Re: [MacPerl] Installing on Users' Macs

[Vicki Brown <vlb@cfcl.com>]

At 20:19 -0800 12/2/98, Matthew Langford wrote:
> Mac user (the Rest of Us).  Well, if MacPerl scripts typically install an
> 11.1 MB "gift" (that's the size of my MacPerl folder), MacPerl will get
> the reputation of extreme bloat.

First, consider whether 11.1 is the "real" size or the apparent size on
disk.  My Mac Perl folder takes up 21.8 MB on disk but only an actual
8,507,304 bytes (just under 8MB in reality). That's on my disk and I don't
have Chris' stuff installed (yet) or anyhting in particular in site_perl.
But apparent size (on HFS) is dependent upon the size of the filesystem.

Sticking to actual size, then, how does MacPerl compare?

FileMaker Pro 3.0          22,062 Kbytes
MicroSoft Office           25,335 Kbytes
ColorIt 4.0                 5,386 Kbytes
ClarisWorks 5.0            13,041 Kbytes
Netscape Communicator 4.5  30,657 Kbytes

Bloat? Maybe.  Extreme?  Sadly, not in today's world.

> I'm uncomfortable with making the whole MacPerl folder invisible.  I
> really don't even like locking, actually.  Locking is mostly ineffective
> (only an option key away from a silent delete), and annoying.  Invisible
> smacks of being Big Brotherly protective--I don't want you to mess up this
> large folder of stuff I need, so I'll hide it from you.  How would you
> feel if Microsoft did this with all the schmack they install?  All of a
> sudden, disk space disappears and can't be accounted for.

How do you know they don't?

Invisible files are quite the rage; Norton and various virus checkers leave
folders an files lying about; that's how Norton DiskLock works. Apple uses
invisibility to hide the Virtual memory file, the Desktop DB and Desktop DF
files... My Desktop DB file is 2.2 MB on one of my disks.  Not to mention
funny little folders like TTheFindByContentFolder (Mac OS 8.5).

Besides, I think the kind of user who can figure out that >=8 MB has
disappeared && can determine where it went, deserves a prize; this is not
the user we had in mind when we made the folder invisible :-)
---
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