(tds.info)Introduction

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1 Introduction
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TeX is a powerful, flexible typesetting system used by many people
around the world.  It is extremely portable and runs on virtually all
operating systems.  One unfortunate side effect of TeX's flexibility,
however, is that there has been no single "right" way to install it.
This has resulted in many sites having different installed arrangements.

   The primary purpose of this document is to describe a standard TeX
Directory Structure (TDS): a directory hierarchy for macros, fonts, and
the other implementation-independent TeX system files.  As a matter of
practicality, this document also suggests ways to incorporate the rest
of the TeX files into a single structure.  The TDS has been designed to
work on all modern systems.  In particular, the Technical Working Group
(TWG) believes it is usable under MacOS, MS-DOS, OS/2, Unix, VMS, and
Windows NT.  We hope that administrators and developers of both free
and commercial TeX implementations will adopt this standard.

   This document is intended both for the TeX system administrator at a
site and for people preparing TeX distributions--everything from a
complete runnable system to a single macro or style file. It may also
help TeX users find their way around systems organized this way.  It is
not a tutorial: we necessarily assume knowledge of the many parts of a
working TeX system. If you are unfamiliar with any of the programs or
file formats we refer to, consult the references in Appendix Note:
Related references.

History

The role of the TDS

Conventions