Re: Win vs. UNIX usability (Was: Re: gnome-terminal idea)

[Philip Hunt <phil oyster co uk>]

John R Sheets wrote:
> 
> Tim Moore wrote:
> >
> > Installing software is different, though. Unix has security issues to deal
> > with, as well as portability issues and any number of other issues. This
> > is the tough problem.
> 
> Yes.  A lot of the reason that windows software is sooo easy to install
> is the complete lack of security.  Any new software package can
> conceivably tromp on an old, even unrelated package (or even uninstall
> it if the owner is particularly ornery :c).  As soon as you introduce
> security and file permissions into the picture, installations suddenly
> get more complex.  There's no way around this simple fact.  UNIX
> installs will never be as smooth (and sloppy) and brainless as windows
> installs.
> 
> I can envision a UNIX install program with enough smarts to give the
> user a few critical choices and figure out the rest on its own...  "Do
> you want to install in your home directory, or in the system
> directory?"  If they pick the home directory, it goes right through like
> a sloppy windows install.  If they choose a system directory, it then
> asks them to choose a root path, e.g. /usr, /usr/local, /opt, etc., and
> then asks them for the login/password to install it under.  It could
> even run a quick check in standard places, to see if a version of the
> current program has already been installed.

That seems a good idea.

One thing that puzzles me about directories is that there are lots
of them where packages can potentially be put in, eg
/bin, /usr/bin, /sbin, /usr/sbin, /opt, /usr/local/freeware, etc,
etc.


I think it would be nice if there was a standard that packages in
Linux by default went in a particular directory, eg
/opt/<name-of-package>


-- 
Phil Hunt                   phil@oyster.co.uk
Oyster Systems Ltd    http://www.oyster.co.uk