Announcement: One Click Installer

[Markus Hitter]

Am 07.08.2007 um 16:30 schrieb Sebastian Heinlein:

> installing software from the internet blindly is perhaps the cause  
> for most
> unstable windows systems.

I doubt an OS installation cares where you've got your applications  
from. The worst software I have experience with are drivers and free  
"helper" applications coming on a CD bundled with hardware.

The biggest source of instability is the fact you have to install  
software at all. Libraries possibly overriding already existing ones.  
Variables set or unset to match what the individual developer thinks  
is right. Additional files spread all over the system, because Linux  
expects them in a specific place. Configuration files edited without  
a chance to revert them to a different mix of installed packages.

If you want more stability along with more ease for the user, you  
should work towards self-sufficient application packages. Not  
necessarily a single file, but a directory filled with everything  
some piece of software needs.

Installation: unpack an archive (without admin rights, whereever it  
is convenient for you).

Deinstallation: move the archive's contents (a single file or  
directory) to the trash.

Changes after a typical installation/run/deinstallation cycle: Zero.

While this requires some tweaks to the base system (e.g. the linker  
should look into the bundle before /usr/lib) and isn't good for every  
type of software, it is very user friendly and very doable. Classic  
Mac OS did it. Mac OS X does it. GNUstep does it.


Markus

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Dipl. Ing. Markus Hitter
http://www.jump-ing.de/