[tex-live] (no subject)

[Zdenek Wagner]

út 18. 9. 2018 v 21:44 odesílatel Michael Shell <list1 at michaelshell.org> napsal:
>
> On Mon, 17 Sep 2018 21:19:40 GMT
> Karl Berry <karl at freefriends.org> wrote:
>
> > It's likely we'll remove all 32-bit machines from the DVD image (not
> > from TL) next year in order to gain enough space.
>
>
> IMHO, if we have reached a point where space is that tight, then we've
> reached the point where the media capacity needs to be expanded. How
> much space will deleting 32 bit support gain and how much time before
> that is not enough? And have other features already been removed in
> the past to gain needed space?
>
> I for one would be willing to pay a little bit more to get *everything*.
> Who knows when an old 32 bit machine has to be brought into service as
> a backup system when its modern replacement develops a problem? And
> those old machines are exactly the ones where compiling from source is
> such a lengthy ordeal, where binaries are of the most help. How about
> folks in the less developed countries who are still using older machines
> (a major feature of TeX is that it does not require much processing
> power).
>
This may seem to be a valid idea, I have such an old machine with
linux distro which is 7 years after end of life. A newer distre
requires more RAM but there are no slots for more RAM in this machine.
Will TL contain i386 binaries for after-end-of-life distros with
obsolete versions of glibc? If not, I can either use the historical TL
2011 or compile from sources anyway and hope that I will be able to
compile it with obsolete gcc and obsolete glibc.

> Tex Live is currently using double layer DVDs with a capacity of about
> 8.3 GB. And data compression techniques are already being employed.
>
> Sandisk 16GB USB flash drives can now be had for $5.49:
> https://www.adorama.com/idscbu16gb.html
> A better deal can be obtained at higher quantities and/or off brands.
> For example:
> https://www.amazon.com/TOPSELL-10PCS-Flash-Pack-Memory-Storage/dp/B016RO18JO
> $3.23 each in qty 10.
>
On one conference I received proceedings on a cheap USB stick. I was
never able to read anything from it. I tried to use it just as a USB
stich and found that it does not work at all. I would never recommend
cheap media. (Fortunately the proceedings could be downloaded from the
web of the conference.)

> 32GB units are in the $6-$10 range:
> https://www.amazon.com/PNY-Attache-Flash-Drive-P-FD32GX5ATT03-MP/dp/B01MQ0RR5O/
> https://www.amazon.com/SanDisk-Ultra-Flash-Drive-Performance/dp/B01EG72D1Q
>
> but one has to be careful to only use reputable sellers (not Ebay, not
> Amazon third party sellers) to avoid all the fakes out there. Be sure
> and check the reviews for reliability. I myself would stick to well known
> brands such as Kingston, Sandisk and PNY even if they cost a little
> more.
>
> As far as USB drives with logos and/or preloading services go, see:
> http://blog.notdot.net/2009/12/DIY-USB-preloading-with-nix
> and also do a search for
>
> USB flash drive bulk preloading
>
> But watch out that many of the preloading services don't support
> preloads more than 1-2 GB, well, at least not at the $0.50/drive
> level.
>
> Also, search EBay for
>
> USB flash drive duplicator
>
> They run about $2000 per 30 drive-at-once capability:
> https://www.ebay.com/itm/SySTOR-1-31-USB-Memory-Stick-Duplicator-Jump-Drive-Wiper-Copy-Flash-Media-Data/142942568899
> and there are units that can do more than 170 at once:
> https://www.ebay.com/itm/SySTOR-1-174-Standalone-Multiple-USB-Port-Duplicator-Flash-Drive-Cloner-Sanitize/192661338502
>
> Once the move is made to an "actively evolving media" such as SD cards
> or USB flash drives, then we can ride the wave of Moore's law instead
> of being stuck with the now-forever-fixed capacity of DVD.
>
> I assume that bluray is not a viable option here because of the
> significant percentage of machines that do not have bluray read
> capability.
>
> Another approach would be to go to a 2 DVD package, but we'd be
> riding a linear, not exponential, media capacity wave there.
>
>

Zdeněk Wagner
http://ttsm.icpf.cas.cz/team/wagner.shtml
http://icebearsoft.euweb.cz


>   Just my $0.02,
>
>   Mike Shell
>
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