Tex Live suggestions (The TeX Live Guide—2024)

[Karl Berry]

    Subject: Tex Live suggestions 

Thanks for the suggestions.

    1) Separate as much as possible the Windows and Unixes-Linux references.

The problem is that there are quite a few people who use both Windows
and Unix. For them, it's convenient to have info on "how to do task X"
on both platforms together. If they were separated, I think a lot of
redundant explanation would become needed, which would not be good.

    2) Try to have a simple install 

That's what we strive for. Typing "i" after
running our installer (perl install-tl)
gets you the default installation. It can't get much simpler :).

    which allows Tex-Live conflict with Linux

With the defaults, native TL installs completely independently of any
TeX on the host OS.

    3) Miktex : same thing on Linuxes, because now DVD are rarely used
    and most have internet.

If you're referring to miktex's feature of downloading packages on
demand, we all agree that would be a desirable in TL also.  However,
implementing it is not simple. As far as I know, there are no active
plans to do so. Definitely not by me.

    Distribution packages

This is the list for native TL :). I have no knowledge of or input into
distribution packaging. However, in general, each distro does its own
thing in many regards, and I think there is little chance of having a
"distribution-independent" .rpm or .deb. I don't actually know what's
feasible, though.

Thanks again,
Karl