Inline... On Aug 12, 8:10 pm, Fabrizio Giudici <[email protected]> wrote: > Reinier Zwitserloot wrote: > > /Applications/Netbeans/Netbeans.app is strange in that a properly > > deployed app would be /Applications/Netbeans.app. > > First question: is this explicitly coded by Apple's guidelines?
Probably. I haven't personally checked them. It doesn't matter, though; every app, at least with 90%+ accuracy, is deployed as a dmg which contains a single .app file (it's actually a directory 'under the hood', which is why you just need 1 'file'. Any resources you need can be in there, and for personal settings, you're supposed to use ~/ Library/Application Support or ~/Library/Preferences or ~/Documents depending on the nature of the files. This is definitely documented in the official apple guidelines. > [snip list of apps breaking the rules] AppleScript is something entirely different, which is why it deserves its own folder. That's kind of why normal apps shouldn't copy this behaviour, it's supposed to have special meaning. Most of the rest on that list is either boxed apps (a bunch of separate apps that go together, like Adobe, the flip4mac toolbox, and postgres), or other misbehaving apps. I dislike their deployment just as much as netbeans. I bet most of those (with the known exception of adobe, but, again, just because someone else craps in a pool doesn't mean you can do it too) you can just move around if you don't like their locations. That's my biggest complaint here: Why can't I move stuff around? If the netbeans distro consists of multiple apps, then ship a dmg with multiple apps. I know how to make a directory in my /Applications folder. So does everyone else who will be using netbeans. The fact that mpkg distributions are ALWAYS device drivers or system hacks (with a nasty tendency to screw up your mac) really doesn't help with the 'aw, shucks, I'll give this a try' mindset. I bet a non- trivial amount of would-be netbeans users have tossed the downloaded mpkg straight into the trash out of fear of getting their system screwed up. That's no good. > but this is not certainly a high priority. Every single eclipse complaint in this thread starts with: "I tried, but in the first hour or two I just couldn't deal, so I quit". Not making those first few hours with the tool a priority is EXACTLY what I'm complaining about. I just feel, when I use netbeans, that I have a fine, powerful, well thought out IDE in my hands. I just can't get through to productivity because of so many stupid little issues that should be trivial to solve. I've tried 4 times, so far, and evertime, I ended up giving up before getting comfortable with things, primarily out of annoyance at these small little warts. It's such a shame. And, yes, I'm more to blame for this than netbeans, but there you have it. > and the bazillion options is > the classic "no no" of UI usability. You can only say this if I never get the feeling of 'If only there was a setting for this!' in the tool that manages without the big fat settings dialog. Netbeans does not meet this requirement in the slightest. The target audience is also savvy, so the utility of having smart defaults with few dials to fiddle with is not nearly as important as for other software. Note for example how KDE is still beating the pants off of gnome in linux desktop deployments. Same reasons: gnome has remove settings but hasn't given acceptable alternatives, and the vast majority of linux desktop deployments consist of people who are okay with fiddling. They'd rather not fiddle in the first place, but they really get miffed if they want X, know the tool could easily do X, but its not possible because the settings dialog was too full. --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "The Java Posse" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/javaposse?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
