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Starkits file properties not changeable

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hellomo...@yahoo.com

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Jan 26, 2004, 11:34:23 PM1/26/04
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I have noticed an interesting thing about starkits. I thought I would
share it here and see what the better part of the Tcl community thinks
of it.

If you want to use starkits or starpacks, you can download base kits
from ActiveState and Equi4. Each base kit comes with a number of
Windows file properties permanently set. For example, it would say
something like "Description: ActiveState (or Equi4) ....", "Company:
ActiveState (or Equi4) ...", etc.

An analogy would be if your C applications retained the file
properties of the provider of the C compiler you used. I think this
somehow defeats the purpose of the kit, from the points of view of
both the packager and the end user:

1) The packager, because the interesting part about what he is
distributing is not the base kits, but the extra stuff. However, when
he wraps everything up, the single file executable has another
person's or company's information attached to it, including the owner
name, description, version, etc.

2) The end user, because they thought they were getting something from
X, only to find themselves faced with a program from Y whom they don't
know. Hey, it could even be a trojan virus program, for all they
care.

While this may seem like a minor point, receiving that initial
reaction from the users and having to explain it to them is not
something developers should face. The reaction often is to just
forget about starkits and starpacks whereas the easy way to fix this
is to remove the file properties that are permanently attached to the
starkits.

I have heard from some developers who have developed unique solutions
just to deal with this, that rely on those properties being a certain
length, etc. I think it just shouldn't come to that level.

What do you think?

Bob Techentin

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Jan 27, 2004, 9:11:48 AM1/27/04
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<hellomo...@yahoo.com> wrote

>
> If you want to use starkits or starpacks, you can download base kits
> from ActiveState and Equi4. Each base kit comes with a number of
> Windows file properties permanently set. For example, it would say
> something like "Description: ActiveState (or Equi4) ....", "Company:
> ActiveState (or Equi4) ...", etc.

The properties seem only to be attached to tclkit.exe, and propagate
to Windows starpacks. They come from Visual C++ resources, compiled
into the binary. I see your point that they might be misinterpreted,
but I don't know how to change those file properties.

Bob
--
Bob Techentin techenti...@NOSPAMmayo.edu
Mayo Foundation (507) 538-5495
200 First St. SW FAX (507) 284-9171
Rochester MN, 55901 USA http://www.mayo.edu/sppdg/

Ramon Ribó

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Jan 27, 2004, 10:09:06 AM1/27/04
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Hello,

I agree that there should be a simpler method to fix it, but as a
workaround
look here:

http://wiki.tcl.tk/8949

Regards,
--
Ramon Ribó
http://gatxan.cimne.upc.es/ramsan

"Bob Techentin" <techenti...@mayo.edu> escribió en el mensaje
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