[texhax] problem with info command

[Karl Berry]

    But I was regularly finding outdated packages there, even 
    though I always kept teTeX up to date.

Indeed.  Linux distributions are notorious for having ancient versions
of TeX.  I do not understand their reasoning, but they are not amenable
to change, so ... we users lose.

    install-stnd.info in its subdirectory, which was probably unusable
    by info.

Only if the symlink was to a nonexistent file.  Oh, I suppose Debian
could have written their install-info to barf on symlinks, but I doubt it.

    Given all these problems, I'll probably return with teTeX
    [grunting], so at

TeX Live works fine on Debian.  Just don't try to install it (or any
symlinks :) in the system directories.  Let it live under /usr/local or
wherever.

    /usr/bin. Would deleting all sylinks to /usr/share/TeX (plus
    /usr/info and /usr/man), and reinstalling teTeX get me up and
    running faster than trying to replicate another (working) Debian?

I cannot say.  Sounds worth a try.