[tug-board] distributing the CD as an image for download

Sebastian Rahtz sebastian.rahtz@computing-services.oxford.ac.uk
Wed, 30 Jun 1999 13:01:43 +0000 (GMT)


Karl Berry writes:
 > Sebastian, I think it's totally up to you.  You created the CD.

but I am thy servant a dog

 > We don't need to justify it.  We're volunteers.  What we do is up to us.
 > He doesn't have a `right' to the CD image, nor do we have an obligation
 > to provide it.
I didn't want to say that on c.t.t. as it makes TUG look aloof, as
usual. its true, of course

 > My biggest concern is the nonfree (defined exactly as I choose it to
 > mean :) stuff on TL4.  If we make the image available for easy anonymous
 > download, that's pretty much violating the terms of Deutsch/Gaulle/etc,
 > isn't it?
no, because its not being sold or distributed on  a CD. a .ISO file
is not really different from a .tar.gz file, after all

 > Since just this one person wants it (so far), we could *upload* the file
 > to him, personally, instead of putting it on a server.

to be honest, I can't be bothered, for this one person!

 >     Besides, surely the right way to distribute such a file would
 >     be via the CTAN network, rather than from a TUG box,
 > 
 > I don't think adding a multi-hundred-megabyte file to CTAN would be
 > appreciated, especially by the mirror sites.  If this is done, I think
 > it should be put in a place where it won't get replicated everywhere in
 > the world and not advertised very heavily (that is, not at all).

I am inclined to start a program of uploading an image file to
Cambridge only, if Robin is agreeable, and pointing people at it if
they ask. In any case, people on the tex-live list might like access
to TeX Live 4b for their own use. Robin, if you have some space, tell
me where to push to.

Sebastian