Re: [platform-update-dev] Re: Update Manager Installs - Forcing the Use

[Peter Manahan <manahan@xxxxxxxxxx>]

> > I only have an issue with allowing eclipse to target directories
outside
> > the main eclipse directory that it owns.
> 
> What exactly is the issue that you have?

My issue is more a product issue not a technical one.
From a product prespective there are certain *rules/guidelines* that need
to be followed to ensure products is supportable, serviceable and continues
to run. Not following these rules breaks products increases support costs
etc. 

1) The user determines where products are installed
2) Products don't install into each other directories.
That is dangerous for both the existing installed product and the one about
to be installed. If the user tries to do the install of one product into
another products install directory the install should balk and give an
error.
3) Products *own* their install directories and any
configuration directories that it needs. These are all in predefined OS
locations or set by the user post-install.


> 
> Seriously, Eclipse currently functions just fine right now making
use of
> extensions that are physically located independent of the Eclipse
> installation.  Not only through the .link files, but purely through
adding
> sites to the configuration.  For example, I have the plugin for
using
> ClearCase installed in my C:\tools\Rational\ClearCasePlugin directory.
  I
> have added this to my configuration for different versions of Eclipse
> (v2.1, v3m7 & v3m8), all of which are located themselves in their
own
> directories.

Agreed. That isn't an *install* you are describing,
that is configuring eclipse to use those *pre-existing* features/plugins.
Installing into a filesytsem and configuring eclipse are different operations.
You've already installed the plugins via unzip or even using eclipse and
*telling* eclipse where to install those files. Eclipse doesn't install
it on its own. 

I don't have a problem with a default.install.path
setting in eclipse. I have a problem with a default.install.path that can
be set by a feature to install into a location that isn't owned by eclipse.
Eclipse doesn't own c:\Program Files\ that is owned by the OS and the way
to install into there is to use a native installer. 
<installedir>\eclipse\ is owned by eclipse so
it update manager can install into that as that is eclipse's "installer".

If your product wants to allow this that's your products
choice. But it shouldn't be part of the core eclipse.

If eclipse ever adds a default.install.path to features
which allows absolute paths they'll need to add a way to disable it as
well. Probably as part of the "policy" settings. All the products
that we ship for example would have to turn it off.

> 
> If I download and install ACME Widget Feature, it is not unreasonable
that
> either ACME or myself might not want it installed underneath the umbrella
> of a particular eclipse install directory.
> 

The ACME Widget company should *not* ever *install*
itself anywhere without user interaction. That interaction can occur by
asking the user where to install or by have a preference in eclipse which
the *user* sets (by default that preference should point into a directory
*owned* by the product that installed eclipse). After it is installed it
needs to be configured into either by adding the site to the platform.xml
or dropping a link file. Which are the predefined ways to configure in
new sites.
 
> Give me a real issue on why absolute paths should not be allowed to
be
> suggested by the vendor so I can take that into consideration and
possibly
> we will redesign.  Comments like
> 

Update Manager's domain is eclipse not the operating
system it is eclipse. It needs to stick to that.


> > That what crosses the line into
> > it becoming a native installer. So easy to stray to the dark
side.
> >
> 
> Don't really explain what the problem is.
> 
> Mel
> 
> Dr. Mel Martinez
> IBM Rich Client Platform
> melm@xxxxxxxxxx
> 
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Thanks,

-----------------------------------
Peter Manahan
IBM Rational Tools
Common Install
------------------------------------
manahan@xxxxxxxxxx