Acorn User 3/AUCD3.iso/airport/browsers/acornet/archive/archive897/000120_owner-acornet@…s.barnet.ac.uk _Sat Aug 23 14:13:57 1997.msg

Internet Message Format | 1997-08-28 | 4KB

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From: "Robert J. Munro" <[e-mail]>
Subject: Ideas (was Re: Acornet 0.20 - a few problems?)
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Date: Sat, 23 Aug 1997 10:30:51 GMT
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In message <[e-mail]> you (
 <[e-mail]>) recently said:

> In message <[e-mail]>
>           Richard Sargeant <[e-mail]> wrote:
>
> > > If anyone else has problems with 'bootapps', please let me or
> > > the list know. It works perfectly on my RiscPC and on my A3020,
> >
> > Something very deceptive is going inside that program right now.
> > [big snip]
>
> Erm, nope. That's how it's supposed to be.
>
> > SerialDev$Path : SCSI::Part0.$.A.!Acornet.Resources.!SerialDev.
> >
> > The copy installed in !Boot is sufficient,
>
> How's Acornet supposed to know that? It could just as well be a copy
> of the older version...

In an ideal world, perhaps !Acornet could be made to scan the Hard disc and
find any applications that are already there when it is first run. It could
then upgrade them if the versions that it has internally are newer and the
user agrees, and store pointers to where they are on the Hard disc.

This could be useful for people who for example have been using termite and
newsbase/TTFN (like me) to upgrade to !Acornet, retaining all the news and
mail settings automatically. It would also enable cleaner upgrades of
people with old !Acornets and newer versions of some bits dotted around
their hard discs. In fact, maybe the search could also look for messenger,
IRC and other stuff not in the usual !Acornet distribution, but that is
usable with it. This type of thing is done by some PC installers. I think
the Microsoft Office one is an example.

I think that !Acornet shouldn't keep things that could go in the resources
directory internally if the computer has a RiscOS 3.5 or above style boot
sequence, and should move them into the 'real' resources directory if the
user agrees.

I have just come up with an interesting (and big and slightly unrealistic)
idea. Make a minimal distribution that consists only of the provider
confiuration utility, a simple FTP downloader, and scripts to download the
rest of the internet suite once a connection has been established. TTFN vs
mesagnger, and whether to bother with IRC type choices could then be made
by the user, avoiding the need to download twice. Also, the whole thing
could hopefully fit on a single floppy which could be on a coverdisc, and
sold by PD libraries.

Oh, well. As I type I keep thinking of more but I had better stop there
because it is not all directly !Aconet relevant.

Robert Munro
--
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