[tex-live] minor problems with install-tl

[Werner LEMBERG]

> > During a train ride (with a slow internet connection which often
> > stalled because the mobile connection was changed again and again)
> 
> On an Austrian train by chance?

No, in Germany (from Koblenz to Dortmund).  I've used a data card from
a mobile phone company, not the WLAN of an ICE train.

> >   . The script searched for a CTAN host and downloaded the database
> >     before anything else.  This is bad, since later on it continued
> >     with text-only mode because perl-tk wasn't installed.  Any reason
> >     why the availability of perl-tk can't be checked immediately after
> >     the start?
> 
> There is absolutely *no* relation between these two things. Even if you
> immediately go into text mode it downloads the tlpdb first. 
> 
> I don't see your problem?

The problem is that the warning messages w.r.t. to Perl-Tk should
*immediately* appear after starting the script, before doing anything
else.  IMHO, it's always a good idea to check the prerequisites, then
proceed.  I've specifically asked for the GUI on the command line, and
the script should response to that request as soon as possible.

> > . Neither CTAN host searching nor downloading the database gets
> >   announced in advance.  With a bad connection it appears as if
> >   the
> 
> Well, if you want to install, then this database is needed,
> otherwise the installer *simply* cannot proceed, because all the
> information on what is available etc is in the database.  There is
> *no* information whatsoever stored in the installer itself.

Of course.  You've apparently completely misunderstood what I'm
complaining about.

> >   program hangs.  So please tell the user in advance what the
> >   script is doing.
> 
> Aehmm, why?  The installer already tries first all possible to avoid
> a network connection.  It checks for presence of the CD content (in
> archive/), then it checks for uncompressed files, and only if
> everything local did not succeed, it continues with the network
> installation.

If I start with -gui, I would like that a windows pops up immediately
(similar to, say, Emacs), and all future messages are echoed in that
window.  It would be fully sufficient to have something like this:

  > ./install-tl -gui

  <a window pops up>
  Searching CD...
  not found
  Searching uncompressed files...
  not found
  Searching host in internet...
  found `foobar'

  Downloading TeXLive repository database (this may take some time)...
  Done.

  ...

IMHO such messages are essential; they should be emitted even if I
don't activate a debug switch (at least for -gui).

> > . Please add a status bar which shows how much of the database has
> >   been downloaded.  Ideally, with -gui, this should already happen
> >   with a small GUI window.
> 
> Impossible. Downloading is down by wget, so we cannot easily provide
> a statusbar.

OK.


    Werner