TeXLive for Net/FreeBSD

[Nikola Lecic]

On Sat, 21 Jul 2007 21:27:52 +0100
"Edd Barrett" <vext01 at gmail.com> wrote:

> Sounds like you are planning on making a far more "fine grained" port
> than I have. Be warned it is a massive port that will drive you insane
> if you get too involved. I have my port in only 4 modules. Read the
> PDF I linked for more info.

Ok, I've taken a preliminary look. Let's consider XeTeX. Your base
sub-package includes XeTeX. But it can be simply compiled
--without-xetex.

Then XeTeX (a separate port) can be compiled from its standalone
repository (xetex-devel port) or from TL2007 sources (xetex port) and
then integrated.

If the base (your texmf-minimal) remains unchanged (as it was at the
time of TL2007 release) -- it will maybe need some patches for the files
outside xetexdir/, but nothing too difficult.

(I'm currently experimenting with patches for unified installation of
XeTeX-devel with both current TL trunk base and TL2007 base.)

The same for other packages with integrated --without-* possibility
(pdftex, omega, etex, musixflx..); the only concern is how much
patching their sources require and who is willing to maintain that.
This can be nicely done with XeTeX since Jonathan Kew always cares of TL
integration.

So this means that no massive complications must occur. What do you
think?

Nikola Lečić