Michael Barton wrote: > I'd argue for something between these positions. > > I'd stick to just a GRASS installation to keep it simple and relatively > small. But, I'd really recommend that there is the option of a SINGLE > installation package for users. Most of the Windows users I deal with are > intimidated by a package that they download and then find out that they have > to go somewhere else and install something different just to use the first > package. > > So can we include TclTk and Mysys, if needed, in a single package that > allows all of GRASS to run?
Yes, we can. I will put together such a "complete" package including these and other useful things for GRASS that are currently in the add-on repository. That would also include my own GRASS extensions and r.cva (which finally seems to run OK on Windows). We will then have an all-in-one package for novice users and Moritz can still provide a bare-bones version for people that need or want it lean. I think this should make everyone happy. Benjamin > > Michael > > > On 10/31/07 8:25 AM, "Moritz Lennert" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > >> On 31/10/07 13:58, Benjamin Ducke wrote: >>> Glynn Clements wrote: >>>> Moritz Lennert wrote: >>>> >>>>> So, I still believe that: >>>>> >>>>> rem Path to the shell command >>>>> rem set GRASS_SH=c:\msys\1.0\bin\sh.exe >>>>> >>>>> is a better solution (since allowing the user to install what they want >>>>> where they want) than >>> Yes, but often (especially my type of user), they don't know enough >>> to want anything (see below). >>> Anyway, a knowledgeable user can always adjust those vars by hand! >>> >>>> Agreed. The above is the only location where a Bourne shell is likely >>>> to be found. If it's anywhere else, the user will have to set it >>>> manually. >>> Or we supply it as part of the WinGRASS binary distribution! (see below) >>> >>>> The relative path will only work if grass63.bat is installed in >>>> c:\msys\1.0, so there's no benefit to using it. >>> Not quite. With the setup above, GRASS can be installed _anywhere_ on >>> the file system. The only prerequisite is that grass63.bat sits >>> in the same folder as the GRASS install dir. >>> E.g. on my harddisk I have grass63.bat in c:\WinGRASS\ >>> and the GRASS dir (grass-6.3.cvs) in the same folder. >>> >>> I then copied C:\msys\1.0\bin, dll and share >>> (at least the parts that I needed for using the shell) into >>> c:\WinGRASS. >>> >>> This way, I have a completely self-contained GRASS distribution. >>> I can add more bits an pieces (such as R) easily as needed and >>> at the end, put everything into on ZIP for distribution. >>> >>> I don't know what could be easier. Especially since this approach >>> does not interfere with an MSYS already installed on the user's >>> system. >> But it might install the same programs twice on the machine and probably >> bloat the grass distribution by quite a lot (don't forget that most >> people do not have broadband) ... >> >> IMO, we should stick to a basic wingrass distribution to which people >> can add what they want in terms of other programs. If they want access >> to R, they can add R's bin + lib directories to the path and that's it. >> >> If you have a particular audience that needs a series of add-ons and >> tweaks than you can provide a special package for them, but I prefer to >> distribute a simple package without any unnecessary additions (and I >> consider msys an unnecessary addition in this context as there is hardly >> anything you cannot do without scripts - it just might not be as >> convienient). Don't assume that everyone has the same needs as you. >> >> And up to now feedback has been that installation of the wingrass >> package is very easy... >> >> However, I agree that we could maybe provide more detailled >> documentation on how to integrate different packages (at least msys). >> >> Moritz >> >>> The benefit for the user is that only one .bat is visible in >>> the top dir: it's clear what to click on and there is no >>> searching in bin grass-6.3.cvs/bin or wherever to find >>> a startup-script. >> If the instructions in the readme are not clear enough, please provide >> suggestions for improvement. Up to now I have not received any feedback >> from users not being able to find how to launch grass. >> >>> Please keep in mind, that my Windows target users will often not >>> have the ability (or patience) to install MSYS by themselves and set >>> the appropriate vars in some obscure batch script -- they just >>> want to click and run GRASS! >> And so they _can_ with the current distribution, except for the fact >> that they have to install ActiveTcl if they want the gui (and the fact >> that the instructions need a reference to how to start grass in text >> mode). This should be solved by giving the option of downloading a grass >> package including a free tcl/tk installation. >> >> My point above concerning msys being unnecessary is obviously arguable >> and if there is a general opinion that we should include it, we can (but >> without any need to change the grass63.bat except for uncommenting the >> line about where to find sh.exe and another to set the necessary PATH). >> >> Moritz >> >> > > __________________________________________ > Michael Barton, Professor of Anthropology > Director of Graduate Studies > School of Human Evolution & Social Change > Center for Social Dynamics & Complexity > Arizona State University > > phone: 480-965-6213 > fax: 480-965-7671 > www: http://www.public.asu.edu/~cmbarton > > > > -- Benjamin Ducke, M.A. Archäoinformatik (Archaeoinformation Science) Institut für Ur- und Frühgeschichte (Inst. of Prehistoric and Historic Archaeology) Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel Johanna-Mestorf-Straße 2-6 D 24098 Kiel Germany Tel.: ++49 (0)431 880-3378 / -3379 Fax : ++49 (0)431 880-7300 www.uni-kiel.de/ufg _______________________________________________ grass-dev mailing list grass-dev@grass.itc.it http://grass.itc.it/mailman/listinfo/grass-dev
