[texhax] needed info

[Philip Taylor]

Just to follow up in William's suggestions, which can be summarised
as "Join TUG; wait for your DVD to arrive; install a new TeX Live
system from the DVD", I should caution that /sometimes/ the TeX
distribution as burned to the distribution DVD is sub-optimal, in
that some late-breaking-but-important change to some embedded element
failed to make it into the DVD.  I have no idea whether that was/is
the case for TeX Live 2013, but if it was/is (someone from the TeX
Live team is sure to clarify) then you may need to update your
installation.  And that, in general, will require an Internet
connection.  If that is not possible for you, for the very reasons
you outline, then you may want to liaise with a fellow physicist
who has not fallen foul of the administration and ask if he or she
can fetch the updated components for you, and put them on to a medium
that you both share (USB memory, CD, DVD, whatever).  How you would
then persuade the TeX Live manager to update itself from this medium
I am unsure, but I believe it to be possible and this list has a number
of very helpful members who will be happy to advise.

Philip Taylor