Phil,
________________________________________
From: address@hidden
address@hidden on behalf of Phil
Holmes address@hidden
Sent: 24 June 2011 10:02
To: address@hidden
Subject: Windows/DOS PATH statement again
I normally install each new version of Lilypond as it's released. I never
uninstall the old version, since I use it for testing. As a result, my
PATH
statement gets an increasing number of entries similar to: C:\Program
Files
(x86)\LilyPondV2.14.0\usr\bin;C:\Program Files
(x86)\LilyPondV2.15.2\usr\bin.
This has two effects: running Lilypond from the command line (which I
never
actually do) runs the oldest version, since it's first on the PATH
statement; and eventually the PATH entry becomes too long and most of it
is
lost, stopping me running many DOS commands.
Question is: is this a bug in the install process? It doesn't
particularly
worry me now, because I know about it and prune my PATH statement every
now
and then. I presume (though I've not checked) that uninstalling lily also
nukes the extra PATH entry. But it seems to me that a new install
_should_
over-write the PATH statement of a previous install. Anyone else think
so?
-----------------------
No it isn't a bug.
It just depends on how the installer part is coded (at least from the
limited experience I have had with my own company's devs - we use
installsheild)
If I install product A.0 and then an update comes along A.1, and the
installer allows an in-place update, then keep everything that A.0 had
(assuming the PATH is the same of course). If new version B.0 is released
and there is no upgrade path or the software developer decides A.x should
be un-installed then the installer should pop up 'Hey! You have version
A.x installed you cannot install or update to B.0 please un-install A.x
first'.
What you do is not 'usual' so the installer is not coded to check for
other versions of LP and then deal with that accordingly.
As we don't set our paths to contain the version of LP as part of the PATH
(like .NET for instance - where each iteration of a full release has its
own separate PATH and files) then we run into this problem.
As far as I can tell for 'normal' use where someone installs, uninstalls
and installs the next version it all works.
But not if we keep installing new versions again and again.
I never presume to tell the devs things I know nothing about, but I
*expect* we could make a simple check for the PATH statement and not add a
new one if it already exists.
James