Re: DMG vs SIT (was: FTPClient Beta Released - Please test)
Re: DMG vs SIT (was: FTPClient Beta Released - Please test)
- Subject: Re: DMG vs SIT (was: FTPClient Beta Released - Please test)
- From: Diggory Laycock <email@hidden>
- Date: Sat, 10 Aug 2002 11:55:46 +0100
As has been mentioned here before, DMGs can be compressed without gZip
or Stuffit. - This results in a simple .DMG file
DMGs are good because:
1 - They keep permissions
2 - They keep long file names
3 - They represent a Floppy/Compact Disc (thus the name!) - Therefore
one file represents the entire software product (often including
readme's / manuals, developer's contact details ) - This means you can
keep a back-up in just one file. After all - if you were to buy a
physical Boxed product that came one one CD what would you do? Install
then gleefully throw the (real) CD into the bin? or would you keep the
disc & packaging somewhere safe? I'd do the second.
4 - You can mount a DMG remotely (even over HTTP)- therefore you can
have the disc mount without even having ever downloaded the DMG file.
(e.g. hdiutil mount
"
http://www.stuffonfire.com/software/JediKnight2.0.dmg"; )
5 - you can 'preview' simple apps from the DMG and if you don't like it
quit the app & unmount the DMG - you never installed anything.
Here's my version of your 9 steps:
(1 - if compressed The download decompresses itself after download.)
2 - the DMG mounts itself automatically (opening a new finder browser)
3 - Run the App from the DMG
is the app any good?
Yes -
4 - quit the app
5 - drag the app up to the "Applications" finder ToolBar item.
6 - unmount the DMG
7 - store the DMG file in my "SoftWare backup" folder
(8 - if the DMG was compressed delete the compressed version)
No -
4 - Quit the App
5 - unmount DMG
6 - delete DMG (and any compressed versions if there are any.)
As more developers realise you don't need to compress DMGs with Stuffit
or GZip steps 1 & 8 will disappear
Most of end-users' irritations about DMGs are because people are using
.gz or .sit as well - not inherently because of DMG itself.
Diggory.
On Saturday, August 10, 2002, at 09:21 am, Pierre-Olivier Latour wrote:
>
Talking about disk images, can someone explain to me the "real"
>
interest /
>
benefit of them?
>
>
I mean, when I download something now on OS X, 9 times out of 10, I
>
have to:
>
1) decompress the file (*)
>
2) mount the disk image (*)
>
3) open a new browser (*)
>
4) open the disk image content
>
5) copy its content to somewhere on my hard drive (this also likely
>
means
>
opening another browser) (**)
>
6) go back to the "my computer" area in the browser
>
7) select the disk image and eject it
>
8) delete the disk image file from my desktop
>
9) delete the original compressed file from my desktop (*)
>
>
(*) these steps may be done automatically, but they still need to be
>
done.
>
(**) launching from the disk image is often a bad idea, since either it
>
does
>
not work or it does, but even when it is quitted, you cannot unmount the
>
disk image.
>
>
I think it's slow, contains many unnecessary steps (especially step 5
>
which
>
is a copy for nothing - great when installing programs of 100Mb), and
>
very
>
complicated for a newbie user: I'm sure many of them do not understand
>
fully
>
the concept of a "disk image", that they need to "unmount" it, that they
>
cannot run the program from it, etc... It may be obvious to you, but I
>
assure you it's a pretty abstract concept (a file that ends up
>
appearing as
>
a "hardware" disk in the my computer area).
>
>
Not even talking about the fact that the developer requires way more
>
time to
>
create a disk image than a simple compressed archive...
>
>
>
So what you could be the benefits? Settings privileges in a special way
>
that
>
would not be preserved in a normal .sit or .gz file? Forcing the user to
>
install all products (because one has to copy them to the appropriate
>
folder)? Preventing the user to mess with the content of the
>
application or
>
installer (since the disk image is read-ony)?
>
>
I could understand Apple wants this format for system installers (as
>
they
>
used to for years on Classic), but for basic applications... Come on!
>
>
>
Now, for the record, if the application is provided as a ".sit" or ".gz"
>
file, only these steps are necessary:
>
1) decompress the file (*)
>
2) launch the application (since it's on the desktop, you don't have to
>
look
>
for it)
>
3) if you like it, move it the Applications folder
>
4) otherwise, delete the application
>
5) delete the original compressed file
>
>
Half the steps, that's it :)
>
>
_____________________________________________________________
>
>
Pierre-Olivier Latour email@hidden
>
Lausanne, Switzerland http://www.pol-online.net
>
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>
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>
Diggory Laycock
-----------------------
http://www.diggory.net
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