From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 From: "Smith, Martin" To: "'earnie_boyd@yahoo.com'" , Cygwin Cc: "'tolj@uni-duesseldorf.de'" Subject: RE: [ANN] Cygwin DEV survey Date: Mon, 08 Mar 1999 06:58:00 -0000 Message-id: <286215C2CA1AD211A13500A024535B5887C8E3@eukscpo3.Dundee.NCR.COM> X-SW-Source: 1999-03/msg00229.html > Is it wise to change this to binary for a'development' > > install or not? > 8< > > NO! The preferred method is text mounts. > Oops - fair enough, I wasn't sure :-) I guess this implies there are a few packages out there aren't properly ported? > What about environment variables? At the moment these are in a batch > > file but I usually add them to my NT environment and call Bashdirectly. > Is > > this appropriate? What about other settings like term etc? Is thereany > > "best" environment? > > There are reasons why the environment variables are set in the batch > file; that being, it works on both NT and 9x. > > An automated install tool (like InstallShield) should be able to detect which OS the software is being installed on and set up the appropriate settings for each. I take the point though that this might not cover all cases adequately. > I prefer this method as > to something modifying my setup files/environment. IMNSHO, the "best" > environment is the default one provided by the tool. Alternates can > be explained and possibly somewhat automated after the installation. > > 8< > > * Once installed, how best to manage updates to included packages? Is > > there any advantage to using RPM or would it be best to stick with > > tarballs/diff/patch initially? I don't think many people are using > any form > > of package management on cygwin yet but perhaps this would be useful? > 8< > > This has been discussed many times before. I prefer the tarball > method while others prefer the automated installation. If you want to > satisfy all peoples then you have to supply both methods. > [Martin] Seems reasonable. I have RedHat Linux at home but still tend to install a lot of stuff from tarball rather than RPM packages. > 8< > > * Would this include helper scripts like the modified "install" which > > many packages need to cope with .exe extensions? I'm sure there have > been a > > few more handy scripts/wrappers on this list as well. > 8< > > Just search the archives. > [Martin] I didn't want them just now - I was just suggesting that the more "essential" of these might make a useful addition to such a CD :-) > 8< > > * Would/could it set up /bin, /etc mounts as well as the default ones > > provided by Cygwin? > 8< > > Again, this is a preference thing. Some prefer to use symbolic links, > some prefer to create a different directory structure altogether and > some prefer just using mount points. Whatever you do as a default > will only satisfy about 1/3 (a guess) of the preferences. > [Martin] In theory an installer could ask the user what they wanted set up but, in practice, I agree this would probably be too much hassle. I certainly wouldn't recommend a windows installer as a panacea for all installation issues ! > > Anyway, that's enough from me. I certainly support this suggestion > and think > > it would be a good way of allowing more people to get up & running > with the > > Cygwin tools without having to go through the regular FAQ session > first :-) > 8< > > I like the idea, too. However, it is a given that you'll never > satisfy everyone and if you're too lazy to read do the FAQ session > then you're going to be too lazy to read any other installation manual > as well. I can just hear the questions now, "I just got this CD and > I'm trying to ...". ;^) > True, all the tools in one place sounds handy :-) And, as you say, as long as people realise that this method of installation may not suit their particular needs then there's no problem... Regards, Martin > == > - \\||// > -------------------o0O0--Earnie--0O0o------------------- > -- earnie_boyd@yahoo.com -- > -- http://www.freeyellow.com/members5/gw32/index.html -- > ----------------------ooo0O--O0ooo---------------------- > > PS: Newbie's, you should visit my page. -- Want to unsubscribe from this list? Send a message to cygwin-unsubscribe@sourceware.cygnus.com From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 From: "Smith, Martin" To: "'earnie_boyd@yahoo.com'" , Cygwin Cc: "'tolj@uni-duesseldorf.de'" Subject: RE: [ANN] Cygwin DEV survey Date: Wed, 31 Mar 1999 19:45:00 -0000 Message-ID: <286215C2CA1AD211A13500A024535B5887C8E3@eukscpo3.Dundee.NCR.COM> X-SW-Source: 1999-03n/msg00229.html Message-ID: <19990331194500.EBBWsVA6SKsY7AktOjIpLNXQZ8XgI8mR4IIhVMGEKww@z> > Is it wise to change this to binary for a'development' > > install or not? > 8< > > NO! The preferred method is text mounts. > Oops - fair enough, I wasn't sure :-) I guess this implies there are a few packages out there aren't properly ported? > What about environment variables? At the moment these are in a batch > > file but I usually add them to my NT environment and call Bashdirectly. > Is > > this appropriate? What about other settings like term etc? Is thereany > > "best" environment? > > There are reasons why the environment variables are set in the batch > file; that being, it works on both NT and 9x. > > An automated install tool (like InstallShield) should be able to detect which OS the software is being installed on and set up the appropriate settings for each. I take the point though that this might not cover all cases adequately. > I prefer this method as > to something modifying my setup files/environment. IMNSHO, the "best" > environment is the default one provided by the tool. Alternates can > be explained and possibly somewhat automated after the installation. > > 8< > > * Once installed, how best to manage updates to included packages? Is > > there any advantage to using RPM or would it be best to stick with > > tarballs/diff/patch initially? I don't think many people are using > any form > > of package management on cygwin yet but perhaps this would be useful? > 8< > > This has been discussed many times before. I prefer the tarball > method while others prefer the automated installation. If you want to > satisfy all peoples then you have to supply both methods. > [Martin] Seems reasonable. I have RedHat Linux at home but still tend to install a lot of stuff from tarball rather than RPM packages. > 8< > > * Would this include helper scripts like the modified "install" which > > many packages need to cope with .exe extensions? I'm sure there have > been a > > few more handy scripts/wrappers on this list as well. > 8< > > Just search the archives. > [Martin] I didn't want them just now - I was just suggesting that the more "essential" of these might make a useful addition to such a CD :-) > 8< > > * Would/could it set up /bin, /etc mounts as well as the default ones > > provided by Cygwin? > 8< > > Again, this is a preference thing. Some prefer to use symbolic links, > some prefer to create a different directory structure altogether and > some prefer just using mount points. Whatever you do as a default > will only satisfy about 1/3 (a guess) of the preferences. > [Martin] In theory an installer could ask the user what they wanted set up but, in practice, I agree this would probably be too much hassle. I certainly wouldn't recommend a windows installer as a panacea for all installation issues ! > > Anyway, that's enough from me. I certainly support this suggestion > and think > > it would be a good way of allowing more people to get up & running > with the > > Cygwin tools without having to go through the regular FAQ session > first :-) > 8< > > I like the idea, too. However, it is a given that you'll never > satisfy everyone and if you're too lazy to read do the FAQ session > then you're going to be too lazy to read any other installation manual > as well. I can just hear the questions now, "I just got this CD and > I'm trying to ...". ;^) > True, all the tools in one place sounds handy :-) And, as you say, as long as people realise that this method of installation may not suit their particular needs then there's no problem... Regards, Martin > == > - \\||// > -------------------o0O0--Earnie--0O0o------------------- > -- earnie_boyd@yahoo.com -- > -- http://www.freeyellow.com/members5/gw32/index.html -- > ----------------------ooo0O--O0ooo---------------------- > > PS: Newbie's, you should visit my page. -- Want to unsubscribe from this list? Send a message to cygwin-unsubscribe@sourceware.cygnus.com