[tex-live] TeX install on single-layer DVD

[Klaus Hoeppner]

Hi,

2009/9/17 Philip TAYLOR <P.Taylor at rhul.ac.uk>:
> With all due respect, Tomek, an ISO image is not what Gianluca
> is asking for.  He wrote (in part) "This way I could duplicate
> the DVD and give copies around, also to students that are not
> computer-savvy."  To a student who is not "computer savvy",
> an ISO image is of little use; what he (or she) needs is
> a DVD that can be inserted into the machine, and which will
> talk the user through whatever further steps are necessary.

Anyone can burn the TL iso on a single layer dvd and duplicate it as
often as he wants, so it is sufficient that _one_ person knows how to
burn an iso image and distribute it. It is even possible to use the
TeX collection DVD, create an own iso image just constisting of the
texlive and protext subdirectories that easily fits on a single layer
dvd (though one has to be aware of rockridge and joliet extensions for
a multi os dvd, I would recommend to create it under linux/unix and
ask someone for the correct command line switches for mkisofs).

But what shall we do? TL is 2.5 GB, MacTeX about the same, proTeXt
about 700 MB, so about 5.7 GB without any bit of CTAN. So either we
can't produce a single layer DVD or we have to give up the concept of
TeX collection or we have to produce 2 single layer dvd or a double
sided dvd. The last option will simply double the price of the
production and cause in detail thinking about how to split the stuff
in to parts. That isn't impossible, but the whole production plan both
from technical as economical point of view has to start from zero.