Am 23.03.2014 um 02:28 schrieb Uwe Stöhr <uwesto...@web.de>: > Am 22.03.2014 15:19, schrieb Stephan Witt: > >> This must be some misunderstanding. We are talking about user preferences. >> The preferences of your colleague are living in a complete "parallel >> universe". >> You shouldn't have any access to them. Nobody said the administrator should >> copy any user preferences for any user. > > What happens if the admin account starts LyX and LyX fnd the preferences of > user A and user B?
The admin has it's own preferences or none. >>> Assuring this is impossible at installation time and during the first start >>> of LyX too. How should LyX know if an existing preference is a working one >>> and the one used by the current user for LyX 2.0.x? >>> For example at work I use a network drive that is mapped so that I can grab >>> the LyX settings I need at any time from there. >>> What is with the cases that LyX 2.0.x was once installed and later on >>> removed but the preferences were not deleted? >> >> Then the preferences will be copied. Why not? > > I already explained that this can lead to a LyX that is not working. You > assume a certain usage of LyX that is not always the case. What is the number > one text engine? - MS Windows. So people are using LyX only for certain > documents like a thesis, a scientific paper, a scientific report etc. So even > at the university I often had the case that users don't use LyX for months. > However the only important thing is that LyX is uninstalled meanwhile by some > users (unimportant why). By default LyX is then removed but the preferences > are left on the PC. (This is the default uninstaller setting which was the > result of a discussion long time ago on the lyx-users list.) OK, now the user > wants to use LyX again because he remembered it or because he heard that > there is a new version with new features hew might like t try out. If you > then use the old preferences file you will destroy the new one built by the > installer. So e.g. you will replace LyX's PATH_prefix with some outdated/no > longer existing paths stored in the old preferences file. It's correct to leave user preferences intact on software uninstall. If a change in utility software installation is a common scenario the user should be able to solve it by LyX's "Reconfigure", IMHO. I don't like the "Uninstall and reinstall" mantra. >>> OK, and where do you look? On network drives as well as on the local disk. >>> When something is found how do you assure that this preferences file is a >>> working one (does not contain paths that no longer exists)? >> >> LyX's configure run is started in the directory where LyX expects the user >> preferences. >> This location depends on the user and the version suffix (on Mac and >> Windows). >> For a given user it's easy to enumerate the different possible version >> suffixes and look >> for the previous user preferences. It doesn't matter if it is on a network >> drive or not. > > I cannot say that will definitely make problems but my feeling is that this > would fail in some cases. > >> A user doing the upgrade from e.g. LyX 2.0.6 to 2.0.7 has it's preferences >> for 2.0.6 >> and the upgraded LyX 2.0.7 uses them without any discussion. > > I never liked that behavior but the consensus was to act this way. The > problem is also here the time. E.g. a users worked the last time with LyX > 2.0.2 then he did not use it for a year and uninstalled it. Now he installs > LyX 2.0.7 but will get the preferences from hos old 2.0.3. -> error prone > because e.g. Python might once have been on a network drive which does no > longer exists. There is no relationship between the change of system software like python and the LyX upgrade process. If the given scenario regarding path settings is a problem it should be fixed anyway (and Benjamin did it already, BTW). If it is a problem LyX's solution shouldn't depend on a reinstallation. > > If the user has problems > > and someone is unsure if the preferences are the problem the usual advice > > is: "Move your > > preferences to another place and see if your problem is solved." > > Come on. Do you really expect an average user to know where the preferences > are stored, that they are a text file, how he can move and copy it etc.? > I repeat myself, the vast majority expect things just to work without knowing > the details in the background. If a program does not work just after the > installation, it will not be used. Only very few take the time to report back > and try to fix the problem. You're giving an example for a fresh installation. But we're talking about upgrading. > I gave LyX curses and when the LyX did not run immediately on a PC I could > talk whatever I want that user did not use LyX afterwards, even if I was able > to fix the problem quickly. > To be honest, I act the same. E.g. there is now a Windows version of the > Photoshop competitor "Krita" available: http://krita.org/ > I gave it a try but there was a configuration problem at the first start so > that I could not change the size of the main window - I uninstalled the > program and still use Gimp. Maybe it was a simple problem that can be fixed > easily or the problem is fixed in the next minor release but I just want > something that works and don't have the time to fiddle around. Thus I will > give Krita another try in a few month, perhaps. > >> Why should the upgrade from 2.0.7 to 2.1.0 act differently? > > Why should the user doing the > > upgrade from 2.0.7 to 2.1.0 start with a new configuration? > > See my various maill in this thread. To start with a clean LyX and to assure > that LyX is working in every case. You'll have the chance to start with a "clean LyX" every 2-5 years then. I cannot see how this can assure that LyX is working in every case. >> Do you remember all your LyX >> settings and do you want to replay all the changes? > > Sure. I open an existing document and make its setting the default. Maybe I > change the menu language and that's it. Everything else is done by the > installer (converter for LilyPond, InkScape etc.). > I don't the see the inconvenience. Do we ever received a complain about this > in the past? I cannot remember any. I can see the inconvenience. I don't know if there were complaints. I don't want you to put any line of code to copy user preferences into the Windows installer. I never spoke of installer code. If you think the current work flow on Windows is fine it's fine with me too. Stephan
