Sounds like a fine idea. If you run the install interactively, I presume you would optionally display the Quick Start (compound words make me shudder) document at the end of the install.
Perhaps also add a "Quick Start" item to the shell extension if the user discovers the new TortoiseHg entry before spotting a new desktop icon. Nick. -----Original Message----- From: Steve Borho [mailto:st...@borho.org] Sent: 25 February 2010 03:45 To: tortoisehg-discuss@lists.sourceforge.net Subject: [thg] QuickStart, RunOnce, and desktop icons Hello, It's been a long-standing goal of our project to have a first-run wizard application that walks users through initial configuration and use. I had a recent change of heart on this topic and decided instead that it would be preferable to have a QuickStart document that the user could read as many times as they wish, and that document could walk them through the initial configuration. I decided on the QuickStart document approach because it doesn't waste development effort on an application that will only be run once and wouldn't teach the user how to change those settings in the normal (preferred) way later on. My plan until very recently was to register the QuickStart document as a "RunOnce" task so that it ran (opened in the CHM viewer) the first time the user logged in after an install. But it's quickly becoming apparent that this is idea is full of pitfalls as well. The new MSI installer does not require a reboot and could be installed by an admin without you being aware of it, so getting the document to open when you expect it to, or having it open unexpectedly, is a real problem. So the approach I'm leaning towards now is to have the installer add a "TortoiseHG QuickStart" shortcut to the desktop if the user/admin chooses to install the local CHM file. I think this helps users who install THG and wonder "where the app is". This gives us a chance to explain that THG is a shell extension and command line apps, and it allows users to get back to the quick start when they want it, and to harmlessly delete the shortcut when they're tired of looking at it. I'm curious what others think about the idea. -- Steve Borho PS: This is the current quickstart. It needs a lot of work: http://tortoisehg.bitbucket.org/manual/1.0/quick.html ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------ Download Intel® Parallel Studio Eval Try the new software tools for yourself. Speed compiling, find bugs proactively, and fine-tune applications for parallel performance. See why Intel Parallel Studio got high marks during beta. http://p.sf.net/sfu/intel-sw-dev _______________________________________________ Tortoisehg-discuss mailing list Tortoisehg-discuss@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/tortoisehg-discuss ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Download Intel® Parallel Studio Eval Try the new software tools for yourself. Speed compiling, find bugs proactively, and fine-tune applications for parallel performance. See why Intel Parallel Studio got high marks during beta. http://p.sf.net/sfu/intel-sw-dev _______________________________________________ Tortoisehg-discuss mailing list Tortoisehg-discuss@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/tortoisehg-discuss
