SCOUG-HELP Mailing List Archives

<< Previous Message << >> Next Message >>

Date:	Tue, 1 Apr 2003 13:57:53 PST8
From:	Peter Skye <pskye@peterskye.com >
Reply-To:	scoug-help@scoug.com
To:	scoug-help@scoug.com
Subject:	SCOUG-Help: Fresh vs. Fixpak (was: installation diskettes)

Content Type: text/plain

=====================================================
If you are responding to someone asking for help who
may not be a member of this list, be sure to use the
REPLY TO ALL feature of your email program.
=====================================================

> Peter Skye said:
>
> >When I have to restore the INI files I don't bother
> >with the DOCK* files or the Desktop files, which makes
> >Mr. Know It All's hair stand on end but it works here.

Steven Levine wrote:
>
> Which hair?

*WE* know you really have the long flowing red hair of a Norse viking
and you just wear a skull cap so you won't stand out in a crowd.

> >[maybe eCS] changed the OS/2 directory structure a bit
>
> Not really. There were changes to the Desktop structure.

Okay, thanks. This means you can't bring your Desktop with you, yes?

> The reason that installing over an existing setup is
> not supported is because there is a lack of resources
> to do the testing and implement the inevitable special
> case logic to make it work reliably.

Translation: lack of resources == not enough free manpower. Yes. And
I did see your post elsewhere about beta testers not giving you enough
support on the open source projects you were working on.

> >-- would require that all of the shadows I've carefully
> >placed in my WarpCenter toolbar would have to be redone.
> >There's probably some Rexx code that can recreate my
> >WarpCenter toolbar but I've never investigated what it is.
>
> There are tools that will save this stuff. Program
> Objects are easy to save and restore individually.

I remember that Rexx has the calls but I can't find my Rexx books that
have the syntax for using them. And these days I don't have the time to
write the small amount of code even if I had the books in front of me.
(So why do I have time to pontificate on this list? Hmm...)

The only thing Rexx can't do is rearrange the sequence of the toolbar
icons. I am *so* particular about this.

> For me, the real problem with a fresh install is all the
> application specific configuration data that lives on the
> boot drive but that not part of the Desktop per se. This
> includes Feature Installer settings, Software Installer
> settings, Open32 registry settings and on and on. I know
> how to save and restore most of this, but it's not for the
> faint of heart.

I have a list of all the software I've installed so I can just start at
the top of the list and laboriously install everything again.

And I write an installation script every time I install something so
basically I just have to run a bunch of command files.

Unfortunately, my mirror where I keep all the downloaded files has some
fairly long paths which causes a few vendors' installation programs
(called by these scripts) to fail (IBM and Seal Beach both come to
mind). In these cases I have to copy the files to \TEMP\ and run from
there. ASSIGN, JOIN and SUBST are all DOS and I don't have TVFS
installed -- anybody know of an OS/2 way to remap one path to another?

> IAC,

What in tarnation is IAC?

> > extracts an INI file's info ...
> >rewrite the info back to the INI file.
>
> Since you have Unimaint, you already have the tools you
> need.
> -- Unimaint has a portable restore.
> -- It can merge your prior Desktop with a new Desktop as
> long as you don't run up against a showstopper defect.
> -- The copy of Object Desktop included in the Application
> Sampler has all the functionality needed to save and
> restore objects across fresh installs.
> -- This can act as an adjunct to the Unimaint restore.
> -- I use OD regularly to transport Program Objects between
> systems.

Here's where my paranoia coefficient is exceeded.

I'm worried that Some Devious Programmer (SDP) has written something to
the INI files using a non-obvious key and subkey, and I'll miss moving
it causing irreparable harm to my psyche and requiring
morning-and-afternoon counseling down at the Windows Psychological
Trauma Center (which is also treating those with BeOS withdrawal
symptoms).

I wish the guys who write to INI files would also supply a way to
unwrite the info and save it somewhere and then allow you to write it to
the INI of your choice.

- Peter

=====================================================

To unsubscribe from this list, send an email message
to "steward@scoug.com". In the body of the message,
put the command "unsubscribe scoug-help".

For problems, contact the list owner at
"rollin@scoug.com".

=====================================================

Return to [ 01 | April | 2003 ]

SCOUG, Warp Expo West, and Warpfest are trademarks of the Southern California OS/2 User Group. OS/2, Workplace Shell, and IBM are registered trademarks of International Business Machines Corporation. All other trademarks remain the property of their respective owners.