Ethereal-dev: Re: [Ethereal-dev] Next Release: Win32 NSIS installer pending questions
Guy Harris wrote:
On Feb 4, 2004, at 2:16 AM, Ulf Lamping wrote:
Do we want to add some default configuration files (cfilters,
colorfilters, dfilters, preferences)?
Preferences:
The only reason I can see for a default preferences file would be
if the values to which the preferences are initialized in the code
weren't appropriate...
...in which case the right way to fix that would be to initialize
them, in the code, to the right values. I don't see such a file as
being useful as a guide to users - most users would probably edit
their preferences through the GUI, anyway.
I missed that point, only named the ones probably interesting. As you
described, it doesn't make sense to provide such a file, sorry for this
stupid idea ;-)
Color filters:
At least for color filters, there are both user and system-wide
color filters; would a default color filters file be a user file or a
system-wide file?
And what colors and filter expressions would it have? Is there a
set that would be close enough to what most people would want that
it'd even make *sense* to have a default color filter file? Or are
color filters enough of a personal thing that a default color filter
file wouldn't make sense?
As stated earlier by someone (sorry, forgot who it was), the reason for
this is to get a basic set of color filters. If you install Ethereal as
a novice user, you won't even get the idea
that there is such a thing like the coloring. Just a real basic set of
color filters would be fine IMHO, just to have some examples available
and some coloring when you first start Ethereal.
Capture and display filters:
Ethereal currently has no notion of a system-wide capture or
display filter file. Should we add a system-wide file for them, too,
and supply a set of useful filters in them?
We should supply a basic set of both filter files for the novice user
(regardless if system wide or user specific, see below).
I would tend to say yes. But as this topic isn't win32 specific, we
should do this
for all platforms, not only win32. Even if other platforms are not
able to install these files (just don't know if this is possible),
there should be a basic set of configuration files at least available
somewhere in CVS.
Whether other platforms could install them depends on whether they're
system-wide files or not. System-wide files can be installed - on
UNIXes, they're installed in the same directory in which other data
files for Ethereal are installed. Per-user files, however, are mo
re difficult - UNIX package installers, probably for reasons having to
do with UNIX's multi-user origins, tend to install stuff system-wide
rather than having the notion of a user on whose behalf installation
is being done.
Topics:
a) we should have a set of reasonable files for cfilters, colorfilters,
dfilters somewhere in CVS, probably in a new "conf" dir?
b) this three files should correspond to each other, e.g. if dfilters
has a filter for a TCP RST flag, the colorfilters file should have
something similar
c) example filters should correspond to the examples in the help texts
(where appropriate)
d) win32: the filters should simply be copied to the user specific place
(unless these files are already existing, then just do nothing)
e) unix: just don't know, how this should be handled
BTW: if there are global and personal colorfilters files, what will
happen? Will it be "additional" (so the filters from both files will be
used) or "replacing" (only the personal filters will be used)?
My personal believe to the whole thing, when reflecting some mailings
in the past days is:
- require to use a current NSIS installer version (e.g.: 2.0 RC 3)
I'll leave that one up to the maker of the installer (Gerald) to
decide. If he says "yes", then:
- use the modern NSIS user interface (MODERN_UI)
That's probably a good idea, but I don't know enough about what
disadvantages, if any, there are of the modern UI to say authoritatively.
I currently don't see any disadvantages :-)
- using the lzma compression algorithm to reduce installer size
dramatically
Sounds good.
Yes :-)
- put both Ethereal GTK versions 1 and 2 (together with the DLL's and
such) into one installer
Would the installer install both of them?
If so, how would the user know which one they should choose?
If not, how would the installer decide which one to use? (And if it
finds out from the user, how would the user know which one they should
choose?)
My first approach was, to install both exe files and icons and such.
But as this wasn't approved, see my last mail on this topic.
Regards, ULFL
