[tex-live] install-tl-windows.bat unavailable in Microsoft Store

[George N. White III]

On Sat, 8 Dec 2018 at 03:34, Denis Bitouzé <denis.bitouze at univ-littoral.fr>
wrote:

> Le 07/12/18 à 21h01, David Carlisle a écrit :
>
> > On Fri, 7 Dec 2018 at 20:45, Denis Bitouzé
> > <denis.bitouze at univ-littoral.fr> wrote:
> >>
> >> Le 08/12/18 à 00h13, Norbert Preining a écrit :
> >>
> >> > On Fri, 07 Dec 2018, Denis Bitouzé wrote:
> >> >> > [...]  I think this is just a stupid dead-end of Microsoft trials.
> >> >>
> >> >> I don't see what you mean here.
> >> >
> >> > MS is trying to lock users into the MS Store by this. But due to the
> >> > limited software, most users will need to "leave the S-mode", which
> >> > makes it a useless complication.
>

According to <
https://www.pcworld.com/article/3212258/windows/windows-10-s-review.html>,
S-mode will be preinstalled on some low-end systems that target students.

S-mode smells of a desperate move to counter inroads by chromebook
in schools, so it is not about "most users", but more the hope that the
numbers
of school users will increase.  It could also be popular for call centers,
payroll,
finance, hospitals, real estate and legal offices, etc. that suffer during
World
Cup football and Olympics when employees slurp up malware.


> >>
> >> I see. I fully agree.
> >> --
> >> Denis
> >>
> > the S mode isn't really aimed at readers of this list but I don't
> > think we need to be negative about it, Operating system isn't always
> > an end user choice.


> I think we need to be negative if it is so much constraining.
>

It is a fact of life.     Readers of this list probably won't choose
S-mode, but may encounter it when students or colleagues
show up with chromebook-class Windows systems.

 I don't recall seeing a "System Requirements" section in the
TL installation pages, perhaps because, until now,  few
current systems couldn't support some configuration of TL.   If
Microsoft is successful at making inroads into the Chromebook
market, some warning that TL can't be installed will be needed.
https://latex.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=26009 mentions options,
either a web-based TeX system or by installing a linux distro.
It would be helpful to have a section on chromebook-class
systems with pointers to web-based TeX systems.


> > Even if it is  a user choice, if someone buys something like a surface
> > go with a locked down s mode operating system and no commandline
> > possibilities and very few possibilities for installing software,
> > telling them to disable s mode may not be the best advice if they
> > don't want a commandline,
>

Large organizations that provide S-mode systems will not allow
users to disable S-mode, install linux, or otherwise defeat the
restrictions.


> In the LaTeX case, the commandline is often hidden by TeX IDEs. So
> users may both want LaTeX and not want commandline
>
> > especially as they can't undo that change...
>
> That's the point: too much constraining.
>
> > In many ways something like overleaf is a far more natural fit for
> > such a machine, and steering people in that direction may be a better
> > alternative than telling them to reconfigure their operating system.
>
> Except that, IMHO, Overleaf's editor provides too few features compared
> to real IDEs, such as Emacs or TeXstudio.
>

Think of the MacBook Air users who use LaTeX to prepare documents
while away from their office.   Much of this work involves basic editing
and writing and could easily be done using a web-based system such
as Overleaf.    Web-based tools like Overleaf can be used on cheap,
lightweight systems with longer battery life than MacBook Air.  If your
system is damaged or stolen you can be back to work faster and at
lower cost.   You don't have to install MacTeX and your recent edits
are saved in the cloud.   For many people that alone is worth the cost
of a web-based tool like Overleaf.


>
> Moreover, I guess the student who encountered this problem doesn't have
> enough money for an Internet subscription with an Internet Service
> Provider and has only a limited Internet access with his cell phone.
>

The systems that S-mode targets don't make sense without full-time
connectivity.   I understand there have been problems for low-income
students using chromebooks but only have internet access using their
school's wifi.   Some of those students do find a way to have linux on
an old laptop that is considered too limited to run current Windows
versions so costs less than a chromebook.

-- 
George N. White III
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