Integrating vanilla TeX Live 2021 with Debian

[Norbert Preining]

Hi Ulrich,

> | Ensure that the only Debian TeX Live packages installed are
> | tex-common, texinfo, and perhaps lmodern
> 
> This instruction indicates that -- when installing vanilla TeX Live via
> install-tl -- a subset of Debian-packages needs to be removed from the Debian

ACtually, there is no need to remove anything. I have upstream TL 2019,
2020, 2021 and Debian's TeX Live installed.

If you are NOT running short of disk space, no need to uninstall.

> Question 1: How can I find out with a Debian-distribution which
>             Debian-packages make up the set of Debian TeX Live packages?

Those starting with
	texlive-

> Question 2: Is it sufficient to check one's Debian installation for the packages
>             mentioned in that list being installed and - if so - having them

Those packages *can* be removed if you want, yes.

> Question 3: What am I supposed to do regarding dummy-packages in case I wish to
>             have several releases of vanilla TeX Live installed in parallel, 

You only need to install one equivs package. The only reason it serves
is making dpkg/apt happy.

> Question 4: In the Description-field you find the url:
>             <http://tug.org/texlive/debian#vanilla>
>             Shouldn't this be:
>             <https://www.tug.org/texlive/debian.html#vanilla> ?
>             (".html" behind "debian" is missing.)

Yes.

> Question 5: The field "Standards-Version: 4.1.4" indicates that the
>             control file complies to the 
>             Debian Policy Manual 4.1.4.<whatsoever>.
> 
>             On the web I could only find the more recent
>             Debian Policy Manual version 4.5.1.0, released on 2020-11-17 --
>             <https://www.debian.org/doc/debian-policy/index.html>.
> 
>             Where can I find releases of the Debian Policy Manual prior to
>             4.5.1.0, especially release 4.1.4 ?

Irrelevant, the section is there just because it needs to be there.
Since no actual files are installed (besides into the doc directory)
there is nothing of interest in the policy.

But if you want to know what has changed in the policy, you can find all
changes in
	/usr/share/doc/debian-policy/upgrading-checklist.txt.gz

> Question 6: Section "5.6.12. Version" of Debian Policy Manual version 4.5.1.0, 
>             <https://www.debian.org/doc/debian-policy/ch-controlfields.html#version>
>             indicates that in the version-field  "Version: 2021.99999999-1 " 
>             the string "2021.99999999" denotes the upstream-version (and the 
>             string "-1" denotes the debian-revision).
> 
>             The debian package-search,  <https://packages.debian.org/search?keywords=texlive>
>             reveals that with regular Debian-texlive-packages the
>             upstream-version, which comes from the developers of texlive, seems
>             to be of a specific of a specific pattern.
>             E.g, with Debian-buster (stable) the upstream-version of the 
>             package texlive is "2018.20190227" (and the debian-revision is "2").
> 
>             What is the pattern of these upstream-version-numbers?
>             "2018" seems to denote a year. What year?  
>             "20190227" seems to denote a date. What date?
>             Does "2018" denote TeX Live 2018?
>             Does "20190227" the date when the repository was synchronized/
>             rsynced with the TeX-Live-repository on the CTAN-master server for
>             creating the Debian-package?

This is not really of relevance for you, right? 
	YYYY.XXXXMMDD
YYYY is the release year of TeX Live: TL 2021 currently
XXXXMMDD is the day of the most recent checkout of tlnet for package
updates

> Question 7: Why do you find the packages "texinfo" and "lmodern" in the
>             "Provides"-field although the instructions advise to ensure that
>             these packages are already installed?
>             Shouldn't they (together with "tex-common" and "freeglut") be
>             listed in the "Depends"-field instead?

Maybe yes.

> In item 2 of the above-mentioned instructions you are advised to "ensure that
> the only Debian TeX Live packages installed are tex-common, texinfo, and perhaps
> lmodern".

Again, that can be ignored if you have disk space and be able to set the
PATH correctly.

> Question 8: What is the phrase "perhaps" before "lmodern" intended to indicate?
>             That one should keep Debian's lmodern-package only in case one
>             does not integrate the lmodern-fonts coming with the TeX Live
>             distribution system-wide?

Not sure why I wrote that back then ...

> Question 9: Ad ensuring "that the only Debian TeX Live packages installed are
>             tex-common, texinfo, and perhaps lmodern":
> 
>             Shouldn't the dummy-package be installed **before** uninstalling
>             any Debian-packages?
> 
>             Otherwise Debian packages might be uninstalled as well which do
>             not belong to Debian TeX Live but do depend on it. 

Yes

Best

Norbert

--
PREINING Norbert                              https://www.preining.info
Fujitsu Research  +  IFMGA Guide  +  TU Wien  +  TeX Live  + Debian Dev
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