Installing on Mac--MacTex vs. BasicTex

[Bob Alvarez]

I am installing Lyx 1.6.9 on a Macbook Air OSX 10.6 . Looking through
the instructions I was dismayed to see that I may have to install the
1.6 GB MacTex package. This machine only has a 64 GB drive so this is
quite a lot of overhead not to mention that the download will take many
hours on my basic DSL connection.

The Wiki suggests BasicTex but this thread suggests that is a bad idea
http://www.mail-archive.com/lyx-***@lists.lyx.org/msg78404.html

Questions:
1. Has anyone had success installing and using Lyx with BasicTex (I am
mainly interested in koma-script article document class)?

2. Any ideas on using an external USB drive to hold the installation
package and then selecting the components I need for Lyx?

3. Any other ideas on how to reduce the drive space requirement?

TIA

Bob

[BH]

I am installing Lyx 1.6.9 on a Macbook Air OSX 10.6 .  Looking through the
instructions I was dismayed to see that I may have to install the 1.6 GB
MacTex package. This machine only has a 64 GB drive so this is quite a lot
of overhead not to mention that the download will take many hours on my
basic DSL connection.
The Wiki suggests BasicTex but this thread suggests that is a bad idea
1. Has anyone had success installing and using Lyx with BasicTex (I am
mainly interested in koma-script article document class)?
2. Any ideas on using an external USB drive to hold the installation package
and then selecting the components I need for Lyx?
3. Any other ideas on how to reduce the drive space requirement?

I haven't used BasicTeX myself, but I believe it will work together
with TeX Live Utility.app, which will allow you selectively to add
other LaTeX packages that BasicTeX itself does not include. It may be
a pain to track down packages you need but don't have and then to
install them, but if you're willing to put in that effort, BasicTeX
may be for you.

I believe (2) will not work: when installing the full MacTeX package,
it's pretty much all or nothing. (But I'm going from memory of
something I didn't pay attention to when installing MacTeX a long time
ago.)

BH

[Joachim Osnabryg]

Post by Bob Alvarez
I am installing Lyx 1.6.9 on a Macbook Air OSX 10.6 .

Quite interesting for me. I'm thinking over a change to Macbook
Air for having a lightweight and smaller computing possibility
when travelling.

Post by Bob Alvarez
The Wiki suggests BasicTex but this thread suggests that is a bad idea

My article you pointed to was more meant to encourage the use of

Post by Bob Alvarez
For not to praise the day before eve, I don't exclude other
frustrating experiences with the method "BasicTeX and
additional packages on demand", but in the moment I'm
confident in having got with three days of work a very smaller
TeXLive installation, usable also with LyX.

I'm using »LyX with BasicTeX and additionel (LaTeX) packages on
demand« all the time since then (Dec 2009) with success, also
with BasicTeX 2011 and LyX 2.0.

But every now and then it is still somewhat difficult to
interprete the LaTeX error messages and to find out what's the
correct name of the package I have to install with tlmgr.

Post by Bob Alvarez
1. Has anyone had success installing and using Lyx with BasicTex
(I am mainly interested in koma-script article document class)?

Me, as I write above.

Joachim
--
BacicTeX 2010 Mac - LyX 2.0.0 - TeXShop 2.36
MacBook Pro OSX 10.6.5 Snow Leopard intel