Subject: packages for LaTeX styles, etc.
To: None <tech-pkg@netbsd.org>
From: None <brook@biology.nmsu.edu>
List: tech-pkg
Date: 10/30/2002 11:37:46
I am building some packages for various LaTeX styles to augment the
set distributed with teTeX.  Ultimately, it might be worth
consolidating certain sets of such things together into some larger
add-on packages, but for now I'm starting with a few small packages.

The basic installation procedure requires not only moving the files
into place within the texmf/tex/latex/... filesystem but also running
texhash, which updates the cache of all valid installed files (the
ls-lR file at the root of the teTeX filesystem).

The design question is the following:

- should the post-install target run texhash automatically or should
  there be a MESSAGE file instructing users to run it by hand?

Note that the latex binary is required for building anyway, because
the style files must be created from the distributed files using
latex.  Because texhash is part of the package that contains latex,
there are no new dependencies introduced.  The issue is more one of
whether people are comfortable with launching the texhash process
automatically or whether that should be done manually.

Any guidance is welcome.

Cheers,
Brook