----- Original Message -----
From: "Michael Gerz" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: "Bo Peng" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Cc: "Stephen Harris" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; <lyx-users@lists.lyx.org>;
<lyx-devel@lists.lyx.org>
Sent: Monday, January 02, 2006 10:04 AM
Subject: Re: [announce] sixth release of LyXWinInstaller
Bo Peng wrote:
The mistake is making C:\Program files the default for LyX and
friends.
I totally agree. I think it is a good idea to install Lyx to c:\lyx by
default.
No, the directory must be configurable. On my (German) machine, the
appropriate directory is "C:\Programme". There is nothing worse than
programs that ignore basic Windows guidelines.
Who said anything about the directory not being configurable.
The Default installation directory now reads: C:\program files\lyx
That can be manually changed to C:\Lyx
I think that the Default should be C:\LyX and the user can run
the risk of problems of paths with spaces if he chooses by
manually installing elsewhere or C:\program files\lyx
German doesn't have a problem with spaces by default
because Programme doesn't have any spaces in it.
Therefore C:\programme\lyx or C:\programme\miktex
will not have a space in it.
Why doesn't English have the default of C:\Programs?
Is it because C:\program files adheres to basic Windows guidelines?
No, certainly not.
Just because Word pioneered filenames with spaces doesn't
mean that practice should be emulated by other editors, nor
does Words ability to do this elevate the filename with spaces
capability to a "basic windows guideline".
Basic windows guidelines should be adopted according to
their ability to make windows and other programs work well
together. It is certainly not something Microsoft bought on
top of Mt. Sinai to redeem its clutch of customers.
I've investigated this issue. I have not been able to find any
reason for the adoption of path with spaces to make the
Windows OS work better or work better with other programs.
I think then that the default install of a path with spaces is not
part of basic windows guidelines. It is not a guideline but
maybe a standard. Microsoft introduces many proprietary
standards to gain market share. I see no reason why LyX, as
a member of the Free Source community, should endorse
MS standards in order to make LyX run poorly in conjunction
with its helper programs.
To be a basic windows guideline for LyX, it must help LyX
run better on Windows. Using paths with spaces damages
LyX's (with helper apps) ability to run well on Windows.
Thus it is no basic windows guideline which has any bearing
on how LyX should be installed.
This will save us from some troubles, but not all. Most windows users
save their files under "...\My Documents" or "... and
Settings\Desktop" and will still suffer from this problem. It is quite
tricky to move these folders to something like D:\Documents.
Indeed. We cannot assume that all Windows users have administrator
privileges (in fact they shouldn't). Being unable to use "\My Documents"
is like forbidding a *nix user to use $HOME (guess what he will tell you
:-)).
In other words: We have to support spaces in paths to the maximum extent.
Michael
I haven't tested this. But, I don't think there is a problem with
My Documents because there is no problem when the work
directory is beneath Application Data. When the path which
contains *.bst files has no spaces, there is no problem. That
nospace path doesn't get changed because you store the lyx file
in C:\this is \a path\ wtih a lot \of spaces or in
C:\documents and settings\username\my documents
