[iyonix-support] Re: Problem installing Firefox-2-r2

In message <21e5b6c24e.peter@xxxxxxxxxx>
          Peter Naulls <peter@xxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

> Packaging is a pipeline.  So is the autobuilding system I developed as
> part of the GCCSDK project.   The various HForm hacks I mentioned are
> all buckets, as are the other messes I named.   Paul's effort is a
> bucket between two incomplete sections of pipe - a bucket that gets in
> the way, even though he things he is being helpful.

Ah, now I begin to understand. You want people to see a tantalising 
glimpse of your software, but then to make it is so difficult to get 
working without "packaging" that they all cry out "We want packaging".

However good (or bad) "packaging" might be, I'm not sure deliberately 
making software difficult to use without it is the best way to 
convince people. I seem to recall 'packaging' has been discussed many 
times at length in the forums, and not everyone seemed to agree with 
your view of how important it is. I don't think using brute force to 
impose your views on people is the best way to go about things, but 
maybe it will work.

To return to your analogy of a water supply miles away. The reason I, 
and many like me, carry buckets of water back and forth is because not 
only do we not have a pipe, but we also wouldn't know how to construct 
the pipeline. I, for one, welcome Paul's efforts to produce a 
'conveyor belt' for these buckets.

Can I appeal to you, then, as one of the few talented programmers RISC 
OS has, to produce a Packaging Programme as your next project? Or to 
offer your services to the 'RiscPkg' team to bring that to completion? 
It's no good asking the likes of me, because although I'm more than 
happy to test software, I am not a software author.

I don't think you can expect others to work on a project they are not 
fully in favour of. I also don't think you will get support by your 
current tactics. My reason for saying this is that there seems to be 
little interest in such a project from those who have the skills to 
help. I'm not saying 'packaging' isn't important - I'm questioning 
your methods for convincing people that it is.

Personally, having seen a form of packaging at work on my Mac has 
convinced me of its importance. Things like having to keep a close eye 
on c.s.a.announce for messages like 'xyz has now been updated. Get it 
from abc.co.uk and get this bit from here, and get that bit from 
there' also convinces me. As do the frequent postings from people 
saying 'what is the latest version of this module, or that software', 
and comments like 'I've got version 0.83 - I didn't know it was now up 
to version 2.45'. What puts me off 'packaging' is being told I need 
it!

So the only part I can play at this stage is to appeal to programmers 
to write such a system - so I appeal to you, Peter - please write such 
a system. If you say 'no', then you can't criticise other developers 
for also saying 'no', and RISC OS is the loser all round.

All in my humble opinion, of course.

-- 
Jeremy Brayshaw 
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