unixtex.ftp: Obtaining TeX
==========================

This is ftp://ftp.tug.org/tex/unixtex.ftp, last updated 26 December 2003.  Also available as http://www.tug.org/unixtex.ftp.  The IP address is currently [130.225.2.178].  It is also in Kpathsea source distributions as etc/unixtex.ftp (although the network version is usually newer).  Mail tex-k@tug.org with comments or questions.

Following are general instructions for Unix or other sites who wish to acquire the Web2c distribution, (plain) TeX, LaTeX (2e), BibTeX, Metafont, MetaPost, DVI processors for the X window system, PostScript, the PCL language in the HP LaserJet, and related programs. They are oriented towards building from the original sources, though some information on alternative packages is included in the last section.  See also http://www.tug.org/web2c/, the Web2c and Kpathsea home page.

Please note that the Web2c distribution is a bare-bones distribution in source form, and building a complete installation from it is a non-trivial matter.  For most uses, it is a better idea to install a distribution with pre-packaged binaries for your platform.  The principal example of such a distribution is TeX Live (http://www.tug.org/texlive/), which is based on the Web2c sources.

Please consider joining the TeX Users Group (TUG) or another user group of your choice to help support the maintenance and development of the programs you retrieve.  See http://www.tug.org/join.html for information and the membership registration form, and http://www.tug.org/usergroups.html for a listing of all user groups.

For actual installation instructions after obtaining the necessary sources, see Installation.  A copy is in the distribution file kpathsea/INSTALL.

Electronic distribution
-----------------------

In many places we refer to CTAN:.  This is both a host name and a directory name.  Here are the primary locations:

     ftp://ctan.tug.org/tex-archive/    (Vermont, USA)
     ftp://ftp.dante.de/tex-archive/    (Germany)
     ftp://ftp.tex.ac.uk/tex-archive/   (England)

CTAN has many mirrors worldwide; see the top-level file README.mirrors from one of the sites above or see http://www.tug.org/CTAN.sites.

You can also access CTAN via the World Wide Web, electronic mail, or NFS.  The same README.mirrors file explains how.

You will need to retrieve some or all of the following archives, depending on your needs (don't forget to set binary mode for file transfers):

CTAN:/systems/web2c/web.tar.gz
     The original WEB source files, written primarily by Don Knuth.  Required unless you already have this web version.  (The WEB sources change irregularly with respect to Web2c itself.)  Unpacks into web2c-VERSION.

CTAN:/systems/web2c/web2c.tar.gz
     The Web2c system.  Required.  Also unpacks into web2c-VERSION.

CTAN:/systems/web2c/web2c-etex.tar.gz
     Additions to the Web2c system for building e-TeX.  Optional.  Unpacks into web2c-VERSION.

CTAN:/systems/web2c/etexlib.tar.gz
     Additions to the texmf tree needed to build e-TeX.  Optional. Unpacks into texmf/.

CTAN:/systems/web2c/etexdoc.tar.gz
     Documentation for e-TeX as an addition to the texmf tree.  Optional. Unpacks into texmf/.

CTAN:/systems/web2c/web2c-omega.tar.gz
     Additions to the Web2c system for building Omega.  Optional.  Unpacks into web2c-VERSION.

CTAN:/systems/web2c/omegalib.tar.gz
     Additions to the texmf tree needed to build Omega.  Optional.  Unpacks into texmf/.

CTAN:/systems/web2c/omegadoc.tar.gz
     Documentation for Omega as an addition to the texmf tree.  Optional. Unpacks into texmf/.

CTAN:/systems/web2c/web2c-pdftex.tar.gz
     Additions to the Web2c system for building pdfTeX.  Optional. Unpacks into web2c-VERSION.

CTAN:/systems/web2c/pdftexlib.tar.gz
     Additions to the texmf tree needed to build pdfTeX.  Optional. Unpacks into texmf/.

CTAN:/dviware/xdvik/xdvik.tar.gz
     X window system DVI previewer.  Unpacks into xdvik-VERSION. Optional.

Additional drivers, macro files, and other support are needed to build a working system.  These are available in teTeX.

All that said, the originating host for the software above is ftp.tug.org.  You can retrieve these distributions (but not much else) from the tex/ directory on that host.

CD-ROM distribution
-------------------

Numerous organizations distribute various TeX CD-ROM's (and DVD's):

  * Virtually all the TeX user groups collaborate to produce the TeX Live distribution once a year; see http://www.tug.org/texlive/ for more information.

  * The Free Software Foundation's Source Code CD-ROM contains the minimal TeX source distribution described in the previous section (i.e., enough to print GNU documentation); email gnu@gnu.org.

  * Most GNU/Linux distributions include some TeX package based on TeX Live.

If you know of additional TeX distributions to add to this list, please inform tex-k@tug.org.

Other TeX packages
------------------

Many other TeX implementations are available in CTAN:/systems, including ready-to-run distributions for Unix, Amiga, Acorn, VMS, Macintosh, DOS, and Windows (in various forms). Although Web2c has support in the source code for many operating systems, and in fact some of the other distributions are based on it, it's unlikely to work as distributed on anything but Unix.  (Please contribute improvements!)

The principal user-oriented Unix distribution based on Web2c is the teTeX distribution.  It includes complete sources, and runs on all modern Unix variants, including Linux. It contains many TeX-related programs besides those in the core Web2c.

The host labrea.stanford.edu is the original source for the files for which Donald Knuth is directly responsible: tex.web, plain.tex, etc. However, unless you want to build your TeX library tree ab initio, it is more reliable and less work to retrieve these files as part of the above packages. In any case, labrea is not the canonical source for anything except what was created by Stanford TeX project, so do not rely on all the files available at that ftp site being up-to-date.