[tex-live] documentation of TeX Live

Reinhard Kotucha reinhard.kotucha at googlemail.com
Mon May 11 23:43:39 CEST 2015


Hi Jean-François,
it's true that the installer is described more elaborately than other
things in The TeX Live Guide because this is the only document people
read before they install TL.  Once TeX Live is installed, more
documentation is available via texdoc, man, info, and <progname> --help.

I think that The TeX Live Guide shouldn't try to explain everything
in detail but tell people how to get further information.

On 2015-05-11 at 16:29:03 +0200, jfbu wrote:

 >  - if possible, include some more details on the (mostly font related)
 >  area where Mac OS X differs from GNU/Linux,

I'm on Linux and thus don't know whether relevant points regarding OS
X are missing.

Windows definitely needs extra documentation due to significant
differences.  Not only the system is completely different but there
are replacements for some programs which are ubiquitous on Unix
systems but not available on Windows, etc.

 >  - detail tlmgr use as comprehensively as has been done for the 
 > installation process itself

As I said before, the installation process has to be explained in detail
because at this stage no other documentation is available.  Instead of
mentioning some of tlmgr's features, I'm convinced that users benefit
more when pointed to the complete documentation (tlmgr --help;
texdoc tlmgr; man tlmgr).

 >  - move a large portion of the Web2C/kpathsea documentation to a
 > separate documentation for "system administrators and developers"

Full documentation can be accessed easily as PDF when TL is installed
(texdoc web2c; texdoc kpathsea).  And The TeX Live Guide contains
links to the HTML docs @tug.org already.

Do you ask for duplication because The TeX Live Guide is translated to
other languages?  I don't know whether developers really need these
translations.  Computers speak English.  If documentation is needed in
other languages though, it makes more sense to me to translate the
original texinfo sources instead, not only excerpts.

If we want that people read the document at all, it shouldn't be too
big.  Ideally it explains what users have to know before TL is
installed and how to get additional information later.  But links to
stuff @tug.org are ok.

IMO texdoc could be metioned more often in the document.  I fear that
still many users aren't aware of it.  This is a real pity.

Regards,
  Reinhard

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