ActiveSync's approach to installing SW

I am using a product which is expected to install 6 components
(.NET, SQL CE, etc) on PDA. The PDA is connected to a laptop
with XP Pro. The product supplier claims that all he does is
send a list of 6 .CAB files to activesync via InstallShield.

The installation then displays the following verbiage :
Select a program's check box if you want to install it on
your mobile device or clear the checkbox if you want to
remove it from your device.


I find this language and this approach bizarre. In fact
I believe my product supplier does not know how his technical
team developed the product and is passing off the language
above as 'ActiveSync's choice' over which he has no control.
If I have 4 components already installed on PDA and want to
install only 2 more components, and so I check only those 2,
why should ActiveSync 'remove other 4 unchecked items'.

Instead of just one dialog box for Add + Remove, I would
prefer two different dialog boxes for the two operations.
The Add box should install checked components. The Remove
dialog-box should remove items whose checkbox is selected.

Please advise. I am especially curious to know from where
the verbiage I have quoted above comes, and I would like
to change it if possible.

Add Components Box would say : Check Components you want
to install. It would ignore unchecked items.
Remove Components Box would say : Check Components you want
to uninstall. It would ignore unchecked items.

-------------

Joint_Sense
Tue Jan 25 21:39:12 CST 2005

The "Add/Program Programs" windows specifically says

"Select a program's check box if you want to install it on your mobile
device, or clear the check box if you want to remove the program from your
device."

Checked=Install (or keep current installation)
Uncheck=Remove

It may not be as precise as it should be but it is intuitive enough.

--
Email: developer@jointsense.com.hk
Homepage: http://www.jointsense.com.hk/
GMT: +8

<dn_perl@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:1106693105.366103.166540@f14g2000cwb.googlegroups.com...
>
> I am using a product which is expected to install 6 components
> (.NET, SQL CE, etc) on PDA. The PDA is connected to a laptop
> with XP Pro. The product supplier claims that all he does is
> send a list of 6 .CAB files to activesync via InstallShield.
>
> The installation then displays the following verbiage :
> Select a program's check box if you want to install it on
> your mobile device or clear the checkbox if you want to
> remove it from your device.
>
>
> I find this language and this approach bizarre. In fact
> I believe my product supplier does not know how his technical
> team developed the product and is passing off the language
> above as 'ActiveSync's choice' over which he has no control.
> If I have 4 components already installed on PDA and want to
> install only 2 more components, and so I check only those 2,
> why should ActiveSync 'remove other 4 unchecked items'.
>
> Instead of just one dialog box for Add + Remove, I would
> prefer two different dialog boxes for the two operations.
> The Add box should install checked components. The Remove
> dialog-box should remove items whose checkbox is selected.
>
> Please advise. I am especially curious to know from where
> the verbiage I have quoted above comes, and I would like
> to change it if possible.
>
> Add Components Box would say : Check Components you want
> to install. It would ignore unchecked items.
> Remove Components Box would say : Check Components you want
> to uninstall. It would ignore unchecked items.
>
> -------------
>

dn_perl
Wed Jan 26 00:54:25 CST 2005


Joint_Sense wrote:
> The "Add/Program Programs" windows specifically says
>
> "Select a program's check box if you want to install it on your
mobile
> device, or clear the check box if you want to remove the program from
your
> device."
>
> Checked=Install (or keep current installation)
> Uncheck=Remove
>
> It may not be as precise as it should be but it is intuitive enough.
>

I don't think it should remove unchecked components at all.
Let us say out of 6 components, I want to install # 1 and 2
today, #s 3 and 4 tomorrow and #5 and 6 the day-after.
Today I check 1 and 2 and install them. Next day, if I check
#s 3 and 4, it should just install them and not uninstall
1 and 2 which I would leave unchecked. The point is : I may not
know how many items are already installed. I just know I want
to install #s 3 and 4. Those already installed should be left
untouched. Even if I know that #s 1 and 2 are already installed,
why should the installation force me to reinstall them?
I find the flow of logic messy.

When, say, we install device driver for sound on Windows 98
or XP, it doesn't uninstall other drivers while installing
driver for sound.

ActiveSync either forces to install or re-install or it
uninstalls a listed item. There is no such thing as ignoring
an item which I may wish to ignore. It is just a poor way of
approaching things. Or the wording is terrible and ActiveSync
does not uninstall already installed components whose checkbox
is left unchecked. But I think ActiveSync does try to mess
around with installed components whose checkbox is not clicked.
----------

r_z_aret
Wed Jan 26 14:21:26 CST 2005

I replied to your virtually identical post in comp.sys.handhelds. I
assume you meant to post to all three newsgroups at once, but slipped.
I'll add a small note here (below).

On 25 Jan 2005 22:54:25 -0800, "dn_perl@hotmail.com"
<dn_perl@hotmail.com> wrote:

clip

>
>ActiveSync either forces to install or re-install or it
>uninstalls a listed item. There is no such thing as ignoring
>an item which I may wish to ignore. It is just a poor way of

When I use the menu on the ActiveSync dialog to invoke the Add/Remove
tool, it automatically places a check next to the name of each program
that is already installed. If I leave those check marks, the
Add/Remove tool does nothing with the corresponding programs. When my
installation utility invokes the Add/Remove tool and my program is
already installed, the Add/Remove program warns the user and asks
whether to install over the previous installation.

>approaching things. Or the wording is terrible and ActiveSync
>does not uninstall already installed components whose checkbox
>is left unchecked. But I think ActiveSync does try to mess
>around with installed components whose checkbox is not clicked.

I'm pretty sure a check box will be checked for an installed program,
unless the user unchecked it. If the user unchecks a check box, the
Add/Remove tool will uninstall. That _is_ a bit subtle. I _think_ the
Add/Remove tool asks for confirmation. I'm quite sure that dismissing
the Add/Remove dialog before pressing the "Install" button (almost
certainly has another label, but my meaning should be clear anyway)
will cancel _all_ pending actions.

>----------

-----------------------------------------
To reply to me, remove the underscores (_) from my email address (and please indicate which newsgroup and message).

Robert E. Zaret, eMVP
PenFact, Inc.
500 Harrison Ave., Suite 3R
Boston, MA 02118
www.penfact.com

dn_perl
Fri Feb 04 09:36:49 CST 2005


r_z_aret@pen_fact.com wrote:
>
> I'm pretty sure a check box will be checked for an installed program,
> unless the user unchecked it. If the user unchecks a check box, the
> Add/Remove tool will uninstall. That _is_ a bit subtle. I _think_ the
> Add/Remove tool asks for confirmation. I'm quite sure that dismissing
> the Add/Remove dialog before pressing the "Install" button (almost
> certainly has another label, but my meaning should be clear anyway)
> will cancel _all_ pending actions.
>

Thank you very much for the help.

As you have stated on comp.sys.handhelds, CeAppMgr displays a list
of all software available for installation or already on the attached
device. Software already installed on the handheld is checked.
Let us say, I click 2 more components at this point to be installed.

The problem is that the installer scans the attached device for the
software already present all over again and keeps prompting whether
I want to reinstall it. I would just like it to install newly checked
components. I am also willing to live with it if the installer
uninstalls any items which were present but were unchecked by me.
But if the installer shows 3-4 components as installed when it
(installer)
gets started and I leave them checked, then I would rather prefer the
installer to ignore those components altogether. How can this be
achieved?


You had written : "I can use some command-line arguments to control the

chattiness (number of dialogs)." I think this approach may make it
possible to have CeAppMgr to behave the way I would like it to.
Is the use of command-line arguments documented in man/help pages
anywhere?


I use InstallShield, by the way.

------------

r_z_aret
Fri Feb 04 10:45:42 CST 2005

On 4 Feb 2005 07:36:49 -0800, "dn_perl@hotmail.com"
<dn_perl@hotmail.com> wrote:

>
>r_z_aret@pen_fact.com wrote:
>>

clip


>
>
>You had written : "I can use some command-line arguments to control the
>
>chattiness (number of dialogs)." I think this approach may make it
>possible to have CeAppMgr to behave the way I would like it to.
>Is the use of command-line arguments documented in man/help pages
>anywhere?

Not that I know about. The few lists I've seen are very short, so I
don't think you'll have much luck.

>
>
>I use InstallShield, by the way.

I use InstallShield for "big" Windows. Sometimes I really like the way
it hides details. Sometimes I really hate it.

I only briefly tried InstallShield for Windows CE. It may well be
bypassing CeAppMgr completely. Given your descriptions (in earlier
posts) of some of the dialogs you see, I suspect they do.

>
>------------

-----------------------------------------
To reply to me, remove the underscores (_) from my email address (and please indicate which newsgroup and message).

Robert E. Zaret, eMVP
PenFact, Inc.
500 Harrison Ave., Suite 3R
Boston, MA 02118
www.penfact.com