From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 Return-Path: Received: (qmail 3004 invoked by alias); 29 May 2002 16:27:03 -0000 Mailing-List: contact cygwin-help@cygwin.com; run by ezmlm Precedence: bulk List-Subscribe: List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: , Sender: cygwin-owner@cygwin.com Mail-Followup-To: cygwin@cygwin.com Received: (qmail 2978 invoked from network); 29 May 2002 16:26:58 -0000 Received: from unknown (HELO zero.sector13.org) (199.105.121.241) by sources.redhat.com with SMTP; 29 May 2002 16:26:58 -0000 Received: (qmail 5020 invoked by uid 2003); 29 May 2002 16:26:59 -0000 Date: Wed, 29 May 2002 11:43:00 -0000 From: David T-G To: CygWin Users' List Subject: Re: suggestion/rant re: install method Message-ID: <20020529162659.GF791@justpickone.org> References: <83201DDE9625D611B09A00508BDF889E6795CC@emss03m04.orl.lmco.com> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: multipart/signed; micalg=pgp-sha1; protocol="application/pgp-signature"; boundary="6v9BRtpmy+umdQlo" Content-Disposition: inline In-Reply-To: <83201DDE9625D611B09A00508BDF889E6795CC@emss03m04.orl.lmco.com> User-Agent: Mutt/1.3.99i X-SW-Source: 2002-05/txt/msg01785.txt.bz2 --6v9BRtpmy+umdQlo Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Disposition: inline Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Content-length: 4558 Alfonso, et al -- ...and then Urdaneta, Alfonso E (N-Summitt Technologies) said... %=20 % I just tried to download and install cygwin - and I have to say the insta= ll % is highly frustrating. I must admit that I know what you mean. %=20 % While I understand the motivation for the granular installer, I think that % you should still provide the option of a monolithic download. Unfortunat= ly % many of the "mirrors" that I had to chose from only mirrored a subset of = the % modules that I needed to download for my full install. I don't feel a need to go back to a monolithic download, but keeping mirrors up to date really is a challenge. I don't know enough about the setup to suggest a fix, but (here I go anyway :-) something like always getting the setup.ini file from the canonical master and then somehow comparing it with what the mirror has could let you know in advance that such-and-such will be missing or downrevved so that you could choose another mirror if you cared would be a nice touch. %=20 ... % One thing that you guys may not have considered is that the current % "internet-only" method is unsuitable for classified environments. I have Actually, while from the 'net is the preferred ('cuz must current) method, it's certainly not the only option. % worked (and I'm sure I'm not the only one) in a "secure" environment which % does not allow a live connection to the internet. In that sort of % environment we are allowed to stick CDs into the machine to install % software, but downloading is expressly prohibited.=20=20 Funny... Where I'm contracting now they have a cow about anything downloaded even if you bring it in on your own CD... How nice that they let you install what you want without having to jump through a million hoops to ensure that the code that you download is the real thing instead of some evilly-changed version... %=20 % By refusing to provide a "monolithic install" option that users such as % myself can download and burn to CD to be used on non-networked machines, = you % have essentially made cygwin a non-option for us.=20=20 Aha! Here's your happiness, then. The next time you're at a 'net box, start setup (from the web site or your own copy or whatever) and select "Download from Internet" to make your own respository. It'll suck down the whole thing (minus any pieces missing 'cuz of mirroring problems as above) and then you'll have a lovely directory tree that you can burn to CD (after moving the packages from the per-mirror subtree to the main subtree, IIUC) and take into your lab and run setup (which I'm sure you'll have remembered to put on the CD, along with setup.ini :-) and choose "Install from Local Directory" and there ya go. As an added bonus, you can update your "source tree" with more current packages and then re-burn your CD periodically. %=20 % And please, any comments such "just plug it in for the download - a firew= all % is more than adequate protection" are worthless - those of use that do % government work deal with beaurocrats, not reasonable technically compent= ent % human beings.=20=20 Understood, and I don't think anyone would suggest that (though I'm finding it hard to resist ;-) %=20 % Just an example - at my last government job I was not allowed to bring a % CD-RW into the lab even though all the machines had _only_ CDROM drives. ( % yes, you read that correctly, read only drives NOT a writeable ones ). And yet they let you bring in downloaded code... Oy! %=20 % I'm also concerned about the wasted bandwith and the delays induced by % downloading.=20=20 %=20 % I have a stack of CDs that I have burned with the tools that I normally % download such as gcc, xemacs, jdk, etc. I use these whenever I setup a n= ew Right. While I'm still amazed, I understand the concept; I do the same thing (though it all fits on one CD; what the heck are you installing?!?). % machine. It seems that downloading 200-300M worth of stuff per machine is % ludicrous - especially if you are going to configure 20-50 developer % workstations, which I have had to do. Seems like an excessive drain on y= our % mirror sites, and the internet in general. Sounds like a good reason for you to download + burn + install locally! %=20 % Alfonso. HTH & HAND :-D --=20 David T-G * It's easier to fight for one's principles (play) davidtg@justpickone.org * than to live up to them. -- fortune cookie (work) davidtgwork@justpickone.org http://www.justpickone.org/davidtg/ Shpx gur Pbzzhavpngvbaf Qrprapl Npg! --6v9BRtpmy+umdQlo Content-Type: application/pgp-signature Content-Disposition: inline Content-length: 189 -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Version: GnuPG v1.0.7 (GNU/Linux) iD8DBQE89QFTGb7uCXufRwARAk7BAKCwur3efvJatPcuoawPg1qcuRQoYwCgs35z GfCVF5zxpoM/4aDLERh25Y4= =eciy -----END PGP SIGNATURE----- --6v9BRtpmy+umdQlo--