Re: Octave 3.6.1 mingw for windows - updated

[Jordi Gutiérrez Hermoso]

On 5 April 2012 10:59, Lukas Reichlin <address@hidden> wrote:
>
> On 05.04.2012, at 15:34, Jordi Gutiérrez Hermoso wrote:
>
>> 2012/4/5 Sébastien Villemot <address@hidden>:
>>> During the installation it is possible to only install Octave without
>>> the Octave-Forge packages (by unclicking a checkbox).
>>
>> People are basically illiterate. They don't care what they're
>> installing or why. They just want "everything". They need a little
>> guidance here.
>>
>>> From my point of view, if the user installs the Octave-Forge packages,
>>> he expects them to be autoloaded. At least this is the policy that we
>>> adopted in the Debian Octave Group.
>>
>> Debian users have a habit to pay attention to what they're installing
>> and will complain loudly if packages they don't recognise are being
>> installed. Windows users have the habit of
>> "next->next->I-agree->next->next->done".
>>
>> - Jordi G. H.
>
> Jordi, I don't quite get it. Why do you want users to type "pkg
> load" every time if they chose to install the packages?

No, they can add it to their .octaverc. I think it's important for
another reason: educate user that some functions are in packages and
some are in core. And also, to educate users that there is such a
thing as an .octaverc, in which they can add their customisations.

If Windows had a nicer packaging infrastructure, it would be nice if
you could say "pkg install package" and the package would install
forever. Sadly, it doesn't, and "pkg install" is essentially useless
in Windows, so I think "pkg load" (and perhaps patching pkg load to
add that command to .octaverc?) is the next best thing.

> And you don't have to load matlab toolboxes either.

No, but you have to buy them. It's not unusual for people to write
Matlab scripts without using certain functions from some toolbox
because they want to make sure their users can use them regardless of
which Matlab toolboxes they may have installed.

I think in this case, trying to make things too convenient for users
doesn't expose them to the intricacies of the underlying problems, so
they end up with other problems, such as for example, reporting OF
problems to the wrong place, or being unaware of the relative quality
and standards of core Octave and its packages.

- Jordi G. H.