Re: [Gnumed-devel] Re: previous postings to do with installers

[Sebastian Hilbert]

On Saturday 19 June 2004 10:37, Jim Busser wrote:
> On Jun 18, 2004, at 8:57 PM, Ian Haywood wrote:
> > ...automatic dependency-resolver...
> > ...Presumably those users accepted that deficiency when making their
> > selection ;-)
True but sometimes I am tempted to lead users into certain directions.
Spending too much time working around Windows shortcomings will not benefit 
them. Showing them alternatives (by not providing the best possible Windows 
installer) maybe lets them take a look at those alternatives.

Just last week I *officially* stopped repairing my friend's Windows-loaded, 
virus stricken PCs. Instead I offered to help them set up Linux.
Well no luck so far but at least I can spend quality time producing quality 
software instead of cleaning PCs day after day.
 
>
> Well, developers may have knowingly made that choice, but I doubt the
> view can be extended to "most" eventual users of GnuMed
>
> > What the Mac guys really want of course is a single 20 meg zip that
> > contains gnumed plus binaries of python, wxpython and postgres:
>
> FWIW, my motivation in posting has not been to seek (solely or even
> primarily) an installer solution for Mac users. Rather it is to try to
> get the group to gel on any approach(es) that could achieve, across
> platforms & distros:
>
> ... where feasible:
>
> - consistency in the installation steps
> - consistency in the installation documentation
> - multi-purposing the same code (scripts) where it can be useful across
> multiple distros or OSs
We could try that but I personally don't favor this approach.
>
> Basically I am looking to reduce the project's net work (where
> feasible), as well as any *needless* inconsistency in information among
> numerous approaches.
To me providing OS native , high quality install-routines ist more important 
than finding the least common denominator. Once Gnumed stabilizes we will 
most likely have releases every 3 months or so. Most installers are compiled 
from some sort of script which alllows for quick changes once you have a 
working basis. 

As we have seen already there are quite different views among UNIX/MAC users.
So why not provide a native installer? My concept was not to build a huge, one 
fits all installer but rather rely on native installers where possible and 
glue them together with python if neccessary. That way each part could be 
started individually if the user/admin so chooses.

In the end it's up to the one who actually *builds* it. Everything else is 
just talk. So I better stop right here :-)

-- 
Sebastian Hilbert 
Leipzig / Germany
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