[Octave-bug-tracker] [bug #45911] Installation on Windows

[Lloyd Wood]

URL:
  <http://savannah.gnu.org/bugs/?45911>

                 Summary: Installation on Windows
                 Project: GNU Octave
            Submitted by: lloydwood
            Submitted on: Thu 10 Sep 2015 04:12:20 GMT
                Category: Configuration and Build System
                Severity: 3 - Normal
                Priority: 5 - Normal
              Item Group: Installation Failure
                  Status: None
             Assigned to: None
         Originator Name: Lloyd Wood
        Originator Email: 
             Open/Closed: Open
         Discussion Lock: Any
                 Release: 4.0.0
        Operating System: Microsoft Windows

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Details:

As suggested by Mike in bug 45899, opening a bug for Windows installation
issues. These are likely long-term and low-priority, since anyone really
wanting to run Octave can live within these, but just noting for future
reference.

A Windows installer needs to:
- default to "Program\\ Files" or "Program\\ Files\ \(x86\)" directory, as
appropriate for 32 or 64-bit binaries, but also offer the choice to install
elsewhere if required (other drive, shared mount, etc.) The current fixed
location of C:\Octave does not match that. Supporting this _may_ require
improving handling Octave's handling of pathnames with spaces to e.g. escape
spaces and brackets; haven't checked. (That work may also be useful for odd
Mac OS X locations...)

Not supporting the above can be considered a bug from a Windows perspective;
the others can be considered wishlist.

- offer the choice of 32-bit or 64-bit installs on a 64-bit system. There are
good debugging reasons to occasionally want both...

- Offer the ability to remove, repair, or adjust the installation. Right now,
run the installer again after installing, and you'll be told to remove the
package yourself first, but not how. (Yes, Programs and Features removal is
supported, despite the unusual location.)

- Offer the ability to build-packages directly as a default checkbox (that
defaults to on?) in the installer, rather than issuing commands after the
installation has nominally completed.

- Checkbox (defaulting to on) to launch Octave on completion and throw up a
quick graphical demo of sombrero graph or similar. Helpful in showing off
capabilities to new users.





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