From: Tannie Date: 14:05 on 05 Aug 2004 Subject: installers I install programs. I think most users do. Lately I've started hating installer programs. The kind that pops up and says "Program installed!" without telling you where it was installed (or what). The kind that pops up, asks you where to install and then installs somewhere else. The kind that installs and all works well untill you want to remove the program so you run the installer again, expecting an uninstall option in there, but no! You are not allowed to un-install! You must run this program even if it messes up your Mail.app! What's even more hateful is that the documentation and/or manual don't tell you either. Bah! Every installer should have a un-installer! It is very hateful to be digging through many many files to find the ones the program created. Grr. -- Tanja ... Reality is that which, when you stop believing in it, doesn't go away.
From: peter (Peter da Silva) Date: 14:55 on 05 Aug 2004 Subject: Re: installers > Lately I've started hating installer programs. I have never liked installer programs. Maybe 1% of the packages that use installers on Windows or Macintosh really need something more complex than 'drag this folder to Program Files/Applications'. The exception being those programs that need to install something in a system location and need to make sure they put it in the right place and don't overwrite what's already there. Of course that's one of those things that installers so often get wrong. A few more programs need uninstall mechanisms, if they register themselves with the OS or other applications, or otherwise modify your configuration in a way that'll cause problems after they're gone... though I'd rather they have an "unregister" option instead so you can take them out of the loop without removing them. Of course, those tend to be the programs that don't have an uninstall option.
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