Page History

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• Different versions of Window
  • The next version of Windows available for testing
  • The oldest supported platform
  • One older than the oldest supported platform (for the purpose of determining what the failure is like, if any).
• Different processor/platform combinations
• Different combinations with no related applications/dependencies installed, with other applications installed --dh:2011-12-22T05:51Z

Download Presence

Observations

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• A signed .EXE is needed
  • It would be valuable for any downloadable binary to be signed although this might not work with automated nightly builds.
  • A process and appropriate ceremonies for binary releases is needed that includes signing the binary in the form that is verified by Microsoft Windows.
• The different "Compatible with Windows X" guides might need to be checked to determine other practices that are part of establishing that the product is considered clean enough for installation on whatever X is expected to be workable. --dh:2011-12-22T05:57Z

Variations

• Installation that doesn't require elevated privileges?
  • How failure happens when installation is attempted without sufficient privileges
• Setup of a portable version?
• Different initiation and account conditions
  • Run As Administrator from a non-administrative account
  • Running from a command-line session with and without administrative privileges
  • Running from alternative shells
    • Powershell
    • 3rd part shells
    • Software for Unix Applications (SUA) bash shell
    • Cygwin bash shell

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The download sets-up in two stages. The configuration for setup is extracted from the installer executable and then setup is executed. This can be mystifying. (See observations in conjunction with the different dialogs.)

Verification of the Setup Installer

Observations

• Here three sizes of the download button image can be seen:
  • in the detail of the installer listing in Windows Explorer
  • in the simple splash that is shown while the installer is being verified
  • in the expanded detail about the selected file shown at the bottom of the Explorer window (with super-imposed elevated-privilege marker) on the ones displaed by Windows itself
  • It strikes me that variations of these buttons with an Apache feather in the lower-right would be an interesting possibility also. --dh:2011-12-22T05:59Z
• These can be retained without difficulty and perhaps tuned slightly for differentiation to reflect Apache OpenOffice migration to a Top Leve Project.
• This verification process is against damage to the installer. It is separate from authentication of a signed executable or an external check (MD5, external signature, SHA1, etc.).

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• Presumably an install from CD-ROM or a flash drive might skip much of this and work with setup folders directly. There are more variations listed at that point.
• The message needs to be internationalized for different set-up languages
• The message might need to be different because of the difference between installer and setup.

Setup Installation Preparation

Once the installer is verified, it is discovered that the first stage is not yet complete.

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If the space requirements are satisfied, there is an option to proceed:

Observations

• Note that there is no "<Back" option from here. This is a new, independent execution of the setup software.
• It is not clear what the size requirement is. Also, it is not clear how that is impacted by changes not yet made as part of selecting a custom installation.
  • This is also independent of the size requirement and available-space determination for installation of setup, as opposed to what is now required for installation of the build itself. – dh:2011-12-22T06:04Z

Issues/Migration

• The sidebar has an entirely different image and theme than the setup-installation stage in the preceding section. The same theme should be continued here.
• Release-specific elements
  • The dialog title bar now has the Microsoft installer icon. The title itself needs to be updated for the Apache OpenOffice release/nightly. It would be great if this could be Setup Wizard instead of Installation Wizard. Or, generally, the nomenclature should be smoothed. There may be a Microsoft style and internationalization that applies here.
  • The Welcome title needs to be repaired as well
• On the second dialog, with clickable "Next>", there are two paragraphs to be customized:
  • The first paragraph uses "Installation Wizard" and the name of the release.
  • The second paragraph acknowledges a build contribution. This should be paraphrased or removed.
  • The second paragraph refers to a www.openoffice.org page that provides contribution credits. If this is to be continued, the page that is reached needs to be structure differently.
  • TODO: Take a look at that page or any alternative. – dh:2011-12-22T06:17Z

Variations

• Determine where the boundary is for the space-check detecting too little space for an installation.
  • Find just too small and just large enough boundaries.
  • Confirm what the message is when there is insufficient space.
  • Check to see if this conforms to the requirements for a typical installation. – dh:2011-12-22T06:18Z