Electronic distribution

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

`ftp://ftp.cdrom.com/pub/tex/ctan'  (California, 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 finger <ctan@ftp.tug.org>, or see `http://www.tug.org/CTAN.sites'. A list current as of the time of distribution is in the top-level file `./MIRROR'.

You can also access CTAN via the World Wide Web, Gopher, 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/lib.tar.gz'

A basic collection of fonts (TFM files only) and macro packages (including Texinfo and LaTeX 2e). It unpacks into `texmf/'; if you change the structure of this hierarchy, you will also have to change the default search paths (see section Changing search paths). It is required unless you already have these files, in which case you should change the default paths as necessary to find them.

`CTAN:/systems/web2c/web.tar.gz'

The original WEB source files, written mostly 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:/dviware/dvipsk.tar.gz'

DVI-to-PostScript translator. Unpacks into `dvipsk-version'. Optional.

`CTAN:/dviware/xdvik.tar.gz'

X window system DVI previewer. Unpacks into `xdvik-version'. Optional.

`CTAN:/dviware/dviljk.tar.gz'

DVI-to-PCL (HP LaserJet) translator. Unpacks into `dviljk-version'. Optional.

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.

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