[SATLUG] RE: [OT] The Future of the internet

[Steven Winston]

Larry Blodgett wrote:
>The most difficult machine without a doubt is Windows 2000.  Many  
> times
>you need to install things three or four times and finally the install
>works.  I have never figured out why that happens.  We have several
>specially trained and certified MS people at my work and they
>truthfully admit to these strange problems.  They admit that it is
>these types of problems that put the meat and potatoes on their table.

>From a programming point of view, these problems are quite frustrating.   
In the windows world, you get a nice little package to use for  
distribution called Install Sheild.  Basically the way it works is you  
have a bunch of ready made template user interface boxes that you  
configure from withen Visual Studio.  The good news is it takes moments  
to get a ".MSI" package set up (couple of minutes to be built) but all  
in all it's quite easy to do.
Anyway, my point is that for all its' lack of configurability, it does  
have few ways of creating it incorrectly.  This means that supposidly  
it "works right out of the box."  Which obviously it doesn't.  It's  
trivial to have it muck up the registry (that's bad for those who don't  
use windows), it's even easier to create a package that will work  
"sometimes" as intended and fail the rest of the time.  Believe me when  
I say sarcastically that InstallSheild is a joy to work with.
On the Linux side of the world, we don't really have a universally  
accepted installer.  A company a while back came up with an installer  
that works in all flavors of linux, and apple.  It looks a LOT like  
install shield (purdy gui).  It's highly configurable, and open source.   
Its' biggest problem was how difficult it was to find.  Loki-Setup is a  
great tool, but not a well known one.  It's also not the easiest of  
tools to use as it defaults towards saying all install files are  
arranged in a certain way and tho shalt not change it.  Thankfully I  
haven't seen it break yet so it doesn't suffer from the installsheild  
woes.  Now if only it worked under windows; the world would be a happy  
place.
--
Steven Winston
Global Gaming Innovations, LLC

Remember, drive defensively! And of course, the best defense is a good  
offense!