Path: utzoo!utgpu!watmath!clyde!att!rutgers!netnews.upenn.edu!eniac.seas.upenn.edu!ranjit
From: ranjit@eniac.seas.upenn.edu (Ranjit Bhatnagar)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.tech
Subject: Too many devices?  Was: Proposal for device hackers: REXX:
Message-ID: <6457@netnews.upenn.edu>
Date: 1 Dec 88 20:08:16 GMT
References: <3039@sugar.uu.net>
Sender: news@netnews.upenn.edu
Reply-To: ranjit@eniac.seas.upenn.edu.UUCP (Ranjit Bhatnagar)
Organization: University of Pennsylvania
Lines: 34

This is a nice idea, but I'm starting to worry about the
proliferation of handlers, devices, and libraries.  If
REXX: were to become standard, we would need to install
libs:arexx.library, l:rexx-handler, and the actuall AREXX
server itself (lives in c: I guess - I don't actually own
AREXX).  This is not really a complaint about AREXX - rather,
I feel that the proliferation of support files makes things
confusing for inexperienced users.  I've done a bunch of
thinking about how to automate the process of installing
and REMOVING software that requires support files - and I
haven't come up with anything worthwhile.  Any thoughts?

For instance: J. Schmo, new Amiga owner, wants to use the
ARP command set.  He's not a complete novice; he understands
the risks and advantages of using (relatively) unsupported
software; he just doesn't know about the details of the
thing - and shouldn't have to.  

Similarly, there's no easy procedure for upgrading pre-existing
boot disks to 1.3.  I don't know if the 1.3 enhancer manual
discusses it or not, but it's a tricky proposition for someone
who doesn't even know there IS a devs: or a l: directory,
let alone that some (but not all) of the contents of those
directories must be changed, and some should not (those
libraries, devices, etc. which are specific to the software
in question.)

	- Ranjit



   
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