Re: Can I refer to files outside of a .pax archive?
Re: Can I refer to files outside of a .pax archive?
- Subject: Re: Can I refer to files outside of a .pax archive?
- From: Nathan Herring <email@hidden>
- Date: Mon, 03 Jul 2006 12:23:18 -0700
- Organization: Microsoft Corporation / Macintosh Business Unit
- Thread-topic: Can I refer to files outside of a .pax archive?
On 6/29/06 3:12 PM, "Stéphane Sudre" <email@hidden> wrote:
>
> On jeudi, juin 29, 2006, at 11:30 PM, Rick Sustek wrote:
>
>> For the simple drag install, I definitely like the popular convention
>> of placing an alias to the /Applications folder right next to the icon
>> of the app itself, and indicating that the user should just drag it
>> over.
>
> Some reasons why this technique is a potential source of problems even
> when it seems just brilliant:
<snip />
> 2. Permissions are blown up if an admin user do this
>
> The owner of the dropped files become the admin user who dropped the
> file not root as it should be.
Why is root a "should be"? Your copy will be set to have the admin group,
which will give write permissions to all the administrators, which is all
that is necessary. I've not tried, but I believe this happens if you are a
regular user who tries to copy something to an admin-restricted folder and
have to authenticate to the Finder.
Furthermore, if I chown one of my /Applications items to be me, nathanh,
instead of root, and run repair permissions, it does not get "corrected".
> It might not be an issue but next time someone runs a Repair
> Permissions after installing an OS update (as if the problem was not
> there before the update), he may see that the permissions were
> incorrect and doesn't remember he just drag and dropped the file.
>
> 3. An alias speaks only one language
>
> It might be nice to have an alias of the Applications folder but
> Applications is not spelled "Applications" in Japanese. So one's
> potential Japanese customers will wonder what Applications is supposed
> to mean.
Would it be cheating to write a drop-script-style-app and gave it the same
icon that a symlink to the Applications folder would have, and then when you
drop it, it queries for administrative authentication? If it gets it, it
tells the finder to copy the dropped item to the /Applications folder, and
if not, ensures a ~/Applications folder and tells the Finder to copy it
there instead? It could be a bundle, which means it could have a localized
file name. :) This also helps address your point #1.
> 4. Window Background pictures are not localizable
>
> Let's omit the fact that Finder Window Background pictures set on Mac
> OS X 10.2 and later are not visible on Mac OS X 10.1.
>
> If they are not localizable, then it means you need to make one version
> for each language you're supporting so that the instructions do not
> turn into an enigma. The QA team (just in case you're not the QA team
> too) will thank you for adding more testing cases. Advantage: it solves
> Point 3.
Ick. So much for world-wide CD image. :/
> -----
>
> Based on the different applications installed by drag and drop from a
> disk image I've seen:
>
> Points 3 and 4: Never taken into account. The application is touted to
> include a bunch of localization, but the installation procedure is not
> localized itself.
I believe our localized versions of Microsoft Office 2004 actually have
individually localized background images. I'd have to check to make doubly
sure tho. We don't use the symlink/alias mechanism.
> Point 2: Nobody ever cares.
I'm not sure why it's an issue, per above.
> Point 1: Nobody ever cares. Any OS X user is an admin user, right?
No, we do care. Some of our novice users are people trying to install it on
administratively-restricted machines (educational labs, perhaps even some
enterprises), and won't know why things don't work.
--
Nathan Herring
MacBU SDE/Development
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