Mail Archives: cygwin/2002/05/29/13:22:38
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Alfonso, et al --
=2E..and then Urdaneta, Alfonso E (N-Summitt Technologies) said...
%=20
% I just tried to download and install cygwin - and I have to say the insta=
ll
% is highly frustrating.
I must admit that I know what you mean.
%=20
% While I understand the motivation for the granular installer, I think that
% you should still provide the option of a monolithic download. Unfortunat=
ly
% many of the "mirrors" that I had to chose from only mirrored a subset of =
the
% modules that I needed to download for my full install.
I don't feel a need to go back to a monolithic download, but keeping
mirrors up to date really is a challenge. I don't know enough about the
setup to suggest a fix, but (here I go anyway :-) something like always
getting the setup.ini file from the canonical master and then somehow
comparing it with what the mirror has could let you know in advance that
such-and-such will be missing or downrevved so that you could choose
another mirror if you cared would be a nice touch.
%=20
=2E..
% One thing that you guys may not have considered is that the current
% "internet-only" method is unsuitable for classified environments. I have
Actually, while from the 'net is the preferred ('cuz must current)
method, it's certainly not the only option.
% worked (and I'm sure I'm not the only one) in a "secure" environment which
% does not allow a live connection to the internet. In that sort of
% environment we are allowed to stick CDs into the machine to install
% software, but downloading is expressly prohibited. =20
Funny... Where I'm contracting now they have a cow about anything
downloaded even if you bring it in on your own CD... How nice that they
let you install what you want without having to jump through a million
hoops to ensure that the code that you download is the real thing instead
of some evilly-changed version...
%=20
% By refusing to provide a "monolithic install" option that users such as
% myself can download and burn to CD to be used on non-networked machines, =
you
% have essentially made cygwin a non-option for us. =20
Aha! Here's your happiness, then. The next time you're at a 'net box,
start setup (from the web site or your own copy or whatever) and select
"Download from Internet" to make your own respository. It'll suck down
the whole thing (minus any pieces missing 'cuz of mirroring problems as
above) and then you'll have a lovely directory tree that you can burn to
CD (after moving the packages from the per-mirror subtree to the main
subtree, IIUC) and take into your lab and run setup (which I'm sure
you'll have remembered to put on the CD, along with setup.ini :-) and
choose "Install from Local Directory" and there ya go.
As an added bonus, you can update your "source tree" with more current
packages and then re-burn your CD periodically.
%=20
% And please, any comments such "just plug it in for the download - a firew=
all
% is more than adequate protection" are worthless - those of use that do
% government work deal with beaurocrats, not reasonable technically compent=
ent
% human beings. =20
Understood, and I don't think anyone would suggest that (though I'm
finding it hard to resist ;-)
%=20
% Just an example - at my last government job I was not allowed to bring a
% CD-RW into the lab even though all the machines had _only_ CDROM drives. (
% yes, you read that correctly, read only drives NOT a writeable ones ).
And yet they let you bring in downloaded code... Oy!
%=20
% I'm also concerned about the wasted bandwith and the delays induced by
% downloading. =20
%=20
% I have a stack of CDs that I have burned with the tools that I normally
% download such as gcc, xemacs, jdk, etc. I use these whenever I setup a n=
ew
Right. While I'm still amazed, I understand the concept; I do the same
thing (though it all fits on one CD; what the heck are you installing?!?).
% machine. It seems that downloading 200-300M worth of stuff per machine is
% ludicrous - especially if you are going to configure 20-50 developer
% workstations, which I have had to do. Seems like an excessive drain on y=
our
% mirror sites, and the internet in general.
Sounds like a good reason for you to download + burn + install locally!
%=20
% Alfonso.
HTH & HAND
:-D
--=20
David T-G * It's easier to fight for one's principles
(play) davidtg AT justpickone DOT org * than to live up to them. -- fortune cookie
(work) davidtgwork AT justpickone DOT org
http://www.justpickone.org/davidtg/ Shpx gur Pbzzhavpngvbaf Qrprapl Npg!
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