Subject: Re: How to install packages...
From: Soren A <[email-masked]>
To: [email-masked]
Date: Sat, 21 Sep 2002 03:24:46 +0000 (UTC)

Christopher Faylor <[email-masked]> wrote in
news:[email-masked]: 

> We've seen it more than once.  People don't understand that the same
> program they used to install cygwin can be used to update their
> installation with new packages. 

Chris is correct in this observation.

As far as I could could parse the subsequent articles, there was some
derision expressed inreaction to the idea of updating the main Cygwin
page to clarify this. There shouldn't be derision, IMHO. 

*Most* software that MS Windows users get exposed to, that is
distributed as a zip archive and that typically has a file named
"setup.exe" inside that archive, works in such a way that the setup.exe
is _only_ for doing the one-time installation of the program files (and
writing of Registry entries if that is involved, and misc other things
like mangling the machine's autoexec.bat might happen too...). The user
might as well delete it after that (WinZip usually will do so
automatically for it and everything else that was part of the
installation system). Point: It is completely counter-intuitive for *MS
Windows users* (as opposed to those fully initiated into the *nix
priesthood somewhere along the line) to expect to run a "setup.exe"
program more than once (Unless they've reformatted their HD as Windoze 
tends to periodically require).

It's always been a little problem that the particular name "setup.exe"
was chosen for the Cygwin installation manager (IMHO). You don't run
"setup" on a Debian GNU/Linux box and you don't run "setup" on a RedHat
Linux box (You run 'apt-get ...' or 'dselect ...' and 'rpm ...'). These
are distinctively-named systems. Lacking ambiguity. 'CINMAN' anyone? It has
a nice, provocative ring to it... ('CIM' was already taken, long ago, in 
the days of yore before AOL swallowed the World...)

Of course, it's too late now to do anything about the name of
"setup.exe". *Except* adding an explanation that "you'll use it to
change or update your Cygwin system installation on an ongoing basis"
for the main Cygwin page, right under the "Install Cygwin Now" icon(s)
or close by. 

  Soren A

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