[tex-live] TeX Live on usb drive

[Philip TAYLOR]

Manuel Pégourié-Gonnard wrote:
> cetex at didaskalikos.org a écrit :
>> I downloaded it, except 9 files protected with password.
> 
> ??? Very strange. No file is meant to be password-protected here.
> 
>> The download is
>> not very easy. Not all the mirrors admit the recursive (to forward)
>> download and I had problems when the server tried to download also the
>> "images" directory. Only a ftp client is capable, not wget.
>>
> The images directory is not under tlnet/2008. Probably something went wrong with
> the recursion and you ended up dowloading stuff outside tlnet.

I think perhaps Jerónimo didn't use "-np" ("no parent").
> 
>> The installation begins well, but if you want to install the complete
>> system, it stops at package "biblist" (one of these protected with
>> password and then not downloaded).
> 
> Which mirror did you use? There is probably something wrong with it. Or your ftp
> client tried too many connexions at one time and the mirror has a limit for
> anonymous connexions.
> 
>> The DVD is very big (I want distribute only a 2 Gb usb-drive) and I
>> cannot imagine which part to delete.

I seem to recall that one of my correspondents suggested that
the DVD was not the best way to install TeX Live, if one had
network access (because the DVD contains "run from DVD" stuff,
which is unnecessary if one is planning to install to hard
disc).

> Under bin, you can delete every architecture you won't use. Besides that, I
> don't think there is anything easy to delete.
> 
>> P.S.: My suggestion on facilitate the distribution was not superfluous,
>> I suppose.
> 
> Well, the problem is more the facilitate the download. In an ideal world with
> unlimited ressource, is would be possible to provide a big zip which you could
> just download on unzip on you USB key. But it would mean another 1.1G file on
> the CTAN (changing daily), just to solve the problem with your download tools
> and the drastic rules of your local network, and I doubt the CTANers want that.

What about on-the-fly ZIP compression : is that feasible ?

Anyhow, as I don't have TeX on this machine, I will
have a go at Wgetting all that is necessary (and
sufficient) and see if that throws up any of
Jerónimo's problems ...

** Phil.