From: "Hal E. Fulton" <hal9000@...>
Date: 2003-07-28T22:43:28+09:00
Subject: install questions

I have been thinking about installation
issues lately.

There are two areas where I'd like people's
opinions.

1. Automatic installation of dependencies.
In the absence of a good mechanism for
handling dependencies (in install.rb or
raa-install or elsewhere) -- we could always
handle it explicitly. Supposing an app X
needed libraries Y and Z -- we could write
pre_setup.rb so that it in effect did this:
  - check for Y and Z
  - prompt user: perform auto-install?
  - try to install over net (via raa-install
    or whatever)
What do you think?

2. A separate issue: I've been trying to think 
what might be involved in writing an install
for a CGI (something I've never done). Some
issues are: 
  - How do we know what server is being used?
  - How do we find the CGI directory?
  - What about naming issues, e.g., Apache sometimes
    wants a .cgi extension?
  - File/directory ownership and permissions: How to 
    make everything accessible as needed without
    introducing security holes?

Hal

--
Hal Fulton
hal9000@hypermetrics.com