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NeoOffice :: View topic - Install Destination
Install Destination
 
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IndigoHomme
Blue Pill


Joined: Feb 11, 2008
Posts: 1

PostPosted: Mon Feb 11, 2008 8:28 pm    Post subject: Install Destination

I would like to see an option added to allow the user to choose a destination folder on a given volume.
Currently, if a volume other than the system volume is chosen NO creates an Application folder. If the Application folder is in the user's home folder, the NO pplication file must be copied to the user's Application folder.
Then when a new patch is applied, the app must be copied to the root Application folder as the installer will look no further than this folder, and, finding it does not contain a copy of NO will fail.
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pluby
The Architect
The Architect


Joined: Jun 16, 2003
Posts: 11949

PostPosted: Mon Feb 11, 2008 11:21 pm    Post subject: Re: Install Destination

IndigoHomme wrote:
If the Application folder is in the user's home folder, the NO pplication file must be copied to the user's Application folder.
Then when a new patch is applied, the app must be copied to the root Application folder as the installer will look no further than this folder, and, finding it does not contain a copy of NO will fail.


FYI. This is only true in a very uncommon case. Specifically, it only occurs if you move NeoOffice and never launch it. Once you launch it, NeoOffice will record the last location it was run from in your user preferences directory and the patch installer will find it.

Patrick
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RockBottom
Agent


Joined: Mar 30, 2008
Posts: 11

PostPosted: Sun Mar 30, 2008 12:59 am    Post subject:

Not true: the last time I applied a patch, it installed in /Applications, so I ended up with two programs, with the new one not being referenced by the existing aliases, including the one in the dock.

Attempting to move it to replace the former release failed: it looks like at least one of the bundle's files is permanently busy and cannot be moved.
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pluby
The Architect
The Architect


Joined: Jun 16, 2003
Posts: 11949

PostPosted: Sun Mar 30, 2008 9:40 am    Post subject:

RockBottom wrote:
Not true: the last time I applied a patch, it installed in /Applications, so I ended up with two programs, with the new one not being referenced by the existing aliases, including the one in the dock.


You clearly did not install a patch. Only a new release creates /Applications/NeoOffice.app. Patch installers will only find existing installations and overwrite some of the files in those installations.

RockBottom wrote:
Attempting to move it to replace the former release failed: it looks like at least one of the bundle's files is permanently busy and cannot be moved.


Yes. There is one font file and Mac OS X will not let you empty a deleted font file until the next reboot.

Patrick
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RockBottom
Agent


Joined: Mar 30, 2008
Posts: 11

PostPosted: Wed Apr 09, 2008 11:28 am    Post subject:

Okay: so how can it be installed somewhere else?

A major drawback when installing in the top applications folder is it has become cluttered with literally hundreds of programs, all in one directory: everybody wants to get installed there!
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pluby
The Architect
The Architect


Joined: Jun 16, 2003
Posts: 11949

PostPosted: Wed Apr 09, 2008 11:56 am    Post subject:

RockBottom wrote:
Okay: so how can it be installed somewhere else?

A major drawback when installing in the top applications folder is it has become cluttered with literally hundreds of programs, all in one directory: everybody wants to get installed there!


Just install it normally. Then, after installation, move the NeoOffice installation from the /Applications folder to any other folder. After you run NeoOffice from its new location once, the language pack and patch installers should find it without a problem.

Patrick
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RockBottom
Agent


Joined: Mar 30, 2008
Posts: 11

PostPosted: Thu Apr 10, 2008 12:12 am    Post subject:

That what I'd intuitively do, but as you quoted me before
Quote:
attempting to move it failed: it looks like at least one of the bundle's files is permanently busy and cannot be moved.

Moreover, the application and all of its files are owned by root. Even when using my administrator cap, I'm told I haven't got sufficient rights to move the files. I've also tried to change the owner of the files throughout: I'm still denied the right to move [or even copy] some of the files, and the whole operation will fail with error number -5000 anyway.

There's still one thing that will work: it's copying the whole bundle with a shell ditto command... although I'm not sure what actually happens to the 39 symbolic links, and whether the original can be safely deleted after copying.

Ah, wouldn't it be simpler if we could select the destination at install time?
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pluby
The Architect
The Architect


Joined: Jun 16, 2003
Posts: 11949

PostPosted: Thu Apr 10, 2008 7:43 am    Post subject:

RockBottom wrote:
That what I'd intuitively do, but as you quoted me before
Quote:
attempting to move it failed: it looks like at least one of the bundle's files is permanently busy and cannot be moved.

Moreover, the application and all of its files are owned by root. Even when using my administrator cap, I'm told I haven't got sufficient rights to move the files. I've also tried to change the owner of the files throughout: I'm still denied the right to move [or even copy] some of the files, and the whole operation will fail with error number -5000 anyway.


Something appears to be very non-standard on your machine as moving it on all my machines yields no errror. The only requirement is that your user be an administrative user. While the files are owned by root, NeoOffice.app has group write privileges so that admin users can move or delete it.

If you are logged in as an admin user and this is not working, then you might want run a "repair disk permissions" in the /Application/Utilities/Disk Utility application.

Patrick
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RockBottom
Agent


Joined: Mar 30, 2008
Posts: 11

PostPosted: Thu Apr 10, 2008 8:43 pm    Post subject:

Something appears to be very non-standard on your machine...

Yes, probably: it's a new iMac I purchased recently.

The only requirement is that your user be an administrative user...

Never mind: I used the ditto command and the symlinks are alright.

But, I insist it would be simpler if we could select the destination at install time.
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ovvldc
Captain Naiobi


Joined: Sep 13, 2004
Posts: 2352
Location: Zürich, CH

PostPosted: Thu Apr 10, 2008 11:48 pm    Post subject:

No need to get cynical here. People are trying to help.

-Oscar

_________________
"What do you think of Western Civilization?"
"I think it would be a good idea!"
- Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi
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RockBottom
Agent


Joined: Mar 30, 2008
Posts: 11

PostPosted: Sat Apr 12, 2008 9:32 am    Post subject:

No cynicism here — at least not in the sense of contempt.

Just plain practical observation: it might help someone out there to know that the ditto command does the job.

Until we're offered a chance to select the location at install time, that is.
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OPENSTEP
The One
The One


Joined: May 25, 2003
Posts: 4752
Location: Santa Barbara, CA

PostPosted: Sat Apr 12, 2008 2:23 pm    Post subject:

Again, same applies for using ditto that there may need to be some care taken with multiple user account systems. Moving with the finder works if the user logged in has superuser access; while ditto does preserve symlinks I don't know if it preserves owner permissions properly (a la sudo tar cfp - | tar xvfp - -C /dest/dir).

ed
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RockBottom
Agent


Joined: Mar 30, 2008
Posts: 11

PostPosted: Sun Apr 13, 2008 9:17 am    Post subject:

Obviously, ditto wouldn't be called ditto id it didn't copy everything ditto.

No sarcasm, no cynicism intended...
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rpatrick
Councilperson


Joined: Aug 29, 2007
Posts: 108

PostPosted: Sun Apr 13, 2008 10:31 am    Post subject:

No, just rudeness/showing off etc, that's all you intended. Much better...

^ Yes, I was mimicking your childishness... Just accept or reject help without the rudeness next time please.
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pluby
The Architect
The Architect


Joined: Jun 16, 2003
Posts: 11949

PostPosted: Sun Apr 13, 2008 7:41 pm    Post subject:

RockBottom wrote:
Just plain practical observation: it might help someone out there to know that the ditto command does the job.


Note that there are two problems with using the ditto command:

1. ditto will change ownership of the files if you do not run ditto as root or using sudo. This can have very bad consequences so if any crashing shows up after using a ditto'd copy, you may need to revert to the original installation.

2. NeoOffice patch and language pack installers will not find your ditto'd copy until after you run your ditto'd copy at least once.

RockBottom wrote:
Until we're offered a chance to select the location at install time, that is.


That is not going to happen anytime soon as it would require rewriting the patch and language pack installers. That is a lot of work and based on the number of bugs we had to fix over the last 5 years to get the existing patch and language pack installers to work, rewriting that code would be very risky.

So, my recommendation is that if you cannot move an installation after installing (I still don't understand why this won't work in your environment) and you are comfortable with the command line, is to create an empty NeoOffice.app directory in the location that you want the installation to reside, chmod it 775, chown it root:admin, create a /Application/NeoOffice.app softlink to that directory, and then run the NeoOffice 2.2.3 installer.

After installation, you can delete the softlink. Run NeoOffice once, and you should be able to install patches and language packs.

Edit: on second thought, the softlink approach is probably overkill. Instead, a simpler approach that won't corrupt the installation would be to install in /Applications/NeoOffice.app, and then do a "sudo mv" to move the installation. Using the mv command should preserve permissions and, as a plus, the Mac OS X font manager won't get confused (copying or overwriting fonts really causes some problems with fonts until the next reboot).

Patrick
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