TEXMFHOME should default to $XDG_DATA_HOME/texmf or ~/.texmf

[Paul Natsuo Kishimoto]

Binary package hint: texlive-base

The file /etc/texmf/texmf.d/05TeXMF.cnf contains the following lines:

% User texmf trees are allowed as follows.
% This used to be HOMETEXMF.
TEXMFHOME = $HOME/texmf

...which requires a user to create a non-hidden directory 'texmf' in their home directory in order to override the Ubuntu TeXLive packages with newer versions.

A better choice would be $HOME/.texmf. Better still, something complying with http://standards.freedesktop.org/basedir-spec/latest/, for example $XDG_DATA_HOME/texmf.

$ lsb_release -rd && apt-cache policy texlive-base
Description: Ubuntu lucid (development branch)
Release: 10.04
texlive-base:
  Installed: 2009-7
  Candidate: 2009-7
  Version table:
 *** 2009-7 0
        500 http://utormirror.utoronto.ca/ubuntu/ lucid/main Packages
        100 /var/lib/dpkg/status

[Siep Kroonenberg (siepo)]

TEXMFHOME is for user macros and -fonts, not for generated files. So you want it to be a visible directory.

Generated files DO go to hidden directories, i.e. $HOME/.texmf-var and $HOME/.texmf-config.

[Siep Kroonenberg (siepo)]

Re-reading the original bug report, I realize that the writer really wants a texmf directory with fonts and macros to be hidden.

So let me just add that the choice of $HOME/texmf conforms with upstream, and that I personally wouldn't want this directory to be hidden.