[sword-devel] Win Sword Module

[Dan Bertles]

Johathan,

Unlike "most" Windoze users, I do know how to unzip and install modules.  I 
make sure "use folder names" is checked when I use Winzip to extract to the 
"C:\Windows\Temp" directory.  This is the directory that I have set as the 
"local" directory for the install manager.  I then install using the 
manager.  I could install directly to the directory where Sword.exe file 
exists and it will put the appropriate files directly where they need to 
be, but I like to see if this is necessary by looking for the "upgrade" 
icon listed in installer.  I also can easily uninstall and install into 
another directory.  (You see, I keep two running copies of sword on my 
system.  One is for english and the other is for original language texts. 
 This way I don't have too many module tabs to look through if I'm just 
reading different translations in English.)

Dan

On Saturday, July 07, 2001 9:24 PM, Jonathan Hughes 
[SMTP:jhughes@crosswire.org] wrote:
> Chris,
>
>     Point understood and not worth changing right now. Maybe something 
that
> could be looked at in the future. Now my question is how to make it 
simple
> for someone that is downloading the Windows zip files to be able to unzip
> them and install them. The problem lies in all of the files that are 
zipped
> in that one zip file, where does the average user unzip all of those 
files
> to? It will make a mess of their hard drive real quick with downloading 
and
> installing all the modules they want. How can we creatively tell them how 
to
> over come this problem so they don't get confused?
>
> In Christ,
> Jonathan
> jhughes@crosswire.org
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Chris Little" <chrislit@chiasma.org>
> To: <sword-devel@crosswire.org>
> Sent: Saturday, July 07, 2001 5:30 PM
> Subject: RE: [sword-devel] Win Sword Module
>
>
> > >     Well I was thinking as I was writing up the installation
> instructions
> > > for installing Sword Module Add-ins for the new website that it would 
be
> > > easier and faster for the end user to simply unzip the module files 
into
> > > the
> > > local directory.
> >
> > Windows users don't always know where things should go.  An installer
> takes that responsibility away from them.  It would definitely simplify
> things if the zips only needed to be double-clicked to initiate
> decompression & installation, but I think the installer itself is useful.
> >
> > Making the zips self-extracting might be difficult because they're 
created
> by java.util.zip and I haven't found anyone who has subclassed this to 
make
> win32 self-extracting zips that can run a contained file.
> >
> > > Why do we have a setup program that then launches a Dos
> > > program to unzip everything? Does this work in WinME?
> >
> > I don't know why it wouldn't work in ME.  I don't think it's actually
> running DOS.  Besides, maybe we could use ourselves as a tool for
> encouraging people to use any operating system other than this 
abomination.
> :)
> >
> > > How much manual work
> > > would there be to convert everything into self-extracting zip files?
> >
> > We have 195 modules right now.  Every one of them would need to be
> repackaged.  Plus, every time a module is added or updated, that would 
have
> to be manually packaged.  It's not a job for which I will ever volunteer.
> >
> > On top of that, all the servlets and jsps would need to be modified to
> handle this.
> >
> > As a side note, if anyone is really considering redoing the ModDisp.jsp
> stuff in another language, I would recommend against it.  The jsp uses
> portions of Sword ported to Java, so it's actually using the API to 
figure
> out which modules are available and their various properties.  It would 
be
> better to extend ModDisp.jsp to have additional functionality, IMO.
> >
> > --Chris
>
>