[Tclish-devel] Re: Installer applications

[Peter F. <pet...@zv...>]

Steve Cassidy wrote:

> 
> My current feeling is that the following applications should come into being:
> 
>  A tcl package installer. Able to download and install tcl extensions
> consisting of either pure tcl code or tcl and shared libraries. This might
> one day be included in the core distribution.
> 

Yup. immediately useful for most TCL projects. No reason it have A GUI
version as well.

>  A GUI installer which can install Tcl/Tk itself and any other application or
> tcl extension (or in fact any file or set of files).
>

Definitely. 

>  A command line installer with the same capabilities as the GUI one.
> 

Most often requested improvement for the TCLXML Installer is a tclsh
only version.

> These should be platform neutral where possible 

The main reason I started the tclxml installer was to have a
crossplatform installation facility. I would hope this project strives
to be as inclusive as possible. I guess that means coming up with a
really comprehensive virtualisation of the union of existing platform
capabilities . It also means allowing plenty of hooks into the process
to allow quick hacks to support unforeseen platform-specific issues.

> and configured via a simple
> package description file such as that used by tclish or the tclxml installer.
> 

cant think of a better way - except maybe "IXML" - eXtensible Installer
Language ;-) . Steve Ball may have some 
enthusiasm for designing such a beast 8-).

Speaking on Steve Ball's behalf, it would be good to have the general
designs take into account that we would want it to pug into a future
x-platform build system with minimum fuss. 

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