Decision Guidance ⇒ latex installation

[jrayner]

After upgrading from Fedora 38 to 39 latex gave an error.

The following is from testing a latex example, paper.tex, which
came from the internet.

--------
~$ latex paper.tex

This is pdfTeX, Version 3.141592653-2.6-1.40.25 (TeX Live 2023)
(preloaded format=latex)
restricted \write18 enabled.

kpathsea: Running mktexfmt latex.fmt
"wndws" is not exported by the TeXLive::TLUtils module
Can't continue after import errors at /usr/bin/mktexfmt line 45.
BEGIN failed--compilation aborted at /usr/bin/mktexfmt line 45.
I can't find the format file `latex.fmt'!
-----------

Next I tried installing texlive using "texlive-scheme-full" but I note that
there is no "latex" or "pdftex" in /bin.

Any suggestions?

[Stefan Kottwitz]

Welcome to the forum!

Perhaps try texconfig rehash or sudo texconfig rehash.

Stefan

[jrayner]

Just had covid so am only now back on-line. Thank you but unfortunately your suggestion did not solve my problem. I tried completely re-installing texlive using "dnf install texlive-scheme-full" from Fedora 39 and may have overwritten something. I even tried saving "latex" and "pdftex" before removing them in /usr/bin and went through the dnf command again. They were not re-installed by the above dnf command so put them back. Should I try to re-install from scratch, i.e. directly from LATEX site? That seems like a major job!

[Stefan Kottwitz]

You could give it a try... here is a Linux guide for installing TeX Live. Doesn't look hard, if you know some basics such as setting the PATH variable. If you do it, perhaps uninstall the Fedora TeX version first.

Stefan

[jrayner]

Thank you, Stefan, for your help but the install does not work. There appears to be a conflict between this installed system and what is already in my computer.

The download finished with:
vvvvvvvvvv
Installing [4624/4624, time/total: 03:42:57/03:42:57]: zztex [147k]
Time used for installing the packages: 3:42:59
running mktexlsr /usr/local/texlive/2023/texmf-dist ...
^^^^^^^^^^
After several lines of output this follows:
vvvvvvvvvv
resolvers | globbing | confusing filename, name: 'custMatTransform.py', lower: 'custmattransform.py', already: 'CustMatTransform.py'
^^^^^^^^^^
plus many many more "confusing" lines, and then multiple copies of those lines, ending with:
vvvvvvvvvv
finished with package-specific postactions
Welcome to TeX Live!
^^^^^^^^^^
and
Some instructions

When I tried testing "latex paper" from paper.tex (1145) it produced "paper aux"(32) "paper dvi"(3420) and "paper log"(3489). "okular paper.dvi" flashes a blank screen. There appears nothing unusual in log.

Perhaps there is something obvious here but at 87 my mind is not as agile as when I started using GNU/Linux 30 years ago.

[Stefan Kottwitz]

Can you post the paper.log file here as an attachment? The attachments link is below the text edit field, when writing a post.

Stefan

[jrayner]

The log file for "latex" attempt discussed in last post:
This is pdfTeX, Version 3.141592653-2.6-1.40.25 (TeX Live 2023) (preloaded format=latex 2023.12.26) 26 DEC 2023 05:53
entering extended mode
restricted \write18 enabled.
%&-line parsing enabled.
**paper.tex
(./paper.tex
LaTeX2e <2023-11-01>
L3 programming layer <2023-12-11>
(/usr/local/texlive/2023/texmf-dist/tex/latex/base/article.cls
Document Class: article 2023/05/17 v1.4n Standard LaTeX document class
(/usr/local/texlive/2023/texmf-dist/tex/latex/base/size12.clo
File: size12.clo 2023/05/17 v1.4n Standard LaTeX file (size option)
)
\c@part=\count187
\c@section=\count188
\c@subsection=\count189
\c@subsubsection=\count190
\c@paragraph=\count191
\c@subparagraph=\count192
\c@figure=\count193
\c@table=\count194
\abovecaptionskip=\skip48
\belowcaptionskip=\skip49
\bibindent=\dimen140
)
(/usr/local/texlive/2023/texmf-dist/tex/latex/tree-dvips/lingmacros.sty
\c@enums=\count195
\widelabel=\dimen141
\c@tempcnt=\count196
\c@enumsi=\count197
\eeindent=\dimen142
)
(/usr/local/texlive/2023/texmf-dist/tex/latex/tree-dvips/tree-dvips.sty
tree-dvips version .91 of May 16, 1995
\nodemargin=\dimen143
\treelinewidth=\dimen144
\dashlength=\dimen145
\arrowwidth=\dimen146
\arrowlength=\dimen147
\arrowinset=\dimen148
\pos@t=\toks17
\pos@b=\toks18
\pos@l=\toks19
\pos@r=\toks20
\pos@tl=\toks21
\pos@tr=\toks22
\pos@bl=\toks23
\pos@br=\toks24
\@arrow=\count198
\@tempdimc=\dimen149
) (/usr/local/texlive/2023/texmf-dist/tex/latex/l3backend/l3backend-dvips.def
File: l3backend-dvips.def 2023-11-09 L3 backend support: dvips
\l__pdf_internal_box=\box51
\g__pdf_backend_object_int=\count199
\l__pdf_backend_content_box=\box52
\l__pdf_backend_model_box=\box53
\g__pdf_backend_annotation_int=\count266
\g__pdf_backend_link_int=\count267
\g__pdf_backend_link_sf_int=\count268
)
(./paper.aux)
\openout1 = `paper.aux'.

LaTeX Font Info: Checking defaults for OML/cmm/m/it on input line 4.
LaTeX Font Info: ... okay on input line 4.
LaTeX Font Info: Checking defaults for OMS/cmsy/m/n on input line 4.
LaTeX Font Info: ... okay on input line 4.
LaTeX Font Info: Checking defaults for OT1/cmr/m/n on input line 4.
LaTeX Font Info: ... okay on input line 4.
LaTeX Font Info: Checking defaults for T1/cmr/m/n on input line 4.
LaTeX Font Info: ... okay on input line 4.
LaTeX Font Info: Checking defaults for TS1/cmr/m/n on input line 4.
LaTeX Font Info: ... okay on input line 4.
LaTeX Font Info: Checking defaults for OMX/cmex/m/n on input line 4.
LaTeX Font Info: ... okay on input line 4.
LaTeX Font Info: Checking defaults for U/cmr/m/n on input line 4.
LaTeX Font Info: ... okay on input line 4.
LaTeX Font Info: External font `cmex10' loaded for size
(Font) <10.95> on input line 17.
LaTeX Font Info: External font `cmex10' loaded for size
(Font) <8> on input line 17.
LaTeX Font Info: External font `cmex10' loaded for size
(Font) <6> on input line 17.
[1

] (./paper.aux)
***********
LaTeX2e <2023-11-01>
L3 programming layer <2023-12-11>
***********
)
Here is how much of TeX's memory you used:
600 strings out of 474176
11012 string characters out of 5745688
1931454 words of memory out of 5000000
22964 multiletter control sequences out of 15000+600000
563273 words of font info for 53 fonts, out of 8000000 for 9000
1141 hyphenation exceptions out of 8191
35i,9n,50p,158b,277s stack positions out of 10000i,1000n,20000p,200000b,200000s

Output written on paper.dvi (1 page, 3420 bytes).

[jrayner]

I had a problem with latex installed from your site. The test .tex file dvi output file would not display. I answered Stefan's request for the log for that attempt in late December but have had no reply. What should I do? Thanks. John

[Stefan Kottwitz]

Hi John,

Output written on paper.dvi (1 page, 3420 bytes).

there's a DVI file produced; perhaps attach it here? Also, attach the paper.tex file so we can see what it is, it could have a problem, as it's just some example file from the internet that could be outdated.
Also, you could run pdfLaTeX, that created a .pdf file instead of .dvi with the traditional LaTeX, perhaps that process or Okular has an issue.

Stefan

[jrayner]

Thank you for all your help. I've solved my problem but unfortunately cannot explain how. Over the last month I tried multiple alternatives including a new install of LaTeX which did not appear to work. I've also updated my version of Fedora 39 whose upgrade from 38 to 39 created the problem in the first place. I have a suspicion that the solution was in the latter.
Again, I appreciate all the comments.