Apache OpenOffice (AOO) Bugzilla – Issue 1940
remove -net option (better and easier behaviour)
Last modified: 2004-05-06 11:22:59 UTC
StarOffice supports SingleUser and MultiUser environments. Currently the SingleUser is default and the user has to use the "-net" option for enabling the MultiUser mode before installing. As several mails in the mailing lists show this is a very irritating behaviour. Nearly no user finds the -net option himself (I don't any other program doing it that way, so a user simply doesn't expect it) and gets surprised if SO doesn't work , which hurts the first using experience badly. When using the MultiUser install, every user has to start the setup program themself, which also hurts the user experience badly, since one can not expect a user to know that. We must remove the -net option and the per user setup and replace both by a better, easier to understand behaviour. 1. is it necessary to make a difference between the MultiUser and the SingleUser install? A user expects that if he installs a software he and everyone else can use it, so what is so special about the single user mode? 2. If a difference is needed: We have a GUI installer. Why do we have to give it the -net option as a parameter for the program? It should be possible to choose this function in the GUI installer, together with a small description which explain it to the average user. It is possible to choose the install size (something like default, minimize, custom). I think that the logical place for asking for the -net option is just before that dialog. 3. currently each user has to manualy start the setup program before he can use SO/OO the first time. If SO/OO can find the configuration files, it should be able to find out, if the setup program was already executed before. If it was not, then start the setup program. If point 3 should go into a new issue, then I would file it.
I forgot to mention that there are people suggesting to make -net the default.
Hi Falko, it's your turn.
This has been a big pain for me too, thanks for posting. I wanted to add to/expand this thread. I would suggest the following changes: A) Installer should be smart enough to tell if the user is root/administrator or not. If not, should tell them that they are not and suggest that the change users for install. (Optionally it could pop up a dialog requesting root password) B) If they choose to not install as root then the installer should default the file location to user's home path as UNIX install does today without -net. (I should note root premission is not an issue for MOST Windows/NT configurations, I call these unsecure systems). User home path is $HOME on NT and %HOME for Linux (I don't know other systems). C) If installing as root (or on unsecure system) the installer should again be smart and suggest the best location for the system (here are some I know: $SystemDrive\Program Files for Windows NT /usr/share/ for Redhat and Mandrake Linux /opt/ for Solaris (I believe?) D) Following on C. This install would be similar to today's -net install. E) In the Windows/KDE/CDE/Gnome start menus links should be made to all the respective programs for all users on the system when installed as root\unsecure and just the user's menus when just user install. F) When a user first launches openoffice (i.e. user has no setting yet) a dialog box pops up asking for user information (that's it no paths nothing). The program automatically creates user and share directories in proper locations (again the ones I know): Windows NT: $USERPROFILE\openoffice Linux: %HOME/.openoffice (note the dot path) G) User's document directory should not be in the openoffice directory!!!! The default document path should be system standard: Windows NT: $HOME\ Linux: %HOME/ I think I got it all. But, what I have above is no different than most other applications do on respective systems. OOo having different standard is confusing, and is (IMHO) worst that convention.
Minor correction to my last posting. Linux system vars are $HOME etc. And Window's are %HOME% etc.
This is basically (not in all respects though) double with 1307 *** This issue has been marked as a duplicate of 1307 ***
as discussed I reopen this ok@sun.com
back to me...
seems there is a serious need for that, Oliver...
first step is our proposal for new net installation behaviour. please visit our hp
btw, the full links is http://installation.openoffice.org/proposals/netinstall.html
I like the proposal. I also saw that you cared about the problem of the current bad default to install OO at /root when user root is doing the install.
Looks like this one is for me now.
have a look at http://installation.openoffice.org/proposals/netinstall.html
Please, for the sake of the children, make "/net" the default! Heck this can be the world's largest "ease of use for smallest amount of code" fix in the world. I understand why this issue has been kicking around for so long, because the "right" way to fix this is to rewrite the installer so it supports "/net" installs graphically. But, with the release of OOo v1.0 coming up soon, why not for now simply change the default behavior to "/net" and work out the graphical solution for a later version? This is a simple "bash" wrapper script that will accomplish this. Actually, what it does is that you can pass "/net" or "/nonet" to force a net or nonet install, or by default the "root" user does a "/net" install and non-root users will do a non "/net" install. #!/bin/sh function install_multiuser { echo "Installing in multi-user mode" ./setup /net } function install_singleuser { echo "Installing in single-user mode" ./setup } echo "Installing OpenOffice.org as $USER" if [ -z $1 ]; then # No CLAs if [ $USER = "root" ]; then install_multiuser else install_singleuser fi else # CLAs exist if [ $1 = "/net" ]; then install_multiuser else install_singleuser fi fi exit
Please have a look at the discussion in the dev@installation.openoffice.org mailing list titled: [installation-dev] Re: Use of a unix shell wrapper for setup - Was -net and font issues.
just adding dependency do issue 3977, where some of this issues are done...
Is it possible (I should say, *will* it be possible) to do a system wide install, and then have the users just run the program installed system wide immediatly (without needing to run the user install)? This is how I wish OpenOffice was by default. The only other program I can think of that requires users to run an "install" again is GIMP, but I've found that the ~/.gimp directory can just be placed in the /etc/skel directory and then the users don't need to run the install. The reason I care so much about having it work in this manner is that I think schools wanting to use OpenOffice don't wan't it to be necessary that the students preform installations (this is mostly just an issue for schools switching to Linux, with each student having a /home directory). If the installation program must be run for each user, would it be possible to create a command line version which could be run in a script to install OpenOffice in all the users' /home directories? With perhaps a config file passed to the script which would give it whatever information it would otherwise have to ask interactively (State, Organization, etc.) Thanks.
*** Issue 5791 has been marked as a duplicate of this issue. ***
This issue is a pain in the back side, it took me a week to find /net option via the mailing list, and its naff. MS Office auto installs for a new user and this is OBVIOUSLY the way to go. As for network based install (which most small to medium companies really don't trust these days.. due to server & network reliability) does this really really have to have a workstation install as well ? It would be pretty kewel if you could host the user settings on the server (auto generated in advance of course) and the users just clicked on a link to run the program ? (maybee not technicaly possible)
As co-lead of the CD-ROM project, I've been looking for something like this. I want to be able to fire up the installer using Windows autorun feature, but... It is necesary to run the correct type of install, based on the OS. I envisage the following changes to the GUI: The installer should ideally autodetect the OS. If WinXP or 2000, tehn run the Multi-user install. Alternatively: A radio button group, "Please select your version of Windows". Button 1 = Windows XP or 2000 Button 2 = Windows 98 or ME If button 1 is selected, run Multi-user install If Button 2, then another dialog with radio buttons "How many user profies do you have?" Button 1 = Only myself Button 2 = Myself and at least one other. If Button 1, then single user installl, else Multi-user install. I could probably make the dialogs using Qt, but someone else would have to write the code, as I know absolutely no C++ (A tiny bit of Pascal, but no C). If you would like to see one, let me know and I'll attach it (after I create it) :)... This would be IMO the ideal. The rest of the proposals seem ideal, it's just this initial part that is stumping me ATM.
> If Button 2 (win9x), then another dialog with radio buttons > "How many user profies do you have?" > Button 1 = Only myself > Button 2 = Myself and at least one other. This is still WAY too cumbersome. The installer should be able to detect whether a win9x system has more than one user-profile. There is no need to pester users with these questions. PS. win9x use: +30%. PPS. OOoo should reall upgrade to a newer version of BugZilla (hovering over a bug 1234 should yield that bug's description).
*** Issue 10250 has been marked as a duplicate of this issue. ***
*** Issue 1307 has been marked as a duplicate of this issue. ***
some days ago I downloaded a developer snapshot. during install one is asked, if one wants to install OpenOffice for one or all users. Resolving this as "WORKSFORME"?
Issue has already been fixed for 2.0 -> fixed !
TM: Closed !
We have inntroduced this feature for OOo 680. As stated it's working, try OOo 680m36.