dextersgenius (u/dextersgenius)

dextersgenius commented on Comparing Windows uninstallers, getting upset and then deciding to make my own jv16powertools.com/blog/c... · Posted by u/thunderbong

viraptor · 2 years ago

I'm amazed how much MS is failing with the MSI. You'd expect that in Visual Studio (the proper one, not code) there would be a simple way to say: this project - compile it and stick into MSI with just bare defaults. But no, you essentially have to get a third party thing to manage creating that for you, and even those involve custom scripting that requires another custom generator on top to get the list of files to install (looking at you, Vix). And no, the publish to Azure or ClickOnce are not reasonable options.

VB5 came with a built in installer generator - how did we regress from there?

dextersgenius · 2 years ago

MSIs are so bloated and horribly designed, it isn't even funny. Why does it insist on storing a copy of the entire .msi - and any patches - in C:\Windows\Installer? From what I've observed, the original MSI is required to perform repairs and reconfiguration, or setting up new-user defaults for that app. This seems horribly inefficient to me, and on heavily used system this can easily waste space on the C: drive.

And occasionally you run into issues with the MSI database corrupting, where you can't install/upgrade/uninstall something (we see this commonly with Adobe apps) , so you'd need to resort to third-party tools like MSI Zapper to get rid of all the references from the database. What a messy system.

I miss the days when programs used to use NSIS (Nullsoft) installers - they were tiny, and super easy to make and automate.

dextersgenius commented on Comparing Windows uninstallers, getting upset and then deciding to make my own jv16powertools.com/blog/c... · Posted by u/thunderbong

alkonaut · 2 years ago

An “everything” software listing and uninstaller front end for the various install methods (nuget, steam, msi, …) to see everything in one place is an excellent idea. Even better if it allowed plugins so you could add methods (e.g a developer might want a node env listing). It should stick to being a front end though and not try to be too clever when it comes to deleting things.

A misconception is that it’s possible to accurately determine whether something can or should be removed, when it’s usually impossible. The only thing that can uninstall windows software in general is the installer that installed it (if it’s correct), or a program that at least observed and recorded the installation of it. Any software that claims otherwise is lying, and at best it will fail and at worst it will make a mess of your system.

These days it’s more and more common to completely ignore the windows installer system and install per-user to app data, which has the benefit of allowing a better self-updating experience without elevated permissions, and lower risk of pollution of system files.

The worst offenders in my experience when it comes to traditional windows installers are those that are not using Windows Installer but instead simply act as scripts dumping files and reg entries without concern for transactionality, sharing etc. For example some flavors of installshield and similar.

The Windows installer system for all its flaws IS a pretty robust - but quite complicated - system for managing installs. The problem is that it’s either unused or misused, which is a consequence of it being too complex I guess.

dextersgenius · 2 years ago

> These days it’s more and more common to completely ignore the windows installer system and install per-user to app data, which has the benefit of allowing a better self-updating experience without elevated permissions, and lower risk of pollution of system files.

On the flip side, this is a nightmare to manage as sysadmins, who try to maintain a tight ship using AppLocker polices. So many apps these days have a standard installer, but then they download an update and try to run the newer version from AppData, and of course, it gets blocked and we get calls from angry users saying that their app no longer works. Of course, we could whitelist the digitally-signed executable, but some apps aren't even digitally signed (or only partially signed), sometimes the digital signature changes completely... it's a mess.

Then there's the problem of dumping large binaries and entire applications into the AppData folders, which bloats up user profiles. This can be a bit of an issue with certain roaming profile systems like Citrix User Profile Manager, which by default works in a blacklist mode (ie, you have to explicitly blacklist paths that you don't want to roam). If you don't stay on top of this and add new AppData subfolders to the exclusion list, then you'll find all your large Chrome updates or whatever (with several versioned folders) all syncing back up to the profile server, wasting space, bandwidth, and increasing logon, backup, and AV Scan times. In a large organization with several thousands of users, this is a disaster waiting to happen.

Also, using AppData to store entire apps is just plan wrong - that's NOT what it was meant for. AppData was meant for storing app data, and the apps themselves are supposed to be stored in Program Files.

These self-updating apps are the worst thing that could ever happen in a corporate environment.

dextersgenius commented on The Case for PowerShell on macOS and Linux deusinmachina.net/p/the-c... · Posted by u/Decabytes

Decabytes · 2 years ago

Linux and macOS only have 273 PowerShell cmdlets available to them. If the Windows scripts are using any of the ones that aren't available they won't work. If you stick to the "portable" cmdlets (the aformentioned 273) it is cross platform. I mention this in the article at the bottom. The amount of PowerShell cmdlets available across macOS and Linux have increased overtime, so it's definitely getting better.

dextersgenius · 2 years ago

The problem is, some of these missing cmdlets are pretty basic/essential (speaking as a sysadmin), so it's a bit ridiculous that they're still left out. I mean, sure, I could just call the native *nix binary, but then I'd lose out on the objects, which then defeats the whole point of PowerShell. Plus, I'd have to rewrite all my existing scripts/scriptlets/libraries, which kills the portability.

I could write wrappers around the native binaries, or build custom PSCustomObjects on the fly in the pipeline, but I don't want to waste my time doing this, when these cmdlets are all pretty standard on Windows, and we really shouldn't be expected to do Microsoft's work.

For instance, Test-NetConnection, Resolve-DnsName (and other net commands), Register-ScheduledJob (background jobs), Get-Partition (and other disk management stuff), I could go on, but these and a lot of essential cmdlets are missing.

More than that, my biggest issue is that a lot of my favorite modules and scripts that I've been using (from the PowerShell Gallery and other places) don't work, and many of my scripts have dependencies on them - which means I'd have to rewrite them all to make it work, and some of them may never have a hope working in Linux/macOS due to missing .NET libs/Windows APIs.

Basically, PowerShell on non-windows systems is not fun. It's neither here, nor there - ie neither does it provide all the functionally of Windows PowerShell, nor does it fit in like a proper *nix shell, and even then, it doesn't object-ify any popular *nix native binaries, so you lose out on all the object-oriented benefits, unless you spend time writing wrappers or constantly build PSCOs in the pipeline.

At the end of the day, if I've resolved myself to just parse all the text from *nix binaries, then I might as well work in a shell that is a first-class *nix citizen like fish or zsh, which is more suitable for that sort of workflow, instead of working in a confusing shell that's neither here nor there.

dextersgenius commented on Linux Foundation is sending takedowns to Redbubble for generic Unix terms bladerunner.social/@steve... · Posted by u/airhangerf15

dextersgenius · 2 years ago

*Allegedly. We do not know yet they that this is from the actual Linux Foundation, could be some patent troll looking for a quick buck, or maybe a rival seller getting pissy.

There are thousands of T-shirts with literal "Linux" written on them[1], with no relation to the Foundation, so it's extremely unlikely that this takedown is from them.

1. https://www.redbubble.com/shop/?iaCode=u-tees&query=linux

dextersgenius commented on A video game where you are an operating system plbrault.com/blog-posts/i... · Posted by u/drfreckles

dextersgenius · 2 years ago

You know what would be cool? A defragmentation game. It's basically Tetris but in a circular layout, and you get more points the better optimized it is - with frequently used data blocks towards the outer tracks and old/archive file types towards the inner tracks.

I always enjoyed watching graphical defragmenters do their magic back in the day and would unironically love to play a defragging game.

dextersgenius commented on Why don't more people use desktop Linux? I have a theory you might not like zdnet.com/article/why-don... · Posted by u/devonnull

johnnyworker · 2 years ago

Even OpenSUSE, my favorite which isn't even mentioned in the article, is far from there. Even if you just install the defaults, let a few months pass and boot into it again, there's 3 million updates with tons of conflicts, not always resolvable. Every. Single. Time.

3 years ago I tried out a bunch of the pre-installed(!) KDE themes, and one left me with black text on a black background. It took me so much googling and swearing to find out what file I had to change or delete (don't recall which it was) to get back to something usable.

A distro that is made to be resilient and simple, that has wizards for everything, sensible defaults and sturdy guardrails, to the point Linux pros would turn up their nose, is certainly technically possible. I think it's a matter of hundreds of groups doing their own thing and being unable to come together to make it, because they can never agree how to implement $thing, nevermind hundreds of $things. Everybody knows better and in the end all go home empty-handed, left to roll their eyes at lusers using Windows or Apple. At least from the outside, that how it seems to me.

Prove me wrong, please. I beg of you.

dextersgenius · 2 years ago

> A distro that is made to be resilient and simple, that has wizards for everything, sensible defaults and sturdy guardrails, to the point Linux pros would turn up their nose, is certainly technically possible

There are already distros like that - pretty much most immutable distros are aiming to be that way. Eg, SteamOS, or Fedora's Silverblue.

dextersgenius commented on Why don't more people use desktop Linux? I have a theory you might not like zdnet.com/article/why-don... · Posted by u/devonnull

dextersgenius · 2 years ago

> Why don't more people use desktop Linux?

It's because popular PC manufacturers don't bundle Linux (for the masses, so not counting developer machines). Your average Joe isn't going to care, or bother about installing an operating system on their device - they'll look at the brand, the looks of the device, and the price. They may not even know, what an "operating system" is in the first place.

The Steam Deck's popularity shows this, most people who bought the Deck bought it because it's a good handheld gaming device, and they don't care that it's running Linux (at least, prior to making the purchase decision).

Furthermore, the Steam Deck shows that Linux is accepted by the masses when it's marketed as a purpose-built device. Take Chromebooks for instance, which is basically a nerfed Linux - people still buy them in spite of all it's limitations.

Now imagine a big OEM marketing and championing a full-fledged distro, which is just as user friendly and secure as ChromeOS but allows you to do much more - with the right marketing, budget and polish, it could take off.

I really like what System76 is doing with their Pop_OS!, but unfortunately they're still just a niche brand, and without the right marketing and partnership, they will continue to remain a niche player. But imagine if they spent $$$ on marketing (including viral campaigns on new social media) and partnered up with the likes of Best Buy and Amazon etc to sell their PCs, they could really take off.

dextersgenius commented on Bordeaux should be a climate change red flag for the wine industry softwine.ai/bordeaux-the-... · Posted by u/mrodd805

dextersgenius · 2 years ago

Anyone else saw the title and thought that Bordeaux, the Wine front-end, made a comeback or something?

dextersgenius commented on Show HN: Carbonyl Terminal – A Windows/Linux/macOS Client for Carbonyl Browser github.com/niutech/carbon... · Posted by u/niutech

dextersgenius · 2 years ago

So how's this different from browsh?