Re: TeXLive and dist-upgrades of Debian Stable

On Sat, Sep 06, 2025 at 05:31:31AM +0000, Vrajarāja Govinda via tex-live wrote:
> > 3. How to switch between my old TeXLive and this one.
> >
> > As several people have said: change your PATH. If
> > /usr/local/texlive/2025/bin/x86_64-linux is before /usr/bin,
> > you'll get the TL25 you just installed. If /usr/bin is earlier,
> > you'll get Debian TeX.
> >
> > If you have a terminal window or shell in which you get the Debian TeX
> > from "tex", its PATH surely has /usr/bin first.
> 
> Thank you Karl for this explanation. Somehow, till now, I hadn't understood this clearly.
> Now, 2 out of 3 questions are done with. :)
> 
> >
> > Ok, so that explains why when you run "tex", you get the TL'25 TeX.
> > So what's the problem again :)?
> >
> > 1. How to update TL 2025.
> >
> > tlmgr update --all
> >
> 
> The reason why I am still persisting with this thread (getting quite long now) is: I am unable to perform an update.
> 
> sudo tlmgr update --all
> (running on Debian, switching to user mode!)
> (see /usr/share/doc/texlive-base/README.tlmgr-on-Debian.md)
> TLPDB: not a directory, not loading: /root/texmf
> tlmgr: user mode not initialized, please read the documentation!
> 
> Upon contemplation, I am left with this doubt:
> Is there a possibility that tlmgr didn't get installed?
> Did something go wrong with the installation?
> 
> 

Govinda. Ditch that Devuan, Debian and anything that starts with D. Just kidding :D 

Listen. Do you see that documentation link you just posted? therein lies the issue.

> (see /usr/share/doc/texlive-base/README.tlmgr-on-Debian.md)

TL is sort of a device independent project. It's neutral from all Linux and Osx flavors. And  pretty much has a life of its own. Meanwhile the distro developers try to fit this beast within their systems to ease up the royal pain in the ass to have users install TL on their own. The end result of all of this, is that though they usually have well meaning intentions, there are times when they end up creating more confusion and chaos for end users alike who were simply trying to update tlmgr like yourself. (There was only one distro that I can think of now, that had tlmgr all sorted out. But the distro failed in other areas. So that was that).

Anyhow. Long story short.I just fed the above README.tlmgr-on-Debian.md
to one of those new AI thingies modes (or whatever they call it) and this is what it returned:

AI Overview

The file README.tlmgr-on-Debian.md is a documentation file typically found within the texlive-base package on Debian-based systems. It explains the relationship and interaction between the TeX Live Manager (tlmgr) and the Debian package management system (APT).
Key points from the README.tlmgr-on-Debian.md:

    tlmgr vs. APT:
    The document clarifies that tlmgr is the package and configuration manager for upstream TeX Live, while APT is the package manager for Debian. They operate independently, and tlmgr cannot directly interfere with APT's management of TeX Live packages installed through Debian.

    User Mode for tlmgr:
    When TeX Live is installed via Debian packages, tlmgr on Debian systems often operates in "TeX Live Manager User Mode." This means tlmgr can manage user-specific installations or updates within a user's home directory, but it cannot manage the system-wide TeX Live installation handled by APT.

    Rationale:
    The document explains the Debian TeX Team's decision to maintain this separation, emphasizing that APT is responsible for system-wide package management, including TeX Live.
    Implications for package management:
    Users are generally advised to use apt (or apt-get) to install and update TeX Live packages when using the Debian-provided version. tlmgr is more relevant for users who have installed TeX Live directly from the TeX Users Group (TUG) or are managing a user-specific TeX Live environment.

    Location:
    The file is typically located at /usr/share/doc/texlive-base/README.tlmgr-on-Debian.md on Debian systems.


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