Eagle 7.2 Win install directory -- why non-standard?

Am 29.04.2015 um 06:21 schrieb Graham Wideman:

Hi all,

 

I went to install Eagle 7.2, and immediately got stuck when it offers a

default install directory of C:\EAGLE-7.2.0.  OK, why?

 

In general I don't want apps installing themselves in random top-level

locations; why can't Eagle just install in one of the standard

locations?

 

So, I could just edit the suggested location, but to which standard

location? Is Eagle a 32-bit app or a 64-bit app? And maybe there's some

crucial reason why it can't be installed to one of those?

 

Eventually I found online a file "v7.2_en.pdf" EAGLE Update Information,

which contains the enigmatic remark "On Windows the default installation

path in the setup dialog has been changed from the Windows program

folder to C:\EAGLE-<version> (<version> being the full EAGLE version

string)."

 

No explanation of why this change, and how crucial it is to abide by it.

Maybe it's just a mistake?

 

FWIW, I changed the path to C:\Program Files (x86)\EAGLE-7.2.0. Even

doing that was a hassle because the Browse window won't allow you to

browse then enter the name of the new installation directory. But it is

possible to back out of that window and enter the desired path by hand.

 

After installation, I checked the eagle.exe executable, and it is a

32-bit app, so I guessed correctly on the location.

 

Still don't know if this will cause problems downstream though.

 

Any further info on this?

 

-- Graham

 

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I think for making an installation easy, there must a path be given.

But how should eagle know how many hard disks you have and how they are

named?

Then think of the structure of windows. There is the admin account and

the users account which are different protected by the way.

As a user the program  will be  ready under "username" and that's one

reason why some people do not find their files

Install your program on any drive i.e. F:\eagle-xy  and not under

c:\users, adjust the path in the control panel options and you are done

--

Mit freundlichen Grüßen / With best regards

Joern Paschedag

Joern: Thanks for replying, but your comment does not reconcile with how programs are customarily installed on Windows. There has historically been a \Program Files directory, and in 64-bit Windows there's also a \Program Files(x86) directory. These are usually on the first hard drive, which is usually called "C:". But installers don't have to know any of that, because they can use a shell variable %programfiles% or %programfiles(x86)%, which deals with the possibility of a non-standard file layout. Applications are almost never installed to a user's home directory (though a script might be).

So if there's a reason for Eagle offering/suggesting to install in its own top-level directory, it's not because it's too difficult for the installer to figure out the conventional place to install.

-- Graham

On 29/04/15 06:44, Graham Wideman wrote:

Joern: Thanks for replying, but your comment does not reconcile with how

programs are customarily installed on Windows. There has historically

been a \Program Files directory, and in 64-bit Windows there's also a

\Program Files(x86) directory. These are usually on the first hard

drive, which is usually called "C:". But installers don't have to know

any of that, because they can use a shell variable %programfiles% or

%programfiles(x86)%, which deals with the possibility of a non-standard

file layout. Applications are almost never installed to a user's home

directory (though a script might be).

 

The problem is Microsoft's, not Cadsoft's

The historical convention you talk about results in a lot of

user-editable files living under either Program Files or Program Data.

However, recent Windows versions have rendered those folders "special" -

not user writable and kuldged with a ghastly (incomprehensible,

problematic) virtualisation scheme. Applications which follow the

historical approach therefore suffer from bizarre problems, like files

the user has saved apparently vanishing, or simply failing to save.

Eagle's more recent default of installing at the root level is, in any

case, not the horror you seem to think it is. It's almost as common as

the Program Files one, and avoids a lot of the virtualisation crap.

If you want your applications installed in sensible places, working

correctly for all users, without ugliness... then you need to run a

different OS.

On 29/04/15 06:44, Graham Wideman wrote:

Joern: Thanks for replying, but your comment does not reconcile with how

programs are customarily installed on Windows. There has historically

been a \Program Files directory, and in 64-bit Windows there's also a

\Program Files(x86) directory. These are usually on the first hard

drive, which is usually called "C:". But installers don't have to know

any of that, because they can use a shell variable %programfiles% or

%programfiles(x86)%, which deals with the possibility of a non-standard

file layout. Applications are almost never installed to a user's home

directory (though a script might be).

 

The problem is Microsoft's, not Cadsoft's

The historical convention you talk about results in a lot of

user-editable files living under either Program Files or Program Data.

However, recent Windows versions have rendered those folders "special" -

not user writable and kuldged with a ghastly (incomprehensible,

problematic) virtualisation scheme. Applications which follow the

historical approach therefore suffer from bizarre problems, like files

the user has saved apparently vanishing, or simply failing to save.

Eagle's more recent default of installing at the root level is, in any

case, not the horror you seem to think it is. It's almost as common as

the Program Files one, and avoids a lot of the virtualisation crap.

If you want your applications installed in sensible places, working

correctly for all users, without ugliness... then you need to run a

different OS.

Cadsoft Guest

I am trying to find out what breaks if I install Eagle under C:\Program Files (x86). 

I am not very convinced that the Windows file system is that broken, nor that it's commonplace for apps to ignore the conventions. I have over 200 applications installed of all sorts -- consumer apps, developer tools, graphic and video tools, specialized science and engineering tools. Somehow all but about three of them manage to install and run properly, don't offer to save end-user files in the application directories, and files don't go missing.

Regardless, if you don't like to install software in \Program Files, that's fine.

What I want to know is what, if anything, breaks if I do install Eagle in the \Program Files (x86) ?

-- Graham