[NTG-context] How can I use ConTeXt from TeXLive2020 ?

[Otared Kavian]

Hi Hans,

Thanks for your explanations, which clarify why sometimes ConTeXt may not work straight of TeXLive.
Nevertheless I will contact the people who maintain MacTeX in order for them to be aware of the issue I encounter, so that hopefully in the future releases people would be able to use ConTeXt from MacTeX.

Best regards: Otared

> On 11 Aug 2020, at 17:25, Hans Hagen <j.hagen at xs4all.nl> wrote:
> 
> Hi,
> 
> A few remarks.
> 
> In a mkiv luatex setup there are (on a unix system):
> 
>  luatex  : binary
>  mtxrun  : a copy of mtxrun.lua
>  context : a shell script starting mtxrun
> 
> Now, the problem there is that these shebang lines are limited, i.e. there is no way to pass an argument and we need to start luatex in lua mode. This is why the program refered to is texlua which is a copy of or symlink to luatex and when called with that name it knows that it has to start in lua mode.
> 
> On windows there are two small stubs: mtxrun.exe and context.exe an both will start luatex (no need for texlua there) with the same script etc.
> 
> In a luametatex setup we have a uniform and simpler model.
> 
>  luametatex   : binary
>  mtxrun       : a copy of luametex or symlink to it
>  context      : a copy of luametex or symlink to it
>  mtxrun.lua   : used when mtxrun is started
>  context.lua  : used when context is started
> 
> So, here the 'context' link (or copy) from it's name knows to start in lua mode and load context.lua (which actually loads mtxrun.lua + mtx-context.lua). It's the same on all platforms.
> 
> Now, already long ago we ditched all other stubs simply because given the amount of scripts in a tex live setup it's a recipe for clashes (scripts also have to compete with programs / scripts  installed as part of the os and other programs so even more opportunity for clashes). We just use
> 
>  mtxrun --script ...
> 
> instead (and texmfstart in a mkii setup).
> 
> These models cannot be mixed, which is why in a luametatex lmtx setup we use "context --luatex" to start mkiv, where luametatex is the runner.
> 
> Hans
> 
> ps. I remember the times that context was considered bad because it needed a runner, read: a script was part of the deal and a tex run should not have such a depedency; the need to install perl or ruby was seen as a shortcoming. We also used scripts to generate font metric files (context didn't depend on other programs for toc and index generation and had just one auxiliary file). But times have changed and scripts are now hip and modern in the tex ecosysystem, which is why we basically limit ourselves to just 'context' and 'mtxrun' and start all the other context related scripts indirectly.
> 
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>                                          Hans Hagen | PRAGMA ADE
>              Ridderstraat 27 | 8061 GH Hasselt | The Netherlands
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