Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!mcsun!unido!tub!tmpmbx!einoed!utopia!scuzzy!src From: src@scuzzy.in-berlin.de (Heiko Blume) Newsgroups: comp.unix.admin Subject: Re: Software installation opinions needed Message-ID: <1990Sep23.221527.11671@scuzzy.in-berlin.de> Date: 23 Sep 90 22:15:27 GMT References: <25908@shamash.cdc.com> <1990Sep19.125944.6489@cs.utk.edu> <1990Sep20.160212.241@na Organization: Scuzzy Research Center (SRC) Lines: 61 first off: it would be a VERY good idea to allow a shell escape in the installation script, so one can look for something or create a directory etc without having to start the whole thing again and without having to go to another terminal. another thing: when i want to install a package with sources i want completely seperate steps (i.e. scrips, makefiles) for config, compile and install (i.e. copying to the config'ed places etc). when i want to install a binary package i want seperate steps for copying the stuff someplace from media, config (perhaps another step here for relinking like with the kernel) and performing the config'ed actions. karl@naitc.naitc.com (Karl Denninger) writes: >In article emery@linus.mitre.org (David Emery) writes: >> I get VERY UPSET by 3rd party installations that must be done as 'root'. >For commercial software (I publish a package under my own name, not AC >Nielsen) there is a good reason to run as root. Namely, you have to do a >LOT of things as root to get the package installed. perhaps for a *part* of the installation (see above) ! >For example, our package requires: >o) Installation of two user id's in /etc/passwd under some > circumstances (ie: if you select one of the options). not too good if the platform doesn't allow you to create a user that way, eh?! (i.e. if you have to use some program for that when the *real* data is in a dbm file etc pepe). i'd prefer to mess up my password (database) myself, so *i* will get the credit for doing it :-) >o) Installation of a group in /etc/group if it's not already there. do you expect that it's impossible someone choose the group name for something else, preferably to limit the access to some sensitive stuff? may i choose the group name myself? >o) Creation of a parameter file in /etc (so the rest of the package > can "find itself" when it runs). yet another file in /etc ? it's already cluttered with so many files... >Why? Because I'll give you one guess at how many people will forget to run >the second script (to do the "root required" things) and then call tech >support asking why the product doesn't work. i think it wouldn't be too difficult to put a check in the program that tells the user "you forgot to configure me with the bla prgm". sure, some programs need root privs to configure them, but these steps should be seperated. that way a non-priviledged user can also do the more time consming work, while the admin with the necessary privs can do the more dangerous stuff. -- Heiko Blume c/o Diakite blume@scuzzy.in-berlin.de FAX (+49 30) 882 50 65 Kottbusser Damm 28 blume@scuzzy.mbx.sub.org VOICE (+49 30) 691 88 93 D-1000 Berlin 61 blume@netmbx.de TELEX 184174 intro d scuzzy Any ACU,e 19200 6919520 ogin:--ogin: nuucp ssword: nuucp