On Thu, 10 Mar 2005 22:54, Christian Lohmaier wrote:
> Hi *,
>
> On Thu, Mar 10, 2005 at 11:52:42AM +1000, Alex Fisher wrote:
> > On Thu, 10 Mar 2005 09:49, Christian Lohmaier wrote:
> > > On Thu, Mar 10, 2005 at 08:43:26AM +1000, Alex Fisher wrote:
> > > > On Thu, 10 Mar 2005 00:20, Alex Thurgood wrote:
> > > > > Le mardi 08 mars 2005 � 22:19 +0100, Christian Lohmaier a �crit :
> > >
> > > [...]
> > > Although the GUIs don't have a switch to use nodeps, they will usually
> > > ask something like "Dependencies for package not met. Continue anyway?"
> >
> > None that I've used so far do that. Kpackage and RPMDrake will simply say
> > "The following packages cannot be installed..." (sometimes the message is
> > "The following packages cannot be selected" which is even more annoying),
> > and then when the OK button is clicked the program exits....
>
> ? Well my version of rpmdrake could handle the dependencies properly.
> Probably you did not have the needed packages in a location known to
> rpmdrake?
>
> > > [...]
> > > If you don't install your other software into custom locations, why
> > > would you make an exception for OOo?
> >
> > Which is precisely what the current RPMs do... I have normally installed
> > my programs into </usr/local/>,
>
> These are not binary packages, right?

Wrong. I rarely compile from source (the kernel is the primary exception). of 
all the software I have installed, only two have been compiled from source, 
and only four have been installed in /opt. *Everything* else has ended in 
either /usr/local or (in several instances, mainly anti-virus 
software) /usr/lib.... 
>
> > but with the O.o packages (and the old install
> > script did the same), everything gets put in </opt/>. so in fact OO.o is
> > the exception, not the rule,
>
> It follows the recommendations of the FHS. If you want you can create a
> symlink that points to /usr/local or use mound with the bind option.
>
> > and it would be nice to be able to place it into
> > </usr/local>... But I can't from a GIU.
>
> Again: You cannot start the old setup from the GUI. You have to use the
> commandline anyway (to specify the -net option) The old install-script
> (which is a response-file installation) already accepted a custom
> prefix.
>
> Whether you type in the desired patch in the promt or in some box of a
> graphical setup doesn't really make a difference, does it?
>
> > > > > I'm sorry, but I disagree. Your anwser is like saying : here
> > > > > hapless child, I gave you a cake with a cherry and cream on it in
> > > > > Version 1.x.x, and now for Version 2, which I've trumpeted as a
> > > > > super-duper improved cherry cake, there isn't going to be any cream
> > > > > or even any cherry.. Which cake would I rather have ?
> > > > >
> > > > > > >   - how can I choose which filters to install when I use the
> > > > > > > RPMs ?
> > > > > >
> > > > > > Simply don't install/install the xsltfilters package.
> > > >
> > > > And what if one needs only *one* of those filters?
> > >
> > > You are constructing weired scenarios.
> >
> > No, not weird at all. It is one which *may* arise (see below)....
>
> No. You say: "We need the graphical setup for the "helpless child"" and
> then you argument with something only an advanced user will do.

:) wrong again. Even when I was just starting to find my way around Windows 
3.1, I preferred to use a Custom setup. And at that point, I had had a 
computer for about 3 months. At that time, I *was* the archetypal "helpless 
child".
>
> > > Why would you only install one
> > > single filter?
> >
> > I might only have a Palm, so I only need the Palm filters. In the Windows
> > installer, that is not a problem, as I have the chance to select only
> > that filter.
> >
> > > How many users do you know who did not install filters? (I'd love to
> > > hear the reasons for not installing the filters as well)
> >
> > Disk space, not needing the filters, only ever going to use it for text
> > documents...
>
> Disk space.. You install 200+ MB and don't have 2MB left for the
> filters?

Quite possible. It has happened to me, and not so long ago either.......
>
> > There are quite a few. With the old installer, I rarely
> > installed any extra filters, since I have no need of them. *If* I did
> > find a need, then it was a simple matter or running the install script,
> > selecting "Repair" and installing the missing components....
>
> It was selecting "modify", not "repair"...
> With the rpms there is not much of a difference. You don't have to run
> the setup but simply install the filter-rpm.
>
> > > > this answer is not good,
> > > > since the method requires an "all or nothing" approach.
> > >
> > > And be honest: How many (clueless) users will choose not to install the
> > > filters?
> >
> > And how many of those will ever need or use them?
>
> That is not the point. IMHO the
>
> > > > > > >   - where's the customized setup installation gone ?
> > > >
> > > > Still there in Windows, but not in Linux. The older tarball installer
> > > > was superior in that respect. And the reason there is no longer any
> > > > "Custom" option is plain... it is purely *because of* the RPM based
> > > > packaging.
> > > >
> > > > Make RPM packages available by all means, but there needs to be a
> > > > tarball (better yet, a self-extracting one) so that those who wish to
> > > > may do a custom installation... [...]
> > >
> > > First define what you mean by custom installation.
> >
> > See the "Custom" option in the windows installer.
>
> These options don't make much sense. IIRC the custom setup once was
> introduced because some IT-magazine wrote in a review "Does not even
> offer a custom setup".. The options are just offered so that the user
> thinks he has control over the setup (yeah, those windows users always
> trying to "tune" their windows)...
>
> > > [...]
> > > It will. If not it is a bug. But for OOo it doesn't matter. You can
> > > choose whatever order you like. The dependencies are runtime
> > > dependencies. There are no dependencies during installation.
> >
> > Strange... When I installed it (after having updated the urpmi sources),
> > the packages were installed in a *very* specific order, and that order
> > was nothing like I expected...
>
> So what? The order is irrelevant as long all necessary packages get
> installed. It is up to rpm which package gets written onto the disk
> first.
>
> RRM knows the difference between: "Package x needs to be installed
> before package y can be installed" and "Package x needs to be installed
> in order for package y to run properly"
>
> The latter is the case with the OOo packages. You can install the
> packages in any order you like as long as you install the requirements
> as well.
>
> (you can install openofficeorg-impress (with --nodeps so that rpm
> doesn't complaint) and then the core packages and Impress will work or
> you can install the core packages and then openofficeorg-impress and
> Impress will work as well).
>
> > [...]
> > The old style GUI had the advantage (for the end user) that they did not
> > need to see the underlying packages. That is why I think the best would
> > be to make the current RPM tarball a self-extractor, very much like Sun
> > does with the JRE RPM installer (comes as a .bin executable, which ten
> > unpacks the RPM and calls 'rpm -i'). A similar thing which extracts the
> > OO.o RPMs, then calls a custom front-end to urpmi where the desired
> > modules can be selected is (IMO)
>
> How should OOo know what frontend to call? Furthermore I don't like
> wrapped RPMs. Usually these cannot be installed non-interactively.

The JRE ones are quite non-interactive... run the downloaded script, the RPMs 
are unpacked and installed. The only "interaction" is to agree to the 
license....
>
> > the ideal way to cater for all, incorporating the best aspects of both
> > methods. It could probably be done with other package formats equally
> > well too.
>
> I don't think so. Better have a document in the package explaining the
> process instead of obscuring it. Good old installation instructions.
>
> Unpack the tarball and remove every rpm you don't want to install, then
> become root using the "su" command and run "rpm -Uhv *.rpm" as root. Type
> "exit" to become a regular user again.
>
> The following list will give you a description of the packages to ease
> your selection.
>
> core packages: needed, non optional
>
> writer -> optional, but recommended - the word processor. Install if you
> want to read write Text documents.
> calc ...
>
> testtool -> optional, install this if you want to do automated testing of
> OOo in order to assist in improving its quality, see
> http://qa.openoffice.org for mor details...
> pyuno -> optional, install this if you want to [...]
>
> You have to choose between one (or none) of the desktop-integration
> packages. These will register the OOo mime-types and set-up entries in
> the application-menu to launch OOo. Install the one that matches your
> distribution.

Not possible. Mandrake is not catered for, and neither the RH nor SuSE ones 
work. Gnome integration is useless, as Mandrake uses KDE by default.
>
> Something like this.
>
> > > Be fair when argumenting. All the major distribution will provide OOo
> > > customized/adapted for that distribution. So most of the users will use
> > > the OOo that came with their distribution.
> > > The large number of clueless users you're talking about will not
> > > install developer snapshots. They should not install the beta either.
> > > And more important: They probably will not need nor want to do a
> > > "custom install". What is needed is a more detailed description for the
> > > packages like "Install this package if you want to do <this and that>"
> > > to ease the identification of the packages.
> >
> > So you need a self-extractor like I described above....
>
> No. They need some explanations. The self-extractor is only more helpful
> becaue it shows descrtioptions of the components. Still the user has to
> decide what he wants and what he doesn't want. (when running the custom
> setup at all)
>
> > > And: The old installation required the use of a cli as well (or how did
> > > you supply the "-net" switch?)
> >
> > I used the provided "install" script which would execute by simply
> > clicking on it in Konqueror.... If I didn't want the "-net- switch, I
> > simply clicked on the "setup" script. No need for the command line even
> > there (which was very useful to know when I was giving instructions to a
> > newbie).
>
> So. You did use the install script... But how did you customize the
> installation in this case? -> you did not.
>
> -> This is what I mean with fair argumentation. Don't compare peas with
> apples.
>
> ciao
> Christian

The real answer is that there is a need for *both* forms of installation, and 
always will be. We *need* RPM, DEB *and* tarball methods....

-- 
Alex Fisher

Co-Lead, CD-ROM Project

OpenOffice.org Marketing 
Community Contact
Australia/New Zealand


http://distribution.openoffice.org/cdrom/

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