[tex-live] Proposal for collection reorganization

[Hans Hagen]

Frank � wrote:
> karl at freefriends.org (Karl Berry) wrote:
>
>   
>>     Separating such things makes sense, too, doesn't it?
>>
>> Not entirely, not to me.
>>
>> So now when a Debian user wants to write a TUGboat paper, they would
>> have to figure out what collection it's in and install that separately.
>> This general problem of installing minimal/basic/small distributions and
>> then forcing users to figure out which additional packages have to be
>> downloaded in order to get their work done has probably frustrated more
>> people than any other single thing about TeX installations.  Isn't
>> letting people get their work done without fuss more important?
>>     
>
> On the other hand, complaints are also frequently made by Debian users
> that packages are too large, contain useless cruft, and force one to
> download only the important things manually from CTAN.
>
> But I don't have a strong opinion here, do what you think good.
>   
from the perspective of support (by usergroups, on tex related lists etc) i'd suggest to make packages not too small; otherwise one ends up with 'do you have this installed' kind of support with all related problem of users trying to locate what is missing 

(i think that open office would not be used that much if users had to install it in pieces or answer questions when installing; they just accept this 80 meg zip which expands to a few hundred meg; the same for compiling some simple prog on linux: if i have to install 60 meg kernel stuff because it's needed to resolve whatever needs to be resolved, who am i to complain; and i'm not even talking about updating 80% of a system in order to run a rdcent prog that demands the whole lot related to graphics to be updated too); nowadays a couple of uploads of one's vacation trip pictures takes much more than the average tex distribution; actually, if we could (snd some day will) run directly from zip files, nobody will notice the many files) 

Hans 


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