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RE: Where is the manual to manually install cygwin in Windows 2000




> From: Christopher Faylor [mailto:cgf-cygwin@cygwin.com]
> Sent: Friday, April 19, 2002 4:10 PM
> To: cygwin@cygwin.com
> Subject: Re: Where is the manual to manually install cygwin in Windows
> 200 0
<snip>

> What's become a real mess is the fact that people seem to be doing an
> "ls" in their download directories and then apparently gasp with slack
> jawed horror when they see the awful mirror-based directory in their
> download area.
> However, that aside, setup's functionality has not degraded.  
> In fact it
> improves with each release, just like good software should.

Not entirely true sometimes it improves sometimes it meanders down a blind
alley or two, much like redhat your sponsor! It's free software as
a nobody user I accept its oddities and enjoy it's strengths, I'd like to
contribute some constructive feedback but clearly that's not welcome. 

> >What makes for an "easy" install on one workstation ought to imply 
> >ease of use on multiple workstations... it doesn't, quite 
> the contrary,
> 
> Why doesn't it?  Run setup on each workstation.

I don't think that's terribly scalable.

> If that's too hard, then copy the download directory around to multiple 
> workstations.

Perhaps far more useful would be provide a cmdline mode to setup.exe offering
a more flexible install method, scaleable to multiple installations and
capable of saving a specific bundle of packages as an install set and then
reapplying those with a single commandline across a list of boxes.

This is meant as entirely constructive criticism, accompanied by an example
suggestion, (not a demand or even a request), neither is it intended to solicit
the perennial "go code it yourself, we're too busy, response"

> Think of the directory as a black box.  Don't perform "ls"
> in the directory if your sensibilities are offended by the mirror subdirectory.

I don't think this is about sensibilities but about choosing a simple, clean
approach, without unnecessary complexity.

As a for instance of the consequences of your approach: How would you suggest
the mere mortals should clear out old versions of packages after say 4 or 5
revisions are sitting scattered across directory trees based on 6 different
mirrors used by a particular user over a 2 year period?   

> Or, copy the whole cygwin "root" directory around and set up the mount
> points using mount.  It's not that hard if you reorient your thinking
> to solving problems rather than complaining about problems and waiting
> for someone to solve your problems for you.

I'm not waiting for anything I already have my solution for dealing with the 
current bizarre consequences of setup.exe. It relies on simple scripting batch
scripting, 

 
> >a simple config file based approach with a script that did the
> >installing would be far, far easier. (such as make)
> 
> This is really hilarious.  When we had a version of setup that just
> did a non-gui install everyone whined about how hard it was and kept
> asking where the gui version was.  Now true nirvana would be achieved
> if only we had a script based install.
> 
> >As it is, it smacks of the "developer knows best" and "one 
> size fits all"
> >approaches so popular at M$ which is sad given cygwin's heritage!
> 
> Cygwin's heritage is free software.  Unfortunately, that 
> means that there are a lot of groaners who think things should be done
> "their way" and few people doing the actual work.  So developers work on what 
> we want to work on, but still try to produce software that we think will help.
> Oddly enough, it's the developers who advance the state of 
> the software, not the hyperbolic messages from people who have figured out 
> how to use their mail software to send opinionated email to cygwin at 
> cygwin dot com.
> So, bottom line is that we have little interest in dealing with people
> who think that they have special needs but have no special skills to
> implement their needs -- especially when they can't even really
> articulate why the available software doesn't fit their needs.
 
> That doesn't mean that there aren't all sorts of methods for 
> installing cygwin that will work just as well as setup.exe.
> It's just up to whomever to exert a little brain power to figure out how to 
> do it.  I even posted a short snippet of code that showed how to do this in 
> a script not too long ago.
 
> Regardless, It is always humorous to see people becoming 
> indignant about software that they're being given for free.
> 
> >Short-sighted, misguided install philosophy aside, thanks 
> for a wonderful
> >selection of software :)
> 
> Ignorant, inflammatory email aside, you're welcome.

I was attempting to offer a new direction that may have been overlooked
from your perspective but clearly the experiences and or suggestions of users
are of little consequence to you.

My humblest apologies for attempting to make a feeble constructive suggestion.

I'm glad such wonderful software has such an enlightened, good humoured ambassador.

Thanks again,
Lawrence

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