Re: tetex-beta nitpicking [WAS: Re: no more package moratorium?]

[Markus Hoenicka <Markus.Hoenicka@uth.tmc.edu>]

Charles Wilson writes:
 > > You can't even install MiKTeX unless you run the latest Windows or the
 > > latest Internet Explorer.
 > 
 > Are you saying MikTeX only works on WXP?  WRONG.  I've run MikTeX 2.1 on
 > W98, WNT, W2K (and have no reason to assume it won't work under WMe.) 
 > Now, I'm not arguing against tetex, but let's confine the arguments to
 > factual ones, not FUD.
 > 
 > Are you saying MikTeX only works with IE6.0?  Again, WRONG. I've used
 > MikTeX with IE5.0, 5.5, 5.5sp1, and 5.5sp2.  If you wish to keep your
 > IE4, then you can download the appropriate DLLs that enable the setup
 > engine separately -- details given at the MikTeX website.
 > 
 > Again, stick to facts, not FUD.
 > 

Ok, "latest" was a bit of an exaggeration. Fact is that the MiKTeX
installer needs versions of Windows DLLs which are *not* in e.g. a
WinNT4 installation up to Service Pack 5 (the latest that I've
installed). I bet it won't work on Win95 either. The MiKTeX maintainer
used to distribute these DLLs but he does so no more. You wrongly
assume that everyone happily uses Internet Explorer, so this is not a
reasonable path to provide the missing DLLs. So on an older Windows
system *without* Internet Explorer MiKTeX will not install. Period.

(Please excuse my rants about MiKTeX. IMHO it is bad software design
to couple a widely ported software like TeX to the Windows/IE update
spiral by means of the installation software. The Cygwin and fpTeX
installers show that this is not necessary)

regards,
Markus

-- 
Markus Hoenicka, PhD
UT Houston Medical School
Dept. of Integrative Biology and Pharmacology
6431 Fannin MSB4.114
Houston, TX 77030
(713) 500-6313, -7477
(713) 500-7444 (fax)
Markus.Hoenicka@uth.tmc.edu
http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/hoenicka_markus/


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