[texhax] TeX Collection won't install on Mac OS 10.7.4

[Hefferon, James S.]

> the pointer there to

> MacTeX-2012-DVD.mpkg.zip (270 MB)
> http://mirror.ctan.org/systems/mac/mactex/MacTeX-2012-DVD.mpkg.zip

> is incredibly slow - 40 minutes to download!  I killed it.

> Is there a better mirror than this?

Mirrors are volunteers who give up a part of their bandwidth as a service to the TeX community, essentially enrolling in an ongoing cash contribution to people that they will never meet.  Some mirrors can spare less bandwidth than others, or share more during nighttime hours, etc.  (There is a monitoring system of mirrors to see that they are functional but it is imprudent to be aggressively demanding.)

> http://ctan.math.utah.edu/ctan/tex-archive/systems/mac/mactex/

>         MacTeX-2012-DVD.mpkg.zip        10-Jul-2012 20:03        255M

> Why is the size different than the page you mentioned?

Just as speculation, there are different definitions of `M'.  (It is also the case that mirrors update their holdings nightly so any change would reach some mirrors at different times than others; that sometimes accounts for a difference.)

> Could someone please fix the tug page so that it points to appropriate
> mirrors?

The TUG page is right.  The URL starting with "mirror.ctan.org" goes to a program that sends people who want something to a mirror picked at random from their country.  Had you clicked it again then you likely would have gotten a different mirror. This shares the load among the people who have been good enough to volunteer for what is frankly not a glamorous project.

Jim

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`Does not the Captain seek your advice, sir?'
`Not always,' said Stephen.