Re: [MacPerl] Installing on Users' Macs

[Matthew Langford <langfml@Eng.Auburn.EDU>]

On Fri, 4 Dec 1998, Vicki Brown wrote:

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

My reference to bloat was that if multiple MacPerl-based programs each put
their own 11 MB copy of MacPerl invisibly somewhere (in addition to any
code and data they used), THAT would be bloat.  As you point out, 11 MB is
pretty trim these days for such rollicking functionality.


><I wrote:>
> > 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?

Because I look for invisible files on my machine every now and then.

Again, I don't have too much problem with invisible files, though I think
they should be used sparingly.  Invisible folders seem unnecessary to me,
except in rare circumstances.  Invisibility seems to me to be security by
obscurity (pardon me for all the -ee sounds in this phrase).  This is poor
security.  Probably won't work long against maliciousness or deliberate
meddling, isn't necessary and may be counter-productive against innocent
meddling.  

An example:  two people co-use a Mac.  One is extremely anal about freeing
disk space; every night he cleans off every file which is not immediately
critical.  He likes to keep his hard drive roughly half full.  The other
has a few Perl programs which she uses to summarize data and perform
useful tasks.  Should she use the invisible install?  At first glance, it
might seem so.  But what if he reads how to use Find File to show every
invisible folder?  He will be doubly angry.  Or maybe his anality even
extends to adding up folder sizes to see which has the most "fat" to be
cut (those of us in SubGigLand do this in a space- and cash-pinch).  At
any rate, she should probably discuss with him why this piece was
necessary.  If he deletes it anyway, the invisibility bit might buy a
little time.  But a removable drive would do much better.

Tune in tomorrow to the next episode of the Larry Wall Show, where cross
platform coders trade blows on who has the best Perl implementation.

Good grief, I really don't have a life.  :)

--
MattLangford