[20] in installers
Re: Installation Scripts at the Institute
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Robert V. Ferrara)
Thu Mar 6 18:58:48 1997
Date: Thu, 6 Mar 1997 19:01:56 -0500
To: "Lynne E. Sousa" <sousa@MIT.EDU>, mca@MIT.EDU, installers@MIT.EDU
From: rferrara@MIT.EDU (Robert V. Ferrara)
Lynne, looks like we missed again. The only time I'm around tommorrow is
after 3:00, so please call 3-7495 then if that works. Wade said he spoke
with you
on why we need an installer - (e.g. ease of use, multiple packaged products),
but I'd like to hear your point of view.
Cheers, Bob
>I have spent the better part of this month working on the MIT installer for
>Brio query for the intel based platforms and I would like to ask the
>question of why are we doing this?
>
>Brio has built a perfectly good installer that does all the right things in
>all the right places for each of the operating systems. Why are we
>expending so much "man"power to figure out what the Brio setup program is
>doing so that we can recreate it. The Brio setup program does require an
>installation key and a serial number to complete the installation, but can't
>we provide that information in a readme file that the user would download?
>And if the download was from the web put explicit instructions to download
>the readme because it contains the key information for the installation to
>be completed? Wouldn't that be a better use of the time and resources now
>being sucked up figuring out what the installer from Brio does to recreate it?
>
>This is feeling like the old attitude that if MIT didn't write it can't be
>doing anything good. Isn't one of the reasons for using commercial software
>is that they expend the manpower to create and maintain the installation and
>other software components so that the user only needs to install and use the
>software?
>
>I agree with the concept that if MIT has created an application then MIT
>should write an installation script for that application, but if MIT has
>spent money on a commercial application we should not expend time and energy
>undoing and redoing what we have already spent money to purchase.
>Especially when what we have purchased works.
>
>I will get off my soapbox now but I thought I should express my views on
>this particular activity.
>
>Thank you for your attention
>
>Lynne E. Sousa
>Lynne E. Sousa
>Delivery and Integration Processes
>E19-365
>258-5857
>
>If you want a thing done well, get a couple of old broads to do it.
> - Bette Davis
