Re: "First Run" installation of Application support stuff?

FROM : David W. Halliday
DATE : Wed Dec 18 23:54:38 2002

Bill Bumgarner wrote:

> On Tuesday, Dec 17, 2002, at 16:11 US/Eastern,
> <email_removed> wrote:
>
>> Its not a big deal to update a pref file  residing in the app folder
>> from
>> within your app. If a user moves the pref file out of the app folder,
>> a new
>> one will be created and the old prefs are lost, but that is no
>> different for
>> prefs in the pref folder.
>
>
> I have to chime in here...
>
> Do not ever, under any circumstances, for any reason, store prefs in
> the app folder.  It is a bad, bad idea no matter what way you look at
> it.    It is just lazy.  There are places to store writable stuff that
> are well documented and well convered in this thread.  In the app
> wrapper is NOT ONE OF THEM.
>
> It is wrong for so many reasons, let me list a few.  Assuming
> writable prefs (or any other data) in the app wrapper, then: 
>
> ...  <Many good reasons>
>
> There is a disturbing trend in the mac community of requiring root
> privileges for installations when it is unnecessary, requiring reboots
> when it is unwarranted, requiring admin access just to run the app,
> and requiring write access to the app wrapper and other locations on
> disk that should not be.
>
> The justification is often "it is the user's computer they should do
> what they want".
>
> To put it bluntly:  Bullhorkie.
>
> ...  <More very good discussion>
>
> Continuing down this path of wanting to scribble everywhere because it
> is the Macintosh Way will lead to an Operating System that is no
> better than Windows;  plenty of virii that cause piles of damage along
> with a system that has to be rebuilt every 3 months just to remain
> stable.
>
> That is not the Macintosh Way.
>
> b.bum


    I have to whole heatedly agree here.

    I've been using a Windows NT 4 system for years as my family's
system (and I look forward to the day we can have a Mac OS X system,
when we can afford it).*  I will NEVER use a Windows 9x/ME, Mac OS
(classic), or any other system that does not allow me to have separate
privileges for my children and myself.  I even prefer NOT to run as a
superuser, if at all reasonable (which, due to the above issues with
even Windows NT---the best Microsoft has [Windows XP is basically NT
5.1]---is not usually reasonable).  The problem is when applications
believe they have free reign over their application directories, have no
concept of multiple users and user privileges or user "home" directories
(or any other form of per-user locations for per-user information [part
of the problem with Windows NT is that Microsoft has almost no concept
of such things, even though they wrote the thing]).

    The application's directory (and, a fortiori, the application's
bundle) must be treated as unwritable, under all but the most rare of
user interactions (and even then, should fail ever so gracefully if it's
unable to write in this space).  Installation programs must only ask for
Administrator privileges if it's ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY (for instance,
they should allow an unprivileged user to install the application in the
user's ~/Applications directory without a peep about needing
Administrator privileges). Furthermore, installation programs must NEVER
insist that the system needs to be rebooted (at most, you /may/ ask the
user to log-out and back in), unless such is ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY (which
it almost NEVER IS, on a unix-like system).

    Fortunately, the above is according to Apple guidelines (so far as I
can tell), and Apple does understand the concept of multiple users, user
privileges, and user "home" directories.  Apple has gone to great pains
(as far as I can tell) to make a place for everything, and to try and
keep everything in it's place (and encourage developers to do the same).
DON'T MESS THIS UP WITH OUTDATED, SINGLE USER CONCEPTS.  (My family
machines have NEVER been SINGLE USER.  In fact, my dad often lamented
about how, when we, his children, got on the home Macintosh, we tended
to move things around.  If he had what I envision a properly running Mac
OS X system, he wouldn't have had this complaint.  So, PLEASE, don't
spoil this brave new world.)

<email_removed>

Footnotes:
*    I used a NeXTstation when I was working on my degree.  I never
would have allowed my children onto the machine if it weren't for the
security protections.  NO WAY was I going to risk that my children could
mess up years of work.
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