my installation git rotten
34 > regarding this...
35
36 Well, if possible, you could always try this on another system, to see
37 if it's unique to your machine...
38
39 > Normally initex is used to create *.fmt files. And virtex (from virgin
40 > tex) is the one which does it works without any tex format -- the
41 > way to write in "TeX assembler" so to say...
42 >
43 > Myterious the world we live in, mysterious the way we go...
44
45 Couldn't agree more. :-)
46
47 MfG
48
49 Peter K