[tug-board] Re: TeXLive ISO image?

[Karl Berry]

Hi Albert,

    >www implies that the software on that cd is GPL'd.  Thus, it should be
    >freely redistributable.  

Much of the software on the CD is indeed GPL'd or otherwise freely
redistributable.  All of that software is available on CTAN and many
other sites around the world.

Through the current TeX Live, the CD as a whole is not freely
redistributable, because of conditions some of the authors (not TUG) put
on their software.  Therefore there is no ISO image generally available.

For TeX Live 5, we hope/plan/intend that the contents of the CD will be
entirely free, or at least the nonfree parts will be easily removable.
Thus there will no conditions beyond those of the GPL on redistribution.
Whether we will make an ISO image available is another question (one of
practicalities more than anything), but there would be nothing to stop
someone else from doing so if that comes to fruition.


Thanks for your interest in TeX.

Karl (not speaking officially for TUG or TeX Live, although I'm involved
with both, just giving you the facts as I understand them)