[tex-live] Is tlmgr 2008 now completely unusable?

[Ulrike Fischer]

Am Wed, 2 Dec 2009 06:19:03 +0100 schrieb Norbert Preining:

>> so cannot install the full texlive collection. But I would like, for
>> 2-5 years at least, be able to pick and choose new packages to install
>> as the need arises. Updating full texlive every year is just not an
>> option.
> 
> Then you have to sponsor CTAN nodes with a new computer, hard drives,
> infrastructure and band width.
> 
> Sorry as far as we see we cannot provide old TL releases that way.
> THere is simply not the space.


In miktex a package like e.g. hyperref.tar.lzma can be used and
installed by various miktex version so it takes up space only once.
Version specific are only a rather small number of packages/files
like binaries and the two database packages (like
miktex-zzdb2-2.8.tar.lzma). 

As the packing methods changed (from cab to bz to lzma) older
versions of the package manager continuously loosed the capability
to install some packages when these were updated and then used a
newer archive type. And after some time Christian actively removes
support for older miktex version so that they no longer can install
with the package manager.

So the transition between versions is smooth: They are always 2-3
miktex versions which still "works". I personally like it. I never
update all my PCs on the same time: if something doesn't work I want
a fallback. 

  
-- 
Ulrike Fischer