[tex-live] suggestion for texlive install

[Reinhard Kotucha]

>>>>> "ivo" == ivo welch <ivo_welch at brown.edu> writes:

  > May I suggest that install-tl.sh (or its equivalent) check whether
  > there is an existing tex application somewhere first?  perhaps an
  > easy way is to look for directories in all the places where the
  > texlive distribution will write its own files; PLUS a search for
  > tex in $PATH and $TEXPATH.

Where does $TEXPATH come from?  Setting $PATH is sufficient.

  > if any installation is found, the install could ask the user
  > whether texlive install should [a] remove all traces of the old
  > installation (presumably in $PATH and $TEXPATH), [b] whether
  > texlive should simply install over it, or [c] whether the user
  > wants to abort the installation for now.

TeXLive does not remove any files.  You can have different versions
installed on your system.  The version which is first in PATH is used.

If you have TL-2005 installed and did not change the default
istallation directory you have:

/usr/local/texlive/2005
/usr/local/texlive/texmf-local

If you install TL-2007 you'll get a new directory:

/usr/local/texlive/2007

The texmf-local directory will not be touched.

Since you have to set PATH yourself manually, you can always decide which
version you want to use.  You can remove old versions at any time but
you don't have to.

If people have set any TEX* variable in the environment, they might have
a problem.  But I always recommended not to do that.

Regards,
  Reinhard

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