If you don't want to read the documentation and just want to install everything in TeX Live, on a Unix-like system, a minimal recipe follows. Special considerations for Windows are described separately. For MacOSX, we recommend installing MacTeX, which contains all of TeX Live (and a few Mac-specific additions).
A separate page describes how to acquire the software. It boils down to getting the DVD from a TeX user group (ideally by becoming a member), or through various download methods.
You do not need to be root (administrator on Windows) to install, run, or manage TeX Live. We strongly recommend installing it as a normal user.
Once you have the software, run the install-tl script to install (comments are in italics):
cd /your/download/directory ./install-tl d (directory settings) 1 /usr/local/texlive/2008 (your installation directory) 2 /usr/local/texlive/texmf-local (your local hierarchy) r (return to main menu) i (install)
If you don't like the command line, you run install-tl -gui for a GUI installation. You need to have the Perl/Tk package installed for this.
It can take an hour or more to copy all the files, depending on the installation method. If you are downloading over the network, you may want to choose a specific CTAN mirror and then run install-tl --location http://mirror.example.org/its/ctan/path/texlive/tlnet/2008 instead of relying on the automatic redirection. Run install-tl --help for a list of all options.
You don't need to change the installation directories if this is a first-time install, or the defaults shown above (/usr/local/texlive/2008 and /usr/local/texlive/texmf-local) are acceptable to you.
Then, except on Windows, you must add the TeX Live binary directory
to your PATH:
PATH=/usr/local/texlive/2008/bin/i386-linux:$PATH
(Use the syntax for your shell, your own chosen directory, and your
own system name instead of i386-linux.)
The default is to configure for A4 paper. To make the default be 8.5x11 letter-size paper, you can use the ‘o’ command before i(nstalling), or run tlmgr paper letter after installation (and setting your PATH).
Multiple TeX distributions: only one TeX distribution can be active at a time, because all the TeX distributions use the search path to find their programs. This means that to switch from one TeX to another, e.g., between the native TeX Live and a TeX provided by your operating system, you must (at least) change the search path.
Please email bug reports or suggestions (mailing list info and archive). You can read the documentation for more details.