From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 Return-Path: Received: (qmail 8800 invoked by alias); 21 Sep 2002 03:25:16 -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 8792 invoked from network); 21 Sep 2002 03:25:15 -0000 Received: from unknown (HELO main.gmane.org) (80.91.224.249) by sources.redhat.com with SMTP; 21 Sep 2002 03:25:15 -0000 Received: from list by main.gmane.org with local (Exim 3.35 #1 (Debian)) id 17sasw-0000wy-00 for ; Sat, 21 Sep 2002 05:24:46 +0200 To: cygwin@cygwin.com X-Injected-Via-Gmane: http://gmane.org/ Received: from news by main.gmane.org with local (Exim 3.35 #1 (Debian)) id 17sasw-0000wp-00 for ; Sat, 21 Sep 2002 05:24:46 +0200 Path: not-for-mail From: Soren A Subject: Re: How to install packages... Date: Sat, 21 Sep 2002 00:10:00 -0000 Organization: Sporadically Occasionally Message-ID: References: <20020920195321.GD28279@redhat.com> NNTP-Posting-Host: 185.new-york-19rh15rt-ny.dial-access.att.net X-Trace: main.gmane.org 1032578686 27559 12.88.196.185 (21 Sep 2002 03:24:46 GMT) X-Complaints-To: usenet@main.gmane.org NNTP-Posting-Date: Sat, 21 Sep 2002 03:24:46 +0000 (UTC) User-Agent: Xnews/5.04.25 X-Archive: encrypt X-SW-Source: 2002-09/txt/msg01026.txt.bz2 Christopher Faylor wrote in news:20020920195321.GD28279@redhat.com: > We've seen it more than once. People don't understand that the same > program they used to install cygwin can be used to update their > installation with new packages. Chris is correct in this observation. As far as I could could parse the subsequent articles, there was some derision expressed inreaction to the idea of updating the main Cygwin page to clarify this. There shouldn't be derision, IMHO. *Most* software that MS Windows users get exposed to, that is distributed as a zip archive and that typically has a file named "setup.exe" inside that archive, works in such a way that the setup.exe is _only_ for doing the one-time installation of the program files (and writing of Registry entries if that is involved, and misc other things like mangling the machine's autoexec.bat might happen too...). The user might as well delete it after that (WinZip usually will do so automatically for it and everything else that was part of the installation system). Point: It is completely counter-intuitive for *MS Windows users* (as opposed to those fully initiated into the *nix priesthood somewhere along the line) to expect to run a "setup.exe" program more than once (Unless they've reformatted their HD as Windoze tends to periodically require). It's always been a little problem that the particular name "setup.exe" was chosen for the Cygwin installation manager (IMHO). You don't run "setup" on a Debian GNU/Linux box and you don't run "setup" on a RedHat Linux box (You run 'apt-get ...' or 'dselect ...' and 'rpm ...'). These are distinctively-named systems. Lacking ambiguity. 'CINMAN' anyone? It has a nice, provocative ring to it... ('CIM' was already taken, long ago, in the days of yore before AOL swallowed the World...) Of course, it's too late now to do anything about the name of "setup.exe". *Except* adding an explanation that "you'll use it to change or update your Cygwin system installation on an ongoing basis" for the main Cygwin page, right under the "Install Cygwin Now" icon(s) or close by. Soren A -- Unsubscribe info: http://cygwin.com/ml/#unsubscribe-simple Bug reporting: http://cygwin.com/bugs.html Documentation: http://cygwin.com/docs.html FAQ: http://cygwin.com/faq/