[tex-live] TL-2009 : Installation flexibility and configurability

[Philip TAYLOR]

In the light of very helpful comments from Tomek et al,
pointing out that the new installer is better in several
respects than the one shipped with the DVD, may I now
re-iterate a point I made earlier, with a slight twist ?

> Incidentally, having just completed a virgin install from DVD,
> I notice that unlike many other packages, it doesn't immediately
> go off to see if there are updates available; do you think it
> might be worthwhile adding this feature for TL-2010 ?

Even before getting this far, would it not be a good idea
(and certainly consistent with the user interface of
"better" Windows software), if the installer supplied
on the DVD first went out to the network (where possible)
and looked to see if a more recent version is available,
and if so, propose to the user that it be permitted to
fetch the new installer and then transfer control to it ?

Clearly installing from DVD will be the preferred option
for anyone in possession of such a thing, but if the
installer were more clever, and capable of both checking
for a new version of itself (pre-install) and then checking
for new versions of packages (post-install), the whole user
experience could be much improved.

These are clearly proposals for TL 2010, but for those
(like myself) who have now received their TeX Collection
2009 DVD and who wish to use it as the basis for local TL
installs, what is the recommended way of getting the most
up-to-date installer (of production strength, rather than
an alpha- or beta-test version) and then using it in
conjunction with the DVD for an initial install, followed
by an update from the web ?

** Phil.