[Tex/LaTex] find the changelog of TeX Live releases

packagestexliveupdating

I know that TeX Live 2013 is now in beta and that there are already some new packages. I would like to know where the complete changelog will be available, when the new version will be released, and also where can I find the changelog for version 2012, released in the past year.

Is there a specific page on the TUG site, here or somewhere else? I've searched everywhere but could not find a complete changelog?

Best Answer

Let's say you had a more specific question, like: "what new LaTeX packages are there in TeX Live 2013?"

After TL2013 comes out and you install it side by side to TL2012, assuming you've not changed the default install directory, you could do something like this (UNIX systems only): 

ls /usr/local/texlive/2012/texmf-dist/tex/latex/ > 2012list & ls /usr/local/texlive/2013/texmf-dist/tex/latex/ > 2013list

followed by

diff 2012list 2013list | grep -v "^---" | grep -v "^[0-9c0-9]" > difflist

you'll get something like this inside the file named "difflist":

< ascii
> ascii-font
> asymptote
> beamertheme-upenn-bc
> dvipdfm
> enigma
> esami
> ipaex-type1
> ltablex
> mnotes
> rterface
> snotez
> songs
> spath3
> tikzmark
> titlecaps
> uiucredborder
> vdmlisting
> verbatimbox

(this is the difference from the last TL 2012 update and the latest 2013 pretest release, if you repeat this same procedure after the TL2013 relase you'll get the complete list of new LaTeX packages).

The grep stuff is used to remove some reference numbers automatically printed by the diff command.

Items marked with < are present in TL2012 but not in TL2013 (may have been removed, renamed, etc.); items marked with > are present in TL2013 but not in TL2012 (again, may be new packages, renamed packages, etc.).

If you also wanted to know what, e.g., new libraries that don't deserve a new directory have been added you could make the ls command recursive, like this:

ls -R /usr/local/texlive/2012/texmf-dist/tex/latex/ > 2012list & ls -R /usr/local/texlive/2013/texmf-dist/tex/latex/ > 2013list

again followed by the same diff command as before. If instead of LaTeX you want to know the new XeTeX additions, you have to point your ls commands to /usr/local/texlive/2012/texmf-dist/xetex, etc. You could also do a complete screening of /usr/local/texlive/2012/texmf-dist, but that would produce a looooooong list, also because in TL2013 the content of the texmf directory has been merged with texmf-dist.

This is not rocket science and I'm not sure it also produces useful information for, e.g. ConTeXt.

If you have TL2011 installed you can do the same to find what packages have been added in TL2012.

Probably there are commands to do something like this in Windows also and directly in the SVN repository as well.

Using a tlmgr based approach

as suggested by texenthusiast an even better result is obtained using the command tlmgr list > <namefile>. This is how I did it:

  1. tlmgr list > 2013list with PATH pointing to /usr/local/texlive/2013/bin/
  2. change PATH to /usr/local/texlive/2012/bin/
  3. tlmgr list > 2012list
  4. (for UNIX) diff 2012list 2013list | grep -v "^---" | grep -v "^[0-9c0-9]" > difflist
  5. (for Windows) FC 2012list 2013list (not tested)

In my test I restricted the search to installed packages only with --only-installed after list so to keep the list shorter. The result is:

< i adobemapping: Adobe cmap and pdfmapping files
< i ascii: Support for IBM "standard ASCII" font.
> i ascii-font: Use the ASCII "font" in LaTeX.
> i beamertheme-upenn-bc: Beamer themies for Boston College and the University of Pennsylvania.
< i ccicons: (shortdesc missing)
> i ccicons: LaTeX support for Creative Commons icons.
< i cmap: (shortdesc missing)
> i cmap: Make PDF files searchable and copyable.
> i context-cyrillicnumbers: Write numbers as cyrillic glyphs.
> i context-transliterator: Transliterate text from 'other' alphabets.
< i dvisvgm: Converts DVI files to Scalable Vector Graphics format (SVG).
> i dvisvgm: Convert DVI files to Scalable Vector Graphics format (SVG).
> i enigma: Encrypt documents with a three rotor Enigma.
< i epstopdf: (shortdesc missing)
> i epstopdf: Convert EPS to 'encapsulated' PDF using GhostScript.
> i esami: Typeset exams with scrambled questions and answers.
< i gmverse: a package for typesetting (short) poems.
> i gmverse: A package for typesetting (short) poems.
> i ipaex-type1: IPAex fonts converted to Type-1 format Unicode subfonts.
> i ltablex: Table package extensions.
< i mandi: (shortdesc missing)
> i mandi: Macros for introductory physics and astronomy.
< i metafont-beginners: An introductory tutorial for MetaFont.
> i metafont-beginners: An introductory tutorial for Metafont.
> i mnotes: Margin annotation for collaborative writing.
< i mxedruli: A pair of Georgian fonts.
> i mxedruli: A pair of fonts for different Georgian alphabets.
< i pfarrei: LaTeX support of a priest's work.
> i pfarrei: LaTeX support of pastors' and priests' work.
< i pst-node: Draw connections using pstricks.
> i pst-node: Nodes and node connections in pstricks.
> i rterface: Access to R analysis from within a document.
> i snotez: Typeset notes, in the margine.
> i songs: Produce song books for church or fellowship.
> i spath3: Manipulate "soft paths" in PGF.
> i tikz-bayesnet: Draw Bayesian networks, graphical models and directed factor graphs.
> i tikzmark: Use TikZ's method of remembering a position on a page.
> i titlecaps: Setting rich-text input into Titling Caps.
> i uiucredborder: Class for UIUC thesis red-bordered forms.
> i vdmlisting: Typesetting VDM in ASCII syntax.
> i verbatimbox: Deposit verbatim text in a box.
> i xetexko: (shortdesc missing)
> i xevlna: Insert non-breakable spaces using XeTeX.

as you can see it now finds also additions which are not in the latex directory (as xetexko, which is missing in the previous list). And now we also got pretty descriptions!

Or you could just subscribe to the CTAN-ann RSS Feed and mail-archive :)

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