Re: TeXLive for Net/FreeBSD

[Nikola Lecic <nlecic%EUnet.yu@localhost>]

Hello Edd,

On Sat, 21 Jul 2007 20:07:46 +0100
"Edd Barrett" <vext01%gmail.com@localhost> wrote:

> Hi,
> 
> Firstly I would like to apologise for the cross-post.  I wouldn't
> usually do this, but as the message for both lists is identical, It
> would have looked like a cross post (even if it wasn't)...

Ok, I'm adding Hiroki Sato (hrs@), AFAIK he is currently doing on
porting TeXLive to FreeBSD (according to freebsd-ports@ archive).

> I have just finished porting TeXLive (A modern TeX distribution to
> replace the old teTeX port) to OpenBSD. During the porting process I
> documented the how/why and what's of the port; a) So that I can
> remember how to do it when the next release of texlive comes out and
> b) So that the other BSD's might find the information useful for a
> port as our ports (or pkgsrc for NetBSD) systems are similar(ish).

Yes, I saw this on texlive mailing list, excellent job! I'd like to ask
Hiroki Sato, you and everyone interested/involved in this (and I'm not
fluent in OpenBSD ports interface...) for their opinion regarding to
what extent are parts of TeXLive (or are about to be) modularised --
i.e. how the new releases of TeXLive elements (e.g. ConTeXt, XeTeX) can
be integrated?

I use this opportunity to offer a help; I'm particularly interested in
XeTeX-related stuff (xetex, (lib)icu-xetex, (lib)graphite-engine,
xdvipdfmx) since I use it. For example, development version of xetex
(currently not in TeXLive source) includes support for Graphite. I'd
like to see (or maybe to maintain, test, or whatever) a xetex-devel
port, that can replace standard xetex port (as it is the case with many
other applications).

> There is a whole load of information and source code relating to the
> OpenBSD port on my webpage
> (http://students.dec.bmth.ac.uk/ebarrett/texlive/).

Just one more question, why do you call TeXLive "LaTeX distribution"? I
think that LaTeX is just one part, and by no means the central one.

I'm now going to read your document more carefully.

Nikola Lečić