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Re: Can't configure setup.exe from CVS (and a plea for setup.exe alternative)


On Fri, Dec 17, 2004 at 04:15:38PM -0000, Dave Korn wrote:
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: cygwin-owner On Behalf Of Christopher Faylor
>> Sent: 17 December 2004 15:58
>
>> Anyone know of a suitable, free setup-like utility that could 
>> be pressed into service for use with cygwin?
>> 
>
>  Nullsis is the first thing that leaps to mind
>
>http://nsis.sourceforge.net/
>
>  I don't actually know if it has the requisite features, but it accepts
>plug-ins and it's opensource.
>
>  OTOH, I reckon that the wholesale scrapping of setup.exe would only lead to a
>replacement with a new set of bugs and problems of its own.  ISTM that despite
>the problems, setup.exe is 95% of the way there.  I'm not sure where the biggest
>win lies.

I don't think that setup.exe is anywhere close to "there", actually,
unless you're volunteering on taking over the project and provide results.

setup.exe has suffered from long long *long* periods of time where there
was breakage, users were complaining, and no one had the time to do
anything about it.

At one point people would try to debug problems here but even that
activity has more or less dried up.

I'm tired of making apologies for this program.  If we can't get anyone
with the time to fully support it and fix terrible problems like "I
can't install the whole installation" (a problem which just hit me recently)
then it is time to move on.

I'd volunteer to maintain setup.exe myself, but I am not enamored of the
code and the UI obviously gives some people fits.  It's better to move on
to something more "standard".

nsis looks interesting.  I've looked at it before, the last time someone
mentioned it.  Maybe it will do what we need and we can let the problems
of windows installation be handled by a team which is devoted to this
type of thing.

cgf

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