TeX Live explained

TeX Live
Logo Size:240px
Screenshot Size:240px
Author:TeX Users Group
Developer:Karl Berry
Released:1996
Latest Release Version:
Operating System:FreeBSD, Linux, macOS, NetBSD, Solaris, Windows
Language:English, Czech/Slovak, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Polish, Russian, Serbian, Simplified Chinese
Genre:TeX distribution
License:LaTeX Project Public License (LPPL), GPL (Version 2)
Replaces:teTeX

TeX Live is a cross-platform, free software distribution for the TeX typesetting system that includes major TeX-related programs, macro packages, and fonts. It is the replacement of its no-longer supported[1] counterpart teTeX.[2] It is now the default TeX distribution for several Linux distributions such asopenSUSE,[3] Fedora,[4] Debian,[5] [6] Slackware,[7] Ubuntu,[8] Termux[9] and Gentoo.[10] Other Unix operating systems like OpenBSD,[11] FreeBSD[12] and NetBSD[13] have also converted from teTeX to TeX Live.

The project was originally started by Sebastian Rahtz in 1996 in collaboration with the TeX user groups worldwide, including the TeX Users Group. Today, it is maintained by Karl Berry, Akira Kakuto, Luigi Scarso and many other people.[14]

Up to version 2009, TeX Live could be run directly, or "live", from a CD-ROM, from a DVD-ROM, or from any other mobile device, hence its name. As of TeX Live 2010, it was no longer possible to run the distribution from the TeX Collection DVD due to restrictions in storage space. TeX Live follows the TeX Directory Structure.

Since the 2009 release, the editor TeXworks is included for Microsoft Windows, as well as the vector graphics language Asymptote.[15]

For macOS there is MacTeX,[16] which comprises the full TeX Live distribution as well as some additional tools for using TeX on the Mac, most notably the editor TeXShop and the bibliography manager BibDesk. Similar to Basic MikTeX in MikTeX, a substantially smaller download, BasicTeX, can also be used for Mac as well.[17] TeX Live can also be compiled and installed through MacPorts or Homebrew.

Release history

VersionRelease dateSignificant changes
12 March 2024
19 March 2023Windows version starts and only provides 64-bit binaries.[18]
4 April 2022
1 April 2021
10 April 2020
19 April 2019New interface for TeX Live Manager.
28 April 2018Case-insensitive file name matching on Unix by default. LaTeX default input encoding now UTF-8.
4 June 2017LuaTeX 1.04.[19]
5 June 2016LuaTeX 0.90.
LaTeX2e now include fixes previously found in fixltx2e. LuaTeX 0.80.
XeTeX now uses HarfBuzz for font layout. LuaTeX 0.77.
MorphOS port[20]
biber added.[21] LuaTeX 0.70.
Automatic EPS conversion for pdfTeX. PDF 1.5 output by default. XeTeX have margin kerning.[22] LuaTeX 0.60. Can no longer be run live from a DVD.
TeXworks included in Windows and OSX ports. Asymptote included. LuaTeX 0.40.
Incremental updates over the internet. First release with LuaTeX.
First release with XeTeX.
New folder structure.
e-TeX as default. Latin Modern included.[23]
2002Mac OS X support
July 2001Finegrained collections.
March 2000Removed all non-free software.
1999Windows support. Web2C 7.3.
1998Web2C 7.2.
1997
May 1996

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: teTeX: no next release. Thomas Esser. 20 November 2009. https://web.archive.org/web/20091221083814/http://article.gmane.org/gmane.comp.tex.tetex.beta/812. 21 December 2009. dead.
  2. Web site: TeX Live. 19 November 2009.
  3. Web site: openSUSE Software Search - TeX Live Packages. 31 July 2016.
  4. Web site: Fedora Wiki - TeX Live Migration. 19 November 2009.
  5. Web site: Debian -- Details of package texlive in jessie. 24 January 2016.
  6. Web site: TeX Live and Debian. 19 November 2009.
  7. Web site: Index of /slackware/slackware-15.0/slackware/t . 2023-08-07 . mirrors.slackware.com.
  8. Web site: Ubuntu – Details of package texlive in wily. 24 January 2016.
  9. Web site: TeX Live Package Management . The Termux Wiki.
  10. Web site: Gentoo Monthly Newsletter: 30 September 2008 . 7 March 2010 . dead . https://archive.today/20130112193743/http://www.gentoo.org/news/en/gmn/20080930-newsletter.xml . 12 January 2013.
  11. Edward Barrett. Barbara Beeton. June 2008. Porting TeX Live to OpenBSD. TUGboat. 29. 2. 303–304. TeX Users Group. Portland, Oregon, United States. 0896-3207. 19 November 2009.
  12. Web site: FreeBSD ports for TeX Live. 24 January 2016.
  13. Web site: The NetBSD Packages Collection: print/texlive-tetex . 19 November 2009 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20110727115350/http://sup.netbsd.org/pub/NetBSD/NetBSD-current/pkgsrc/print/texlive-tetex/README.html . 27 July 2011.
  14. Web site: TeX Live - TeX Users Group. tug.org. 2019-07-21.
  15. Web site: Release notes for TeX Live 2009. 20 November 2009.
  16. Web site: MacTeX. 20 November 2009.
  17. Web site: New Features - MacTeX - TeX Users Group. tug.org. 2019-07-21.
  18. Web site: TeX Users Group . TeX Live on Windows . 2023-03-20.
  19. Web site: LuaTeX Roadmap. 29 May 2017.
  20. Web site: 'MorphOS: TeX Live 2012'.
  21. Web site: The TEX Live Guide—2016. 29 May 2017.
  22. Karl Berry. TEX Live 2010 news. TUGboat. 31. 2. 173. TeX Users Group. Portland, Oregon, United States. 29 May 2017.
  23. Web site: Rahtz . Sebastian . [ftp://tug.org/historic/systems/texlive/2003/live.pdf TeX-Collection 2003 ]. 29 May 2017.