[tex-live] [BUG] Upgrade-Description

[Siep Kroonenberg]

On Sun, Jun 29, 2014 at 08:30:28AM -0400, Haines Brown wrote:
> I believe it is never inappropriate to look at directions critically,
> for they are extraordinarily difficult to write. You have to insert
> yourself into the mental world of someone else, and this is nearly
> impossible to do. Let me give an example. In the TUG directions for
> upgrading from TL2013 to TL2014, steps 7-8 read:
> 
>   7. cd to your top-level 2014 directory.
> 
>   8. Remove the updmap.cfg file in TEXMFSYSCONFIG that was copied over,
>      which is no longer needed or desirable: 
>      rm `kpsewhich -var-value TEXMFSYSCONFIG`/web2c/updmap.cfg 
>      mktexlsr `kpsewhich -var-value TEXMFSYSCONFIG`
> 
> The "top-level 2014 directory" default would seem to be
> /usr/local/texlive/2014/, but it would be helpful to say so lest a
> person think the top level directory for 2014 is its top, its parent,
> .../texlive/
> 
> Some may not know what the kpsewhich -a command does and thus the logic
> of the rm command. A description of what the command does would be
> comforting to the user. Is the rm command run by root or user? The
> answer might be intuitive for one person, but not at all for someone
> feeling insecure. Directions must assume the latter.
> 
> I did a default installation of TL2013, and the value it assigned to the
> TEXMFSYSCONFIG variable was
> /usr/local/texlive/2013/texmf-config. Unfortutely, /web2c/updmap.cfg is
> not in that directory but instead is in /usr/local/texlive/texmf-local/.
> I knew the value of TEXMFSYSCONFIG only because I kept the notes I took
> during installation, but most users I suppose would not know what the
> value is and so be unable to debug the TL2014 installation directions.
> 
> Haines Brown

The instructions start out with:

  We do not provide a dedicated upgrade script. This procedure is not
  bullet-proof, or especially recommended; consider it provided as-is,
  to be used at your own risk. It's your responsibility to understand
  what is being done.          ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
  ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

  If you have any doubts, please do a new installation instead of
  blindly proceeding here.

Should this not be enough warning?

-- 
Siep Kroonenberg