versioning TeXlive packages on CTAN

[Brook Milligan]

In the process of integrating TeXlive packages from CTAN into pkgsrc, I (and others) run into a persistent issue that creates difficulties.  The main issue has two aspects: (i) TeXlive packages on CTAN do not reflect version information in the filenames, and (ii) the contents of the *.tar.xz files change periodically as a result of updates to the packages.  The consequence of this is that the checksum of an identically named file changes periodically.  This triggers downloads that fail to pass validation, which then must be serviced elsewhere.

Is it not feasible to include version information in the name of the files uploaded to CTAN?  To maintain backward compatibility you could always have a symbolic link from the unversioned (i.e., current) name to the most recent versioned name.

This would be a huge improvement from the perspective of knowing what version is present on CTAN and not triggering needless complexity in the packaging and downloading process.

I hope you will give this serious consideration as this is an issue that has frustrated me (and others) for years.

Thank you very much.

Cheers,
Brook