From the horse's mouth:
Hi Daniel
I don't know why this problem cropped up; naturally the FindGlyph program does not itself muck about with people's operating systems: it's really just a little script bundled up with some MS Visual Basic runtime libraries, and the installation program is all Microsoft's. I ran the installer myself just now (on Win2k) and I noticed that it suggested I shut down other applications in case it had to "install system files" or "update shared files". This is an entirely generic message built into Visual Basic's installer program. Your colleague's report is a bit thin on actual details, so I don't know, but this may be what they're referring to? If so, it is actually quite normal for VB programs to depend on several runtime DLL libraries which are often, but not always, already installed on users' computers. Typically the installer program will pop up a dialog box when there is an existing version file, and offer the user the option to keep their existing file, or replace it with the newer version.
HTH
Con
I did get the same warning about shutting down other applications when I installed, but like Con, didn't see anything unusual.
Unfortunately, that's all the details there are. I got the dialog box and it said as I reported. It specifically said that I had files missing from my OS, which seems very unlikely -- more likely is that it expected to find XP, which I don't use. As soon as I saw the dialog box, I got rid of everything. I wish I could be more help, but you can bet I'm not going to try it again.....
Your colleague's report is a bit thin on actual details
Yes, this is the sort of message I got when I tried to install it a year or so ago. Alas, I still have Win98 at work; no one will buy me XP or a machine able to run it; and I didn't know how to get the missing DLL. Not the programmer's fault, but the fault of my stingy university.
Peter
Norman Hinton wrote:
Digital Medievalist Journal (Inaugural Issue Fall 2004). Call for papers: http://www.digitalmedievalist.org/cfp.htm
Unfortunately, that's all the details there are. I got the dialog box and it said as I reported. It specifically said that I had files missing from my OS, which seems very unlikely -- more likely is that it expected to find XP, which I don't use. As soon as I saw the dialog box, I got rid of everything. I wish I could be more help, but you can bet I'm not going to try it again.....
Your colleague's report is a bit thin on actual details
Project web site: http://www.digitalmedievalist.org/ dm-l mailing list dm-l@uleth.ca http://listserv.uleth.ca/mailman/listinfo/dm-l
A rather long post, which I hope will put to rest some fears...
In my recent past as a professional programmer, I wrote several installer scripts of the type being discussed here. What the "Find Glyph" installer is doing is entirely normal practice; in fact, it is more polite than many in warning you that it is going to install "system" files. Most major software packages (virtually everything from Microsoft, for example) install numerous "system" files without your knowledge. These are normally "Dynamic Link Library" (DLL) files, which are standard libraries of routines used by several programs. If a DLL file required by the program you are installing is not already on your computer, the installer script will put it there for you, since the program won't run without it. The presence or absence of the DLL file is not necessarily related to what version of Windows you have; you could have the most recent version and still be missing DLL files required by some programs.
DLL files are not always "operating system" files (most, in fact, are not), and installing one that is not yet on your computer is not "modifying the operating system." A new DLL file will not harm your system. However, problems can arise when a badly-written installer script replaces a DLL that already exists on your system (there are rules about when an installer script is allowed to do this, but sloppy programmers ignore rules). In this case you could end up with an older version of the file, or a version not intended for your configuration; if this happens, the new program may run just fine, but all the other programs that depended on the replaced DLL file may no longer work. (This problem is known to Windows programmers as "DLL Hell".)
You should never install a program obtained from a source you do not trust. If you trust the source, or others you trust verify the integrity of the program, you can install it without worry. You should, of course, scan every downloaded file for viruses.
I have examined the files that "Find Glyph" installs; they are all standard Microsoft files required by programs created with Microsoft Visual Basic. If they are not already on your system, it is only because you have not previously installed this type of program. In my opinion, it is safe to install Find Glyph.
I would be willing to examine other "suspect" programs and report to the list. Perhaps we could create a set of links to "verified" programs that are of use to digital medievalists.
David
David Badke
David Badke wrote:
I would be willing to examine other "suspect" programs and report to the list. Perhaps we could create a set of links to "verified" programs that are of use to digital medievalists.
What a great idea. It may also create software as gaps open up. That's what Conal did with Find Glyph: he knocked together a utility for me when nobody on TEI-L could think of one. We have couple of final bugs to squash in our web site and then it will be up. This seems to me an initiative that might work well in a wiki or rss server. -dan
David
David Badke
http://badke.ca http://bestiary.ca
Project web site: http://www.digitalmedievalist.org/ dm-l mailing list dm-l@uleth.ca http://listserv.uleth.ca/mailman/listinfo/dm-l
It could be it is written for XP. Conal wrote it when I asked on TEI-L (I think) about 18 months ago if anybody knew of something for going through fonts looking for unicode code points. He knew I had XP and we did the testing on my (and I assume his) XP machine. Months not years and I dump the whole thing for Linux. -dan
Peter Baker wrote:
Digital Medievalist Journal (Inaugural Issue Fall 2004). Call for papers: http://www.digitalmedievalist.org/cfp.htm
Yes, this is the sort of message I got when I tried to install it a year or so ago. Alas, I still have Win98 at work; no one will buy me XP or a machine able to run it; and I didn't know how to get the missing DLL. Not the programmer's fault, but the fault of my stingy university.
Peter
Norman Hinton wrote:
Digital Medievalist Journal (Inaugural Issue Fall 2004). Call for papers: http://www.digitalmedievalist.org/cfp.htm
Unfortunately, that's all the details there are. I got the dialog box and it said as I reported. It specifically said that I had files missing from my OS, which seems very unlikely -- more likely is that it expected to find XP, which I don't use. As soon as I saw the dialog box, I got rid of everything. I wish I could be more help, but you can bet I'm not going to try it again.....
Your colleague's report is a bit thin on actual details
Project web site: http://www.digitalmedievalist.org/ dm-l mailing list dm-l@uleth.ca http://listserv.uleth.ca/mailman/listinfo/dm-l
Project web site: http://www.digitalmedievalist.org/ dm-l mailing list dm-l@uleth.ca http://listserv.uleth.ca/mailman/listinfo/dm-l
Hey, I had to use an AT for years at school because the U said "you already have a PC" while they were buying new ones for other folks. They also said "Well, at least you aren't stuck with an XT...."
Yes, this is the sort of message I got when I tried to install it a
year or so ago. Alas, I still have Win98 at work; no one will buy me XP or a machine able to run it; and I didn't know how to get the missing DLL. Not the programmer's fault, but the fault of my stingy university.
.
*Sigh* University administrators are the same everywhere. Another six month of torture via Win98 and I'll probably end up buying my own office computer. Maybe that one will run Find Glyph: or I'll put Linux on it.
Peter
Norman Hinton wrote:
Digital Medievalist Journal (Inaugural Issue Fall 2004). Call for papers: http://www.digitalmedievalist.org/cfp.htm
Hey, I had to use an AT for years at school because the U said "you already have a PC" while they were buying new ones for other folks. They also said "Well, at least you aren't stuck with an XT...."
Yes, this is the sort of message I got when I tried to install it a
year or so ago. Alas, I still have Win98 at work; no one will buy me XP or a machine able to run it; and I didn't know how to get the missing DLL. Not the programmer's fault, but the fault of my stingy university.
.
Project web site: http://www.digitalmedievalist.org/ dm-l mailing list dm-l@uleth.ca http://listserv.uleth.ca/mailman/listinfo/dm-l
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Daniel O'Donnell -
David Badke -
Norman Hinton -
Peter Baker