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Directory systems/os2/web2c-6.1

readme
                               ,,,
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This directory contains WEB2C/2, a port of WEB2C to IBM OS/2.


Table of contents
=================

1  Copying conditions
2  System requirements
3  User requirements
4  Additional features
5  Installation
6  First tests
7  Performance improvements
8  The author


1  Copying conditions
=====================

WEB2C/2 is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it under
the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by the Free
Software Foundation; either version 2 of the License, or (at your option)
any later version.

WEB2C/2 is distributed in the hope that it will be useful, but WITHOUT
ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of MERCHANTABILITY or
FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.  See the GNU General Public License
for more details.

You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License along
with this program; if not, write to the Free Software Foundation, Inc.,
675 Mass Ave, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA.


2  System requirements
======================

The binary release of WEB2C/2 (see the `binary' subdirectory) requires
OS/2 2.0 or any later version.  The release was compiled with emx 0.9a
under OS/2 2.1 with optimization enabled for an i486 CPU.  Thus, you
have to install the emx runtime environment if you don't have it
already.

WEB2C/2 contains only the programs for TeX, METAFONT and friends.  There
are no fonts, TeX macros or pre-compiled format and base files.  WEB2C/2
is intended as a drop-in replacement for your current binaries.

Have a look at `tex-archive/systems/web2c/lib-<version>.tar.gz' on CTAN 
if you have no TeX infrastructure on your disk.


3  User requirements
====================

WEB2C/2 is no ready-to-run distribution for the reasons pointed out in
the previous section.  I think that this is the right way.  The only
non-portable files of a TeX system are the executables, the pool, format
and base files.  WEB2C/2 offers you pre-compiled executables, pool files
and `Makefile' files for building formats and bases.  Thus, you have all
you need for making TeX work.

So, get the packages *you* want to use, read the documentation coming
along with them, configure and install them, learn for what all these
files are good for and keep your system up-to-date yourself.  Don't wait
for someone else doing it for you.

You should also read the manual pages before you ask `how'.  That's why
they were written.  There is the German phrase `Lesen bildet' which
means `reading trains' in English -- 'nough said.


4  Additional features
======================

WEB2C/2 is as close to the original as possible (including support for
symbolic links -- you read right) but there are some enhancements due to
the differences between UN*X and OS/2:

* Backslashes as well as normal slashes may be used as directory
  separators in environment variables.

* Environment variables may be referenced as `%FOO%' beside the two
  UN*X styles `$FOO' and `${FOO}'.

* TeX and BibTeX can load a character translation table at runtime.
  See `$TEXMFROOT/keymaps/README' for details.


5  Installation
===============

Installing WEB2C/2 on a HPFS-drive is recommended.

Choose a directory prefix and change to that directory.  The binary
release was compiled with `/usr/local' but `/usr' and `/opt' are also
common choices.  All archives unpack their contents relative to the
current working directory.  First, unpack the whole stuff:

	$ mkdir /usr/local
	$ cd /usr/local
	$ unzip /foo/binary/web2c.zip
	$ unzip /foo/binary/kpathsea.zip
	$ unzip /foo/binary/symlink.zip

Fire up your editor if it is not already running and visit `config.sys'.
Include the file `/usr/local/lib/TeX+MF/etc/setenv.cmd' and change the
environment variables matching your setup.  Setting `TEXMFROOT' to, for
example `d:/usr/local/lib/TeX+MF' may do it on some systems.  The syntax
and the meaning of the variables are explained in the documentation for
the Kpathsearch Library (see the file `.../info/kpathsea.info').

Make sure that `/usr/local/bin' and `/usr/local/dll' are in your `PATH'
respectively `LIBPATH' -- `/usr/local/lib' should be in your `DPATH'.

Reboot your machine.

Don't forget to rebuild all your format and base files.  Note: sharable
format and base files load slower on little endian machines (especially
under OS/2, not noticeable under Linux) -- I have disabled it.


6  First tests
==============

If your old binaries are still in your `PATH', ensure that the new ones
in `/usr/local/bin' will be found first!

Try to build a format file now.  Say, e.g.,

	$ texmf formats
	$ initex "plain \dump"

If that works, try

	$ mv plain.fmt tex.fmt
	$ ln -s tex.fmt plain.fmt
	$ cd /usr/local/bin
	$ ln -t exec virtex.exe tex.exe

Do you know what you have just done?  `tex.exe' is a link to `virtex.exe'
causing `virtex.exe' to pre-load the file `tex.fmt' instead of the default
`plain.fmt'.  The file `plain.fmt' is a link to `tex.fmt' so that you can
still say `tex "&plain" foo' or `virtex foo'.  See the manual page of TeX
for more details.

Try these commands next:

	$ cd /tmp
	$ tex null
	This is TeX, Version 3.1415 (C version 6.1)
	(d:/usr/local/lib/TeX+MF/tex/plain/null.tex)
	*\end
	No pages of output.
	Transcript written on null.log.

Do you have the same output?  Congratulations, TeX is up and running!  Now
do something similar with METAFONT:

	$ texmf bases
	$ inimf "plain; input modes; dump"
	$ mv plain.base mf.base
	$ ln -s mf.base plain.base
	$ cd /usr/local/bin
	$ ln -t exec virmf.exe mf.exe
	$ cd /tmp
	$ mf smiley
	This is METAFONT, Version 2.71 (C version 6.1)
	(d:/usr/local/lib/TeX+MF/mf/local/smiley.mf [0])
	*end.
	Output written on smiley.2602gf (1 character, 248 bytes).
	Transcript written on smiley.log.

Do you see what?


7  Performance improvements
===========================

The programs itself are fast but you can slow down everything if you
miss-configure the environment variables for Kpathsea.  OS/2's file
systems are slow compared with those of most UN*X Systems.  So, avoid
heavy usage of `//' sequences in the middle of a path specification.
You should also maintain a `ls-R' database if you have lots of
subdirectories below `TEXMFROOT'.


8  The author
=============

WEB2C/2 was ported by Ralph Schleicher <rs@purple.in-ulm.de>.

   Voice: +49-7352-51322 (calling time doesn't matter)
    Data: +49-7352-7425, V32bis, V42bis, FAX
    UUCP: login `Unknown', send e-mail address as password,
	  request `~/WEB2C' for news about WEB2C/2

I don't use OS/2 any more.  I switched entirely to Linux in April 1994
but I am willing to maintain WEB2C/2 as long as future releases of OS/2
are compatible with my current installation.
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