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RE: Windows installer


From: John D
Subject: RE: Windows installer
Date: Sat, 25 Jan 2014 19:29:56 -0500

Message: 2
Date: Fri, 10 Jan 2014 04:31:35 -0800 (PST)
From: Philip Nienhuis <address@hidden>
To: address@hidden
Subject: RE: Windows installer
Message-ID: <address@hidden>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii

John Donoghue-2 wrote
> 
> How about for now changing the run octave checkbox on the installer to 
> "Install provided packages" and at the end of the install, have it run 
> the build_packages.m script ?

That check box had better be called "Build provided packages (may take some
time!)" 
(it takes ~10 minutes to build the original 10 or so packages included in
the first mxe builds on my 2.5 Ghz Core DUo WinXP box).


While we're here, the build_packages script may require some changes:

1. Many developers here think that packages shouldn't be loaded by default.
So should the "-auto" flags be changed into "-noauto"?

2. At the end of build_packages some message is needed to inform users that
packages must be loaded (+ how to do that) before they can be used.

3. The "-global" flag makes no difference, that is, not on my 3 Windows
boxes; it can be dropped I think unless it works or is required on Mac OSX.
Besides, the Windows installer makes shortcuts (Start Menu, desktop) for the
current user only.

4. The build-packages script sometimes fails (for packages that I added
manually).
Perhaps a try-catch around each pkg install command, or around pkg install
commands for sets of interdependent packages, could be handy.


As to 3., I think we also need a radio button for installation for current
user or all users (Admin priviliges required for the latter). Inside the
make_installscript.sh at some place the NSIS command "setShellVarContext"
should be set accordingly
(http://nsis.sourceforge.net/Reference/SetShellVarContext), plus maybe (as
per http://nsis.sourceforge.net/Shortcuts_removal_fails_on_Windows_Vista)
RequestExecutionLevel user
RequestExecutionLevel admin

Philip


------------------------------

I've just pushed some updates to the installer so that it has a custom page
for install options:
- Install for all users
- Create desktop shortcuts

That frees up the SHOWREADME checkbox on the finish install page, which now
displays a README file that says thanks for installing and some words on
installing the packages that are available and using them.
Someone _should_ probably change up the words for what will end up in the
final installer.

I also changed the run program to be the GUI rather the command line as I
guess that's what Windoze users will be expecting.





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