Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!bonnie.concordia.ca!nstn.ns.ca!news.cs.indiana.edu!spool.mu.edu!think.com!cass.ma02.bull.com!mips2!bull.bull.fr!corton!mcsun!hp4nl!star.cs.vu.nl!ast From: ast@cs.vu.nl (Andy Tanenbaum) Newsgroups: comp.os.minix Subject: Re: (size of distribution) Message-ID: <9914@star.cs.vu.nl> Date: 12 May 91 15:24:07 GMT References: <53341@nigel.ee.udel.edu> Sender: news@cs.vu.nl Organization: Fac. Wiskunde & Informatica, Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam Lines: 15 In article <53341@nigel.ee.udel.edu> wjb%cogsci.COG.JHU.EDU@vm1.nodak.edu writes: > > You could consider shipping object files rather then binaries Won't fly. You have no idea how inexpert a lot of the users are. If people have to get the whole thing installed and be able to run the compiler before using it, a substantial fraction will never manage it. The questions PH and I get all the time would amaze you. A lot of people simply do not understand things like the fact that MS-DOS is not part of the PC hardware. They think MINIX is an MS-DOS program (sort of the way it works on the Macintosh). Requiring these folks to configure everything and then run the compiler is asking too much. It has to work out of the box. There have been enough problems even getting that much to happen. Andy Tanenbaum (ast@cs.vu.nl)