[EROS-Arch] Installers

[Jonathan Adams]

On Thu, Mar 22, 2001 at 03:23:46PM -0800, Seth Arnold wrote:
> However, would install programs/scripts on EROS get away with doing
> less? Might the installers have to do *more*, just to get around the OS
> doing less? IE, it might need to make a 'filesystem' for itself (ftp
> server?), cook a partition for database use, handle interrupts in
> strange devices, ... I just don't know what is desired/expected/possible
> for the installer programs, mainly because I am unfamiliar with them.

It seems to me that all of these are not issues of the installer, but issues
of factory arguments.  If I have such a hypothetical FTP server, I'd like
to be able to run multiple copies with independent directory structures. 
Same issue with the database.

We could move some of these issues even later, by introducing a permanent
"Capability Directory" that could be associated with a factory just like
the configuration file is.  In order for a capability to be insertable, 
you would have to ask for permission _when you requested the capability_
(i.e. "Application X would like permanent control over a directory. Please
choose one.")  This would keep the program from holding permanent 
control over files it's invoked with, or that are opened with a normal open
dialog, but let it do many "installation-time" things at first invocation.

- jonathan