[tex-live] Re: Bizarre perforce situation

[Sebastian Rahtz]

Gerben Wierda wrote:

>
> Sebastian, I desperately need the *source* of Sep 23, 2003 and/or the 
> *source* of Jan 6 2004. I do not mind that the current version of 
> source is a problem. I mind that I ask for the Sep 2003 version and I 
> do not get it. Is p4 a version control system or what?
>
I think I maybe did not read your message carefully enough. You are 
saying that when you do a sync
to a particular date you do not get the files you expect? when I do a 
sync of Build/source for files from Jan 6, I get
the source for pdftex 1.11b, as expected.  Are you saying that you don't?

of course, if you sync the Master/texmf tree for January 6th, you may or 
may not get the right answer. The Build/source and Master/texmf
trees are not formally in sync; and indeed probably never have been.

I am guessing that the source of your continued frustration with this 
system is that the thing
is not delivered as a unit, which all works together, but as two 
separately maintained trees which
may or may not work together at a particular time. Usually, this does 
not matter, but at a time
of serious changes in the programs which affect configuration files 
stored in the texmf tree then everything falls
to pieces.

The answer is, of course, to maintain the texmf/web2c directory in with 
the source, not with the genuinely system-independent
tree.

should we move to having one tree only for configuration files 
(including pool files)?

TeX has become a monster which simply devours its own vital organs.

Sebastian