Re: [rox-users] How do I enter a URI to ROX-Filer?

[Mike H. <mik...@an...>]

Thomas,

Again, thanks for prompt replies.  I like it when I can talk to real
developers (unlike in the Microsoft world).

>>I've tried to get AddApp and ROX-Session but they fail:
>>Can't find all required implementations:
>>- <Interface http://rox.sourceforge.net/2005/interfaces/AddApp> -> None
>>    
>>
>
>How did you try to get them? Try this command:
>
>$ 0launch -vg http://rox.sourceforge.net/2005/interfaces/AddApp
>  
>
This worked (today).
What I was doing was following the instructions on
<http://rox.sourceforge.net/phpwiki/index.php/FedoraCore>
where it says
"You should now be able to load the download monitor and start ROX-Filer:

$ /uri/0install/zero-install.sourceforge.net/apps/ZeroProgress/AppRun &
Starting ZeroProgress...
Ready and waiting...
$ cd /uri/0install/rox.sourceforge.net
$ ./rox

Quite as I would expect this fails because "/uri..." is not an existing 
directory.
I assume that somewhere this command should be intercepted and
translated into something that does exist in the filesystem?
Should I substitute something for "/uri"?  If so, what?  Where (presumably
by some convention) should I put 0launch, etc.?  Or, does the installation
process (which I may have done but can't remember) put 0launch in
somewhere which is likely to be in $PATH ?  I guess this must have happened
or the 0launch -vg... above wouldn't have worked. But what about the
"/uri/0install/..." - how does that work?

>Check that you are not in 'Offline' mode, as that would explain why it
>can't get anything. If that doesn't work, try running it in debug
>mode:
>
>$ 0launch -vvc http://rox.sourceforge.net/2005/interfaces/AddApp
>
>If it doesn't work, send the output to the mailing list.
>
>PS: What happened about your "403 Forbidden" error?
>  
>
I had to talk to the sysadmin guy. It appears that the firewall demanded 
that
all http fetches have a 'Content-Type' header and there isn't one in the
fetches for getting the injector.  He had to create an exception rule 
for me.

What would be good is some kind of overview of _how_ zero-install works,
where things live when they are installed, etc.  I think the web pages maybe
leave too much unsaid.  Perhaps a hardened Linux developer would
intuitively know what is left unsaid, or would quickly figure it out, 
but for
a Linux rookey its all a bit confusing.  My Linux experience has been at
the command line, usually telnetted, to control video servers and such. My
desktop experience is with RISC OS and Windows so controlling KDE
etc. is all rather strange.  For example, I'm struggling with how to get
launch entries on the desktop menu, or Desktop - I can get some things to
work but then seemingly at random some applications just don't appear,
or have strange attributes which I can't seem to change.  This is why I 
would
really like to get the desktop looking more like RISC OS where things
are intuitive and work!

I have a Fedora machine on our network with my home directory on another
server.  I see that .cache appeared there, and this is presumably where the
crucial bits of 0install live, but what about the other stuff.  For example,
when I did manage to get AddApp it presented me with a save box
(which is nice because its like RISC OS) but where should I put such
things?  I created a ~/rox directory and dropped it there, but is that a 
good
or bad idea?  How would you suggest organizing things to avoid pitfalls
that I might not anticipate due to my inexperience?

These are the kind of instructions that might be useful on the web pages.
If I can get to grips with it myself I'd be happy to contribute to the wiki
but I'm groping in the dark at the moment.

Thanks for your patience!

Mike