[sword-devel] Re New website - installation instructions

[Peter von Kaehne]

> The instructions should say to use  the built-in app installer, or otherwise download the Windows          > package and install it.

Sorry, this is confusing to me right now :

Do you mean with "Windows package" the user should install *BibleCS* or the *winzip* from the repository?


If former - I am not sure that is good advice - given that people who use whatever, with a functioning module installer, might not want to have BibleCS too. 

If latter - mwtalbert emailed me that he tried the winzips out and found them not self extracting in WinXP and Vista. I have not tested myself on XP or Vista , but did right now a trial run on Win2000 and it was badly broken:

a) there was nothing apparently self extracting about it - i.e being called exe and being able to run like a programm it was not.
b) unzipping it showed a setup.exe
c) running the setup.exe did something and congratulated me on a succesful install
d) running BibleDesktop did not show the module. BibvleCS is pretty good in finding unorthodox install places.
e) starting BibleCS told me that it found a new module - after me ok'ing this it did something and congratulated me for being successful. The module showed up thereafter.
f) rerunning BibleDesktop found it now. All shiny and new.

Summary: winzip modules are broken. Unless I did something wrong (I doubt that as I did the intuitive thing and then some more) these modules were not self extracting at all. To be used on a usually very competent frontend (BibleDesktop) they required the presence of BibleCS to get to work. 

Most of the module related queries on sword-support are of the kind "Cannae find me modules, guv" - always Win or Mac related. 

I have already advise from the MacSword team that swd is deprecated and while they will allow use of them we should not advertise them - i.e. we should probably take the out of this page. That was their view not mine, though I support that.

My feeling regarding  the winzips is as follows -  there is the definitive need for self extracting modules for Windows. I personally want them for distribution to more "interesting" places. 

The current incarnation is broken badly in some form, so badly that they are not fit for use. While I personally want them I am currently in no position to volunteer to fix it, though I will once I can come round to it (several months likely), unless someone else was faster. 

My suggestion is therefore that we take out all links to the winzips, delete and destroy them unless someone has a use for them which I have nbot figured and rely solely - for the moment - on rawzips. we then bang all our heads here together and clarify once for all where a sword supported and advertised Windows frontend should keep its modules and how it gets them there. 

Once this is done, someone else (or me if time allows) can step up to the plate and create a new setup of self extracting winzips of some sort (maybe NSIS based?) and then we will again advertise them.

And finally - two unrelated questions: 

1) does the command line module installer work on Windows and if so how?
2) can MacSword install locally unzipped modules (e.g. unzipped on your desktop or in your document folder) into the correct place like GS can do?

Peter

P.S. send from a silly webmail account, sorry about HTML

 

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