[tex-live] General test suite for TeX-Live

[Karl Berry]

    > * Convert generated file to image and run imagemagick to collect
    > * statistical data.

FWIW,I have done some image comparisons over the years using imagemagick
(there are some excellent web pages from anthony thyssen about it), and
I am extremely skeptical that statistical image comparison will work.

    jw> I'd strongly suggest taking a look over l3build 

FWIW, I fully agree.  l3build is the way!

    km> using ImageMagick to split a multi-page PDF into individual page images

Imagemagick just delegates to gs for PDF operations, as far as I know.
Personally, I'd just use gs directly.  It could also be done with
pdf(la)tex itself, e.g., with the pdfjam scripts for convenience.
If it's really needed to split PDF output in the first place, which is
certainly premature to be discussing.

    km> when my own tests run from a Makefile hang in TeX I have to key 'x'

Aside, but FWIW, alternatives:
tex '\nonstopmode\input ...'
or -interaction=nonstopmode, 
or </dev/null.

(I run TeX from a Makefile 99% of the time, and I never want interaction.)

k