[tex-live] tl09 release status: coming up

[Robin Fairbairns]

C.M. Connelly <cmc at math.hmc.edu> wrote:

> "SK" == Siep Kroonenberg <siepo at cybercomm.nl>
> "JW" == Joseph Wright
> 
>     JW> (On the other hand, *why* the TL team wanting installation
>     JW> are not to run as Administrator? The usual rule is install
>     JW> as Admin, use as a non-privileged user. I don't quite get
>     JW> this.)
> 
>     SK> E.g. if you sysadmin doesn't give you enough rights on
>     SK> your computer.
> 
> I can assure you that if one of my users installed TeX Live in
> their own account, I would be very, very unhappy with them, and
> I'm fairly sure I speak for most sysadmins.

depends what you mean by "their own account" (it's ambiguous).

of one of my users were to try and install it somewhere in hir home
directory space, they would run up against the buffers of file quota
rather quickly, i imagine.  i wouldn't mind in the slightest if they
chose to install it on scratch space on their own computer ... except
insofar as they failed to install it and expected me to pick up the
pieces.

it may be different in other departments, but i understood that computer
science people in the states typically have more freedom still than
those in the computer lab here.

we expect these people to be sensible.  mostly they are, and many who
don't like swimming out of their depth do come and ask, but the
occasional one takes great advantage of the rope we provide and does a
good job of hanging hirself.  we come along, then, and cut them down.
and ask what they _thought_ they were doing.  (occasionally that sort of
thing provides input for the faq...)

> Definitely make it
> easy to use from a DVD or USB drive, but please *don't* make it
> easy to install in individuals' accounts.

damnably difficult -- you have to tread a path between usability (in any
sense) and discouraging some people.  personally, i would prefer the
team to err on the side of usability: i'm no superman, and i don't want
to spend my time wrestling with one of those stupid knots tied by so
many software package designers.

robin