Re: Tiger’s Installer deletes files during an update
Re: Tiger’s Installer deletes files during an update
- Subject: Re: Tiger’s Installer deletes files during an update
- From: Christopher Ryan <email@hidden>
- Date: Tue, 10 May 2005 06:52:17 -0700
Jens,
Hi,
I combined several package into a meta package to install an
application. Later, I made an updater, again combined *.pkg in a
*.mpkg. The updater contains changed and new items only.
The Installer has always obsoleted files that were in the old package
but not the new package, that is how upgrades work.
There is no real support for an "updater" package, the only way to do
it (and the way Apple does it for Software Updates, unfortunately) is
to change the name of the package (for Panther) and the bundle
identifier of the package (for Tiger). Note that previous to Tiger,
the name of the package is what what made two packages the same (for
upgrade behavior). As of Tiger, the Installer uses the bundle
identifier. To be compatible with old packages which may not have
expected the bundle identifier to be used, the name is also consulted
if there are more then one package installed with the same bundle
identifier (and if there is no bundle identifier).
For most software projects, this automatic upgrade behavior is what
they what, so it is the default behavior.
Chris
This worked well on pre-Tiger systems. If the Installer shipped
with Tiger is used for the update, all files installed by the
original package but not contained in the update package are
deleted. The application is completely ruined.
The installer log of the updater contains lines talking about the
removal of obsolete files. Who decides which files are obsolete?
Shouldn’t that be the package author?
Is it possible to prevent this kind of damage by other means than
* putting everything into an updater, thus making it a full
installer?
* changing package names, thus damaging the idea of receipts?
Jens _______________________________________________
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