🚀 go-pugleaf

Wait a minute!  I really like the s:Startup-Assigns idea but maybe
we're going about this the wrong way.

We need a way to allow software to be executed from any location while
it's current working directory is another place and it has to be able
to access aux. files in yet some other place.  The only other
requirement that I can think of is the need to be able to install
 .devices and .libraries and -handlers.  In other words, let's define
what needs to be done then design a solution.  Startup-Assigns is nice
but isn't their more to life than ASSIGNs?  ASSIGNs need to be changed
when things get moved and if a person multitasks a program one
S:Startup-Assign can't do all the ASSIGN MYAPP: ""'s required, can it?

Why can't someone that has solved the above problems post their code,
C-A can endorse it, and everyone can use it. :-)

If I was a new user, I think the most obvious thing to want to do is
to run the application from whereever I copy it.  If the docs said
that a certain file Drawer had to be in the same directory I would be
happy copying it along.  Aux. files could go in that subdirectory
(called AppFiles for example).

Now it's easy to find aux files; they're in the directory the program
came from plus a directory (where_they_came_from/BringMeAlong/*).
Maybe .devices and -handlers can go there too and be launched from
there also?  (or is that real difficult?).  Does C-A specify a
"proper" way to do things like that?  Maybe they should :-).  If they
aren't there the app can check for DEVS: or L:.  Now the experienced
users can copy the .devices, etc to the DEVS: directory, etc.

Now the only problem is how to the projects find their tools.
TOOLS=ToolName:ToolNameProgram is the common way to do this.  Maybe
the first time an application is run it should check for an ASSIGN
called ToolName: and if it doesn't exist it or if it is wrong the
application can add it to S:System-Assigns.  Now, when a user
moves/installs an application they just have to run it once without a
project to have it autoinstall.

Is there something inherently wrong with this?  It sounds good to me.
(famous last words!)

The other method that I thought of was to not re-invent the wheel and
find out what Mac users do.  I've never heard of this kind of
discussion with Mac users.  (and if their OS does something "extra" to
help out maybe this could be in 1.4?) :-)

-Tom
-- 
   Tom Limoncelli   Drew University    Madison NJ    201-408-5389
       tlimonce@drunivac.Bitnet          limonce@pilot.njin.net
 "Fences make good neighbors" -Frost       "I want an MMU" -Me
    Standard disclaimer?  No, we're still on the dpANS disclaimer.