Subject:
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Re: All Encompassing Installer Not Available on Ldraw?
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Newsgroups:
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lugnet.cad
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Date:
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Thu, 14 Aug 2003 01:46:40 GMT
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Viewed:
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424 times
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In lugnet.cad, Richard Marchetti wrote:
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In lugnet.cad, Orion Pobursky wrote:
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One reason I can think of is that LDraw.org isn’t the maintainer of all the
programs that use LDraw files. There are also legal issues in that we don’t
have the rights to distrbute some of the programs.
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Gee, what a drag. I guess people shouldn’t go to:
http://www.ozbricks.com/jediagh/a_ldraw/ldraw_installer/ldraw_installer_ver_bw03.htm
and download the “all-in-one” installer.
That would be bad. Very Bad. Don’t do it!
We see all.
-- Hop-Frog
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All,
Let me give you a brief history of the ALL ENCOMPASSING installer (AEI) that we
have and what some of the issues about why it is NOT on ldraw.org (YET!).
In late 200 (*I think*) I took over the LDraw.org help desk from Tim. At the
time I had 2 priorities: creating an AEI and putting tutorials on the ldraw.org
webiste.
The tutorials turned out to be very easy, but the installer was a no-no at the
beginning. There were too many software developers to ask permission to inlcude
their software in the AEI and the issue of which applications to allow the user
to install.
Being new to LDraw.org I did not want to work the boat (cause I already was a
lot!) So I personally emailed each software developed of whom I liked their
applications and asked if I (Ahui Herrera) could include their application in an
AEI. Most agreed and in the end I the first AEI. It was posted on my personal
website (at the time on geocities.com).
During the coruse of the next 6-9 months, I would have to constanly update the
installer and new applciation versions came up. Then Brickswest 2002 showed up
and I had the first chance to try to get LDraw.org to all me to use the
foundation of the 1st AEI and give it to the attendes at BW02.
Once I got the approval from LDraw.org, I then had to re-ask the software
developers for each application and also began to open it up to the not so know
ldraw applications out there as well. (LEGO library, BMP2LDraw, etc..) Everyone
agreed and the 1st “offically blessed” LDraw.org installer was given to BW02
guest. Part of the condition from some of the software developers was to place a
README.TXT file in the installation that would inform used that “a more
up-to-date version of MLCAD, L3PAO, L3P, etc...) may be found at (each webiste).
For BW03, I had more confidence that I (acting on behave of LDraw.org) could
“approve” an LDraw.org installer without having to ger “permission” from others
at LDraw.org. (Remember that I had only been with LDraw for a short time and
was still learning the ropes so I didn’t do anything with the help desk unless I
firsted okayed it.)
With the BW03 AEI I envisioned it being both on a CD-ROM for the guest and also
made avaiable on BricksWest and LDraw.org websites. The current format we have
now at
http://www.ozbricks.com/jediagh/aldraw/ldrawinstaller/ldrawinstallerverbw0
3.htm
is the result of all my hard work. At the end of the webpage you will notice
the disclaimer that some of the applications on the AEI are out of dates and
that newer apps can be found (see link). I did this so that the software
developers would be happy that the end user indeed does have the latest and
greatest.
The BW03 AEI actually was release to both guest at the conference and the
GENERAL PUBLIC at LEGOLAND during the weekend. So it became the 1st OFFICAL
LDRAW AEI!
The next AEI is tenative slated to be release during the next West Coast
Conference next year.
Okay enough history now for some reasons why the current AEI is NOT on the
ldraw.org website.
1) You may have noticed that the ldraw.org website has not seen many updates
recenlty. Why? There is currenlty a major redevelopment of the website going
on and most resources and personnel (not the help desk yet) are working on that.
Since I don’t have access to updating the current site I can not load it up
there.
2) The 1st AEI was my work and the sofware developers gave me (not ldraw.org)
permission to group their applications. The 2nd AEI was still my work but I was
doing it for LDraw.org and since I already have “connections” with the software
developers I got most of the okays with some coniditons. So neither of these
two AEI could really be put on LDraw.org as the 1st one was NOT Offical and the
2nd one was really only blessed. =)
BW03 is indeed OFFICAL but due to reason #1 it’s not up there. That is why if
you look at the link above you will see that the page says LDraw.org Help Desk
Mirror Site. I (as Help Desk Coordinator) gave myself (Ahui as lego fan)
permission to have a LDraw.org Help Desk Miror Site. Technically I can only
give permissions for Help Desk “related” stuff. =)
3) The ultimate goal is to have an AEI that is internet-based. So when you
install it and choose what apps you want it goes to the internet and downloads
the latest and greatest for each file. The BIG problem is where will all these
files be at? Can’t be LDraw.org as for example, MLCAD.EXE is NOT a ldraw.org
file but a Micheal file. He ownes it. The installer would be too complex for me
to have to check each location for every software developer. So it comes down
to needing a centarl location. Now you might say is there not a central
location on ldraw.org already? Yes and No. Yes most ldraw applications can be
gotten from ldraw.org but you will notice that some may not be up-2-date. The
reason is that the ldraw.org individual pages for each software is NOT maitaned
by the individual sofwtare owner but by ldraw. Currnelty there is NO method for
giving the software developers control to just edit/maintain their own page on
ldraw.org. =( This will hopefully change with the redesign. So until that
happens no internet-based installer will occur and you are left with the annual
installer.
4) What I was planning on doing this years was ask each developer if I could
continue to create AEI without having to ask them each time for permission so
long as at the time of creation I used the latest and greatest of their
applications and provide the user with links to where they can find updates.
So what is the moral of this story. I, Ahui Herrera, LDraw.orh Help Desk
Coordinator, having no current control of the Help Section of LDraw.org have
allowed one dedicated fan, Ahui Herrera, permission to host LDraw.org Help Desk
files and tutorials on his website. This will stay this way until the new
ldraw.org redesign in complete and I am given control of the help webpages. At
that point then the Mirror site will continue to be updates as well as the
ldraw.org but the ldraw.org will be where I will point poeple to.
Any questions, comments, concerns? Email me or just post here. I hope this
answers your questions and I don’t mean to offend any of our wonderful
developers. But everyone must understand that we had never until the past 24
months atempted to do such an installer with so many licenses to consuider. =)
-AHui Herrera
LDraw.org Help Desk
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Message has 1 Reply:
 | | Re: All Encompassing Installer Not Available on Ldraw?
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| (...) Ack! I have had that BW03 disk in my possession for months. And as you say, the installer is right there on the disk. Looks like there's 3.5 MB of train models besides. AND a host of tutorials also. All told there's approx. 418 MB of stuff (...) (21 years ago, 14-Aug-03, to lugnet.cad, FTX)
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