CTAN
Encyclopedia
CTAN is an acronym for the Comprehensive TeX
Archive Network.
It is the authoritative place where TeX
related material and software can be found for download. Repositories for other projects, such as the MiKTeX
distribution of TeX, constantly mirror most of CTAN.
The Perl archive, CPAN
, is based on the CTAN model.
CTAN was built in 1992, by Rainer Schöpf and Joachim Schrod in Germany, Sebastian Rahtz in the UK, and George Greenwade in the U.S. (George came up with the name). Today, there are still only four people who maintain the archives and the TeX catalogue updates: Rainer, Joachim, Robin Fairbairns, and Jim Hefferon
. The site structure was put together at the start of 1992 – Sebastian did the main work – and synchronized at the start of 1993. The TeX Users Group provided a framework, a Technical Working Group, for this task's organization. CTAN was officially announced at the EuroTeX conference at Aston University
, 1993.
The English site has been stable since the beginning, but the American site has moved twice and the German thrice. The American site was first at Sam Houston State University
under George Greenwade, in 1995 it moved to UMass Boston where it was run by Karl Berry. In 1999 it moved to its home at Saint Michael's College
in Colchester
, Vermont
. The site is off-line since the end of January 2011. The German site was first at the University of Heidelberg, operated by Rainer; in 1999 it moved to the University of Mainz, also operated by Rainer; 2002 to the University of Hamburg
, operated by Reinhard Zierke; finally in 2005 it moved to a commercial hosting company since the amount of traffic got too high to get sponsored by a university. The German site is subsidized by DANTE, the Deutschsprachige Anwendervereinigung TeX
.
Today, the main CTAN nodes serve downloads of more than 6 TB per month, not counting its 94 mirror sites worldwide.
TeX
TeX is a typesetting system designed and mostly written by Donald Knuth and released in 1978. Within the typesetting system, its name is formatted as ....
Archive Network.
It is the authoritative place where TeX
TeX
TeX is a typesetting system designed and mostly written by Donald Knuth and released in 1978. Within the typesetting system, its name is formatted as ....
related material and software can be found for download. Repositories for other projects, such as the MiKTeX
MiKTeX
MiKTeX is a typesetting system for Microsoft Windows that is developed by Christian Schenk. It consists of an implementation of TeX and a set of related programs....
distribution of TeX, constantly mirror most of CTAN.
The Perl archive, CPAN
CPAN
CPAN, the Comprehensive Perl Archive Network, is an archive of nearly 100,000 modules of software written in Perl, as well as documentation for it. It has a presence on the World Wide Web at and is mirrored worldwide at more than 200 locations...
, is based on the CTAN model.
History
Before CTAN there were a number of people who made some TeX materials available for public download, but there was no systematic collection. At a podium discussion that Joachim Schrod organized at the 1991 EuroTeX conference, the idea arose to bring together the separate collections. (Joachim was interested in this topic because he is active in the TeX community since 1983 and ran one of the largest ftp servers in Germany at this time.)CTAN was built in 1992, by Rainer Schöpf and Joachim Schrod in Germany, Sebastian Rahtz in the UK, and George Greenwade in the U.S. (George came up with the name). Today, there are still only four people who maintain the archives and the TeX catalogue updates: Rainer, Joachim, Robin Fairbairns, and Jim Hefferon
Jim Hefferon
Jim Hefferon is a Professor of Mathematics at Saint Michael's College. He is known for his book about Linear Algebra that is available fordownloading, with LaTeX source, and for his activity in the TeX community.-Early life:...
. The site structure was put together at the start of 1992 – Sebastian did the main work – and synchronized at the start of 1993. The TeX Users Group provided a framework, a Technical Working Group, for this task's organization. CTAN was officially announced at the EuroTeX conference at Aston University
Aston University
Aston University is a "plate glass" campus university situated at Gosta Green, in the city centre of Birmingham, England.Established in 1895 as the Birmingham Municipal Technical School, Aston was granted its Royal Charter as Aston University on 22 April 1966...
, 1993.
The English site has been stable since the beginning, but the American site has moved twice and the German thrice. The American site was first at Sam Houston State University
Sam Houston State University
Sam Houston State University was founded in 1879 and is the third oldest public institution of higher learning in the State of Texas. It is located in Huntsville, Texas. It is one of the oldest purpose-built institutions for the instruction of teachers west of the Mississippi River and the first...
under George Greenwade, in 1995 it moved to UMass Boston where it was run by Karl Berry. In 1999 it moved to its home at Saint Michael's College
Saint Michael's College
Saint Michael's College is a private, residential liberal arts Catholic college. The campus is located in Colchester, Vermont. It was founded in 1904 by the Society of Saint Edmund, a French order of Catholic priests.-History:...
in Colchester
Colchester, Vermont
Colchester is a town in Chittenden County, Vermont, United States. The population was 17,067 at the 2010 census. It is the fourth-largest municipality and second-largest town in Vermont by population.-Geography:...
, Vermont
Vermont
Vermont is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state ranks 43rd in land area, , and 45th in total area. Its population according to the 2010 census, 630,337, is the second smallest in the country, larger only than Wyoming. It is the only New England...
. The site is off-line since the end of January 2011. The German site was first at the University of Heidelberg, operated by Rainer; in 1999 it moved to the University of Mainz, also operated by Rainer; 2002 to the University of Hamburg
University of Hamburg
The University of Hamburg is a university in Hamburg, Germany. It was founded on 28 March 1919 by Wilhelm Stern and others. It grew out of the previous Allgemeines Vorlesungswesen and the Kolonialinstitut as well as the Akademisches Gymnasium. There are around 38,000 students as of the start of...
, operated by Reinhard Zierke; finally in 2005 it moved to a commercial hosting company since the amount of traffic got too high to get sponsored by a university. The German site is subsidized by DANTE, the Deutschsprachige Anwendervereinigung TeX
Deutschsprachige Anwendervereinigung TeX
Deutschsprachige Anwendervereinigung TeX e. V., or DANTE e. V., is the German-language TeX users group. With over 2000 members, it is today the largest TeX users group worldwide....
.
Today, the main CTAN nodes serve downloads of more than 6 TB per month, not counting its 94 mirror sites worldwide.