[tex-live] TL installer doing things without permission :-(

[Norbert Preining]

Hi Philip,

On Do, 07 Aug 2008, Philip TAYLOR wrote:
> was to identify problems before TL 2008 goes live.
> If the TL installer does things without the users
> permission, then there will be complaints.  Now is
> our chance to avoid those complaints, by making the
> installer ask before doing things.  I have already

In principle you are right, but even if we are in testing mode, we
cannot rework that installer. Be sure that we listen to the concerns.
But there have been long discussions before.

Do you know how much any, I repeat *ANY* installer on windows changes in
the registry?? Install Nero, install PowerDVD, install ActiveState perl,
all of them will make serious changes to the registry.

The TL2008 installer does:
- add the bin/win32 to the PATH
- creates 2 shortcuts on the desktop

I have seen *MANY* programs creating desktop shortcuts without asking,
take firefox, take thunderbird, take loads of installers.

That we do NOT consider a serious problem.

And adding bin/win32 to the path does *only* interfer with another TeX
installation, and in this case, well, if you want two systems you should
know what you are doing.

And finally, all these changes are *undone*/*removed* when you uninstall
TL2008.

> need to /listen/ to these complaints, not dismiss
> them as trivial.

We are listening, but still some complaints are trivial, sorry.

Best wishes

Norbert

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dr. Norbert Preining <preining at logic.at>        Vienna University of Technology
Debian Developer <preining at debian.org>                         Debian TeX Group
gpg DSA: 0x09C5B094      fp: 14DF 2E6C 0307 BE6D AD76  A9C0 D2BF 4AA3 09C5 B094
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
GREAT WAKERING (participial vb.)
Panic which sets in when you badly need to go to the lavatory and
cannot make up your mind about what book or magazine to take with you.
			--- Douglas Adams, The Meaning of Liff