On Fri, Mar 23, 2018 at 7:53 PM, Ben Coman <b...@openinworld.com> wrote:
> > > On 23 March 2018 at 11:31, Ben Coman <b...@openinworld.com> wrote: > >> >> >> On 23 March 2018 at 05:14, Cédrick Béler <cdric...@gmail.com> wrote: >> >>> Hi, >>> >>> I just saw students and they still have some problem on windows with the >>> launcher. >>> >>> First, the launcher has to be run in admin mode. >>> >>> Then, the image download starts but there is an error when >>> uncompressing. Here is the stack. >>> >>> Any idea on how to fix that ? >>> >> >> Now I notice... >> the Linux PharoLauncher download is a ZIP file >> and the Mac PharoLauncher download is a ZIP file >> so... can we make the Windows PharoLauncher download a ZIP file? >> >> Doing that, at least as an interim measure, would *immediately* make >> PharoLauncher >> usable to students on locked-down Windows machines in University student >> labs. >> I'd expect this will improve the success with this experiment >> to use PharoLauncher as the main user entry point. >> >> The problem with using an "Installer" for the Windows PharoLauncher is >> the large amount >> of testing required to work *reliably* with *all* the "different ways >> people work" >> under several different versions of Windows introduced different layers >> of user security intricacies. >> Lets move forward in small steps. A ZIP download/extract is simple, and >> consistent with other platforms. >> >> In the meantime while waiting for that to happen, you can... >> >> 1. Download/extract http://files.pharo.org/platform/Pharo6.1-win.zip >> >> 2. Rename Pharo6.1 folder to PharoLauncher >> Rename Pharo6.1.* files to PharoLauncher1.1.* >> >> 3. Metacello new >> smalltalkhubUser: 'Pharo' >> project: 'PharoLauncher'; >> configuration: 'PharoLauncher'; >> load. >> PhLDeploymentScript doAll. >> PharoLauncher open. >> Smalltalk snapshot: true andQuit: true. >> > >> 4. Zip up the parent folder, test on another machine and provide a link >> to your students. >> >> cheers -ben >> >> >> P.S. I was going to suggest also renaming Pharo.exe to >> PharoLauncher.exe >> but with an empty Documents\Pharo\vms >> I get... "Error: Cannot detect Pharo executable in >> C:\Temp\MyPharoLauncher\PharoLauncher" >> in PhLVirtualMachine>>initializeOn: "File @ >> C:\Temp\MyPharoLauncher\PharoLauncher" >> since "executables := aFolder allChildrenMatching: self class >> executableName." >> is empty since "self class executableName" ==> "Pharo.exe" >> >> It would be nice for that to not be hard coded. I tried digging further >> but ran out of time. >> I am curious it mattered since using "Pharo.exe" the Launcher went on to >> download a VM anyway. >> >> >> P.S.2. >> I believe the best path forward for system-wide PharoLauncher installed >> under "C:\Program Files" >> would be to install there only... >> * the VM >> * PharoLauncher.ZIP >> * a tiny non-Pharo wrapper program as the shortcut linked from AllUsers > >> Start Menu > PharoLauncher >> that extracts PharoLauncher.ZIP to the user's data area and then starts >> that user specific PharoLauncher. >> >> Then regardless whether: >> * they individually download/extract PharoLauncher.ZIP >> * the system-wide-wrapper extracts PharoLauncher.ZIP >> its a similar experience for users which should aid reliability by >> reducing the number of "different " use cases. >> > > Coincidentally I have returned to Windows for a short while so thought I > should > put my money where my mouth is and have a stab at this. After a few hours > trying with NSIS, > I went searching for an alternative and Advanced Installer looked like a > good chance. > https://www.advancedinstaller.com/feats-list.html > The important part of (free) Basic Features is "Windows 10/8/7/Vista and > UAC installs" > Also further down are some CI options. > > After just the "Simple Installation" tutorial and experimenting a few > hours I ironed out > a potential solution uploaded for testing to > http://www.mediafire.com/file/3g579bmzqspt8e1/BCPharoLauncher.msi > with the full build tree at http://www.mediafire.com/file/ > 5ijiww848lbkk7m/PharoLauncher%20Advanced%20Installer.zip > Links should be live for 30 days. > I've directly attached the much smaller installer-configuration file > "PharoLauncher.aip". > > > PharoLauncher was built with some minor changes from above... > 1. Download/extracted http://files.pharo.org/platform/Pharo6.1-win.zip > > 2. Renamed Pharo6.1 folder to BCPharoLauncher > Renamed Pharo6.1.* files to PharoLauncher1.1.* > > 3. Metacello new > smalltalkhubUser: 'Pharo' > project: 'PharoLauncher'; > configuration: 'PharoLauncher'; > load. > PharoLauncher hardResetPersistanceState: true. > PhLDeploymentScript doAll. > PhLDeploymentScript closeWindowsAndOpenLauncher. > Smalltalk snapshot: true andQuit: true. > > 4. Moved the image & changes files into a subfolder "PerUserFiles" > > 5. Built BCPharoLauncher.msi > > I prefixed my initials to distinguish it from the current official > PharoLauncher installer. > Hopefully this can be adopted as the official installer and they can be > dropped off. > > > Key features: > a. Provides a choice to install for "Everybody" (i.e. C:\Program Files > (x86)\Pharo\BCPharoLauncher\) > or "Only for me" (i.e. C:\Users\Ben\AppData\Local\Programs\Pharo\ > BCPharoLauncher\) > per attached screen snapshot. > > b. Start the install as a Standard User and it escalates only as needed. > WOW, YES. I want this, thanks Ben :) > > c. The Desktop and Start Menu shortcuts run the following script... > > // File: PharoLauncher.js > // Author: Ben Coman 2018.03.24 > // Purpose: Facilitate each user to run a personal copy of > PharoLauncher.image in their own data area. > > // Locations > basename = "\\PharoLauncher1.1"; > WshShell = WScript.CreateObject("WScript.Shell"); > fso = WScript.CreateObject("Scripting.FileSystemObject"); > systemFolder = fso.GetAbsolutePathName("."); > vmFilename = systemFolder + "\\Pharo.exe" > systemBasename = systemFolder + "\\PerUserFiles" + basename; > userFolder = WshShell.ExpandEnvironmentStrings("% > LOCALAPPDATA%\\Pharo"); > userFolder2 = userFolder + "\\PharoLauncher"; > userBasename = userFolder2 + basename; > > // Ensure user data folder exists for PharoLauncher > if( ! fso.FolderExists(userFolder)) > { fso.CreateFolder(userFolder); > fso.CreateFolder(userFolder2) > } > > // If either image or changes files missing from user folder, > copy from system folder. > if( ! fso.FileExists(userBasename + ".image") || ! > fso.FileExists(userBasename + ".changes")) > { > //WScript.Echo("Setting up user environment"); > fso.CopyFile(systemBasename + ".image", userBasename + > ".image", true); > fso.CopyFile(systemBasename + ".changes", userBasename + > ".changes", true); > } > > // Start personal copy of PharoLauncher > WshShell.Exec(vmFilename + " " + userBasename + ".image") > > > cheers -ben > > -- Guille Polito Research Engineer Centre de Recherche en Informatique, Signal et Automatique de Lille CRIStAL - UMR 9189 French National Center for Scientific Research - *http://www.cnrs.fr <http://www.cnrs.fr>* *Web:* *http://guillep.github.io* <http://guillep.github.io> *Phone: *+33 06 52 70 66 13
