[626] in DeathTongue Changes
Re: Maintaining locker software for WinAthena machines?
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Jacob Morzinski)
Sun Mar 21 15:54:12 2004
Date: Sun, 21 Mar 2004 15:54:07 -0500 (EST)
From: Jacob Morzinski <jmorzins@MIT.EDU>
To: sipb-discussion@MIT.EDU, licks@MIT.EDU
In-Reply-To: <Pine.GSO.4.55L.0403210915040.16031@multics.mit.edu>
On Sun, 21 Mar 2004, Arun A Tharuvai wrote:
> Is it still worth it for SIPB to start doing builds for win32 (or
> even just installs of "freeware" packages that can be redistributed),
> that would be useful to people forced to use windows, especially free
> software? Or is the benefit for doing so still too small?
My views are that it is almost certainly worthwhile for sipb to
provide software for win32. However, our ability to do so is
complicated by two factors.
One factor is lack of experience in using WinAthena. A lot of
software that we install for Unix Athena comes about because a
sipb member or propective member decides that the particular
software would fill some lack that they perceive in Athena. At
a glance at just the sipb locker, we have newsreaders, mail
readers, editors, and miscellaneous utilities that are not
commonly found on Unix but that make life easier.
Not all of these programs are appropriate for WinAthena, and
conversely, software that fills WinAthena gaps might not fill
(Unix)Athena gaps. Yes, I think that installing software that
makes the system more pleasant is a good goal -- but until we
have more experience using WinAthena, we won't be sure what
software is useful.
(Software requests from users is an excellent method of learning
what software would be useful to install!)
The second factor complicating sipb's ability to supply win32
software is that Windows programs have a very different
administrative model than Unix programs do. It will take
us a while to get used to the permission model of Windows.
(Programs may not work well in a "locker" model, if they assume
that they will get a chance to set machine-wide registry settings
when they are installed by an administrator.)
Really, the best way to get used to Windows administrative model
would be to try to install things, and see how it works.
I certainly think it is good for sipb to supply WinAthena
software. I also think that we need to get some experience
actually using the WinAthena machines, so that we get a sense
of what might make useful additions to WinAthena. I'm glad that
the office has one WinAthena machine, and I wouldn't mind having
more, so that we can have a sense of what users experience when
users are in WinAthena clustsers.
-Jake
