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From: johnston@f20.n226.z1.FIDONET.ORG (johnston)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.apps
Subject: Re: StuffIt Deluxe Installer from Hell!
Message-ID: <498.2783DE08@busker.fidonet.org>
Date: 27 Dec 90 13:27:15 GMT
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Reply-To: johnston@oscar.ccm.udel.edu

In article <QRP^Y!*@rpi.edu>, Garance_Drosehn@mts.rpi.edu (Garance Drosehn)
writes...
>In article <40020@nigel.ee.udel.edu> johnston@oscar.ccm.udel.edu writes:
>> The following is posted as a warning ... e-mail to Aladdin has gone 
>> unanswered ... I would hate to see this happen to someone else.
>> I experienced several similar problems while trying to install
>> StuffIt Deluxe on my 5 meg SE/30,40 running System 6.0.5. 
>> The result was similar to the "Folder from Hell" problem that has
>> been described on the net.  

[Details deleted -- here is a 'work-around' based on Mr. Drosehn's posting.]
 

>Yes indeed.  My theory is that the expert option of the installer simply 
>gets confused about what it is doing.  I ended up installing everything 
>and then deleting the few files I didn't want.  I didn't have Stuffit 
>Classic on the drive though (I assume you mean the new 1.6 version, not 
>the earlier 1.5.1 version).

Actually, the greater problem was with the "standard" install option, which
is what was so shocking -- this is supposed to be the recommended method.
However, I ran into 'folders from hell' with the expert install as well.
The problem seems to occur when the installer script encounters a folder
with the same name as the one that it is trying to install.  The script
very 'politely' presents the user with a dialog that says something like
"found XYZ file/folder" with 'replace', 'replace all', 'skip', and 'cancel'.
This implies that everything is hunky-dory ... but the script then goes
on to wreak havoc.

>That was several months ago.  Since I got the beast installed I've had no 
>problems at all with any of the features I've tried.  My advice is to 
>consider it two different products, (1) the installer, which is dangerous 
>and quite willing to cause major headaches, and (2) StuffIt Deluxe, which 
>works perfectly fine (albeit a little slow, at least in my version (1.0)).

>I'd much rather use StuffIt Deluxe than StuffIt, due to all the neat new
>features.

Agreed on both points.  But I'd hate to have a new user run into one of
the "major headaches" with a product of mine.  It took me 2 hours to 
back up, reinitialize, and restore -- and I had empty formatted removeable
cartridges on hand.  I could easily see someone panicking and losing data.

>If you want to bypass the installer, and you have either version 1.6 or 
>StuffIt Deluxe installed already, you can do it by having StuffIt open the

>installer file.  For StuffIt 1.6, press the Option key while selecting 
>"Open archive..." from the menu.  Then you'll see all files on the disk, 
>including the installer program.  Open the installer, and you'll be able 
>to unstuff any files you want, assuming you know where they should go.
> 
Ironically, one of the neat new features is scripting -- the sort of thing
that allows one to create custom installer scripts.  I *love* applications
that support scripting -- they are a pseudo-hacker's delight.  I wouldn't 
have the nerve to write one that tries to several folders in an unknown
user's System Folder.  The 'Drosehn' method let me install what I wanted;
and it was faster than the scripted installation to boot.

>Basically all I wanted to say here is that the installer program is not an

>indication of the reliability of StuffIt Deluxe itself.  If you have the 
>nerve to try the installer again, I expect you won't regret using StuffIt 
>Deluxe instead of version 1.5.1 (you may regret running the installer 
>again, of course...).

>Garance_Drosehn@mts.rpi.edu

Thanks to your suggestion, I am giving StuffIt a reprieve.  It remains
to be seen if a product used primarily for shrinking file sizes makes
sense if it takes up 1.5 meg on your hard disk.  It *does* have the
features though.  I will wait until I see version 2.0 before passing
judgement.

-- Bill (johnston@oscar.ccm.udel.edu)

 + Organization: Univ. of Delaware, CCM

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