Message-ID: <009b01be86b6$fb2db880$88003bd4@default>
From: "Laurynas Biveinis" <lauras AT softhome DOT net>
To: <djgpp-workers AT delorie DOT com>, <Kbwms AT aol DOT com>
Subject: Re: LBInstDJ
Date: Wed, 14 Apr 1999 22:26:36 +0200
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain;
	charset="iso-8859-1"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit
X-Priority: 3
X-MSMail-Priority: Normal
X-Mailer: Microsoft Outlook Express 4.72.3612.1700
X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V4.72.3612.1700
Reply-To: djgpp-workers AT delorie DOT com


-----Original Message-----
From: Eli Zaretskii <eliz AT is DOT elta DOT co DOT il>
To: Kbwms AT aol DOT com <Kbwms AT aol DOT com>
Cc: djgpp-workers AT delorie DOT com <djgpp-workers AT delorie DOT com>
Date: 1999 m. Balandis 13 d. 10:30
Subject: Re: LBInstDJ


>
>On Mon, 12 Apr 1999 Kbwms AT aol DOT com wrote:
>
>> It is through bitter experience that I warn of the unknown dangers that
>> lurk out there.  There is simply nothing to be gained by venturing into
>> uncharted waters by changing a critical device like autoexec.bat.  It is
>> better to tell the user what has to be done and let it go at that.
>
>IMHO, if we accept this, the whole idea of the installer is null and
>void.  After all, we already *tell* the user, and IN SO MANY WORDS,
>how to edit their configuration files.  And they still fail to do it
>right, even when they *do* read the docs.  What exactly will be gained
>by having a program which tells it yet again?  I expect to see the
>same amount of complaints and FAQs on c.o.m.d., only this time they
>_will_ have an installer to complain about.
>
>Today's users are spoiled by a clickable install.exe that magically
>does everything, even reboots if necessary.  A program that tells them
>to do it by themselves won't have any added value whatsoever, even if
>it writes down a tentative autoexec.bat, since this is NOT what they
>expect from the garden variety install.exe.

No, it would just let user control the process, there IS a big difference,
if
user has to read the docs, faqs, ... and to do everything by himself and
if user has to review proposed changes and e.g. in 80% of cases just
press Enter to accept them.


>But this is exactly the challenge of writing a good installer: how do
>you _handle_ all these complexities in a reasonable way that makes
>most users happy.  If we think that this undertaking is too dangerous,
>let's just quit now and not make the situation worse.

Oh no, I WILL NOT GIVE UP now, when I started it - I have to finish it!
Maybe I will completely stuck, but I won't give up!

Laurynas Biveinis