For installing Tex Live by apt-get in Ubuntu, we have two options: basic and full. I installed Tex Live from source. The installed folder is 3.1GB with 104,030 files. Obviously this full version contains lots of packages that I do not need. The first drawback is large number of files which can slow down the OS (though it is negligible for ex4).
My question is: Does Tex Live deal with packages individually without connecting to others? Does the speed and resource usage of basic and full versions are the same?
I think packages are not part of an installed software; but they are source files which will be read when needed. Am I right?
Are there tips and considerations to assure best performance of Tex Live on heavy loads?
Best Answer
TeXLive is big, but not enormously so by today's standards.
I would strongly recommend installing and maintaining the full distribution; otherwise you'll likely waste a lot of your time installing packages "as you discover them".
This way, you'll be able to "carry on writing" without interrupting the flow.