How to install packages...

[John Vincent]

Hi,

It's always a bit risky saying what "most" software
does, but the software I've installed on MS Windows
tends to do one of two things:
1. The "setup" program detects if it's doing an initial
setup, if not, it presents options for 'update 'or 'uninstall'.
2. The "setup" program installs menu options to 'update'
or 'uninstall' as part of the installation.

If the cygwin setup does not do either of these things, then
it's not going to be "intuitive".

/John Vincent.

>From: Soren A <soren_andersen@fastmail.fm>
>To: cygwin@cygwin.com
>Subject: Re: How to install packages...
>Date: Sat, 21 Sep 2002 03:24:46 +0000 (UTC)
>
>Christopher Faylor <cgf-cygwin@cygwin.com> 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
>
>
>
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