On Thu, Jun 27, 2013 at 1:02 AM, Bill Meahan <subscribed_lists@meahan.net> wrote:

On 6/26/2013 6:24 PM, Hans Hagen wrote:

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If there is one thing I have learned in developing software since 1965 (not a typo), it is to never depend on any third-party application being present. If it is not part of the base system install, it probably won't be there. I've even met Unix systems without make. Requiring the user to use some flag or other seldom flies and results in many nastygrams and late-night phone calls. If you need it, include it.

yes , this is how currently the standalone core context --- and in the end, also the texlive -- works, with the constrain that

it has to work with the same results on several different platforms.

This means that the viewer cannot be part of the core -- it's the same situation of inkscape for svg.

But instead of give no support at all sometime is better to give some support, if possibile -- for example if it's easy to install a pdf viewer or inkscape.

--
luigi