Re: The Denis Prize

"Niall Litchfield" <n-litchfield_at_audit-commission.gov.uk> wrote in news:40222b84$0$7063$ed9e5944_at_reading.news.pipex.net:

> Program Files is a default location, rather than a mandatory one. It
> may on occasion be suitable to change it, I'd suggest that where a
> machine is a database server placing the software in a nice simple
> location on a different drive to the OS is sensible.

Of course, using Program Files shouldn't be mandatory, but it should be possible. Which, in the case of Oracle, it isn't. (It'll install right away but fail at some later time with something like "path too long".)

Also, Program Files isn't for the operating system (which is in \windows or similar) but for applications. If a machine is a DB server, and Oracle is the only software installed on it apart from the OS, putting the DB software in Program Files (being just about the only thing there) seems just as sensible to me. Data files should of course go elsewhere.

> I also find it
> somewhat amusing that the idea of the "program files" directory
> structure was to separate software and data (which is good) and MSSQL
> promptly decides that this location should be used for software, data
> and backups.

Using Program Files properly seems to be too difficult for the average Windows programmer anyway. You can see that on a localized Windows version where it isn't named "Program Files" but some localized version thereof; however, many applications (including big popular ones like McAfee) still insist on creating the English "Program Files" like there was no environment variable or whatever to query for the proper location.

> You should also bear in mind that the Universal installer is, as the
> name somewhat suggests, not a windows program, but a program that will
> also run on windows if you see what I mean.

I was told by Oracle people that Windows was one of Oracle's primary development platforms. If so, they should be able to use that OS's defaults and conventions properly. Anyway, OUI runs on Windows, so it's - by definition - a Windows program, so it should behave like one - regardless whether it was written in Visual C++, Java or whatever.

Regards
W. Roesler Received on Mon Feb 09 2004 - 10:05:35 CST