Re: [MacPerl] Installing on Users' Macs

[bart.lateur@skynet.be (Bart Lateur)]

I've been following at this thread for a while. Most of my thoughts
about this subject have already been expressed by other people. So I
won't reapt any of that.

I have counted the number of files in MacPerl's Lib folder (not by
hand!). I come at 575 files, bare install (5.20r4). The file content to
disk space ratio is quite low, as many files are only a few k. This
"waste" is part of the problem, as far as the uninformed user is
concerned.

To run small applets, you DON'T NEED most of those library files. In
fact, you hardly need any at all. A lot of the time, the MacPerl app
alone, is enough.

I really do not believe that users, as opposed to MacPerl programmers,
have an actual need for the full blown library installation.

So, what I would prefer, is that for installing a MacPerl applet, the
installer would only check for the libraries that are necessary for this
particular script, and install them if not found. Call it "incremental
installation", if you like. I do. :-)

This approach would require, or, at least, would be greatly helped by
the development of some tools:

 * Selective installation of MacPerl libraries; i.e. install only the
files that you request;
 * a tool that can analyze the script, and determine the hierarchy of
files that are actually needed; including any .XS (?) files. This must
be executed while creating the installation.

I can envision a general MacPerl script installer generation script,
comparable to the Installation Wizard from VB on the PC, which a script
writer could use to generate the installer. The installer itself could
be a runtime or a droplet plus a bare MacPerl app, either
installation-specific, or a general script/program/runtime plus a
installation data file.

Any thoughts?

	Bart.

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