We must vigorously enforce standards for software installations. After
suffering a reinstall of the OS, I see the very important need for a
national or international agency to mandate these standards.

If the installation requires a previous installation be uninstalled,
then this should be done automatically. Much too often a user installs
the app without uninstalling the previous app, causing all types of
problems to arise.

The application must create an Install directory as a subdirectory of
the application. This will contain a log file and registry entries.
• If any registry settings are modified, the install would export the
settings to the Install directory before and after making the mods.
• If any registry settings are added, the install would export these
settings.
• All files added to the system would be listed, along with attributes
(like hidden)
• A separate list of files, which spyware programs may flag, would be
given.

The user should have the ability to deactivate (by renaming) the
possible spyware files to see how the application would run without
these files.

All software must conform to these standards, including operating
systems.

A reinstall should be easy, by importing to the registry and copying the
files. Users should be able to copy the files and Install directory to a
backup disk for the purpose of reinstalling in case of a system crash.

An explicit list would prevent bad stuff from getting into computers.
The standards agency would certify the software.

"Sanford Aranoff" <aranoff@analysis-knowledge.com> wrote in message
news:43B6BFAB.71124B1B@analysis-knowledge.com...
> We must vigorously enforce standards for software installations. After
> suffering a reinstall of the OS, I see the very important need for a
> national or international agency to mandate these standards.

--snipped for brevity--

....and how do they force every software vendor to comply to these standards
on a national and international level? How would this agency track
compliance of the literally millions of different software products out
there, checking every service update and new version? Would all software
vendors freely hand over their source code so the agency could ensure
compliance? How about private citizens who write and distribute freeware on
their own time?

Most importantly who's paying for all this? (rhetorical question) I'll tell
you who. You, me and everybody else who buys software. The cost of running
such an agency would be astronomical and ultimately passed on to the
consumer in one way or another. The cost of maintaining compliance would
send the price of software through the roof and would force the small shops
out of business all together.

Good intention. Bad idea.

--
D

Sanford

The structures exist to agree standards but they have no powers
to enforce standards. The resources available to the organisations
devising standards are infinitesimal compared to the commercial
enterprises selling successful software.

In for example email programmes Outlook Express goes against
many standards but who is to say whether standards set in the early
days of the Internet are appropriate today or should be changed?
Arguments over HTML and Plain Text and Top and Bottom Posting
abound and generate great heat. However, the advocates of Usenet
standards use lesser known mail programmes and are a small minority
compared to the greater majority, who use Outlook Express. You
have a minority who wish to dictate what the majority should use.

Sorry but market forces are likely to prevail. You need to offer
something more attractive than grand principles to achieve the result
you would like to see.

--

Regards.

Gerry
~~~~
FCA
Stourport, England

Enquire, plan and execute
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


"Sanford Aranoff" <aranoff@analysis-knowledge.com> wrote in message
news:43B6BFAB.71124B1B@analysis-knowledge.com...
> We must vigorously enforce standards for software installations. After
> suffering a reinstall of the OS, I see the very important need for a
> national or international agency to mandate these standards.
>
> If the installation requires a previous installation be uninstalled,
> then this should be done automatically. Much too often a user installs
> the app without uninstalling the previous app, causing all types of
> problems to arise.
>
> The application must create an Install directory as a subdirectory of
> the application. This will contain a log file and registry entries.
> . If any registry settings are modified, the install would export the
> settings to the Install directory before and after making the mods.
> . If any registry settings are added, the install would export these
> settings.
> . All files added to the system would be listed, along with attributes
> (like hidden)
> . A separate list of files, which spyware programs may flag, would be
> given.
>
> The user should have the ability to deactivate (by renaming) the
> possible spyware files to see how the application would run without
> these files.
>
> All software must conform to these standards, including operating
> systems.
>
> A reinstall should be easy, by importing to the registry and copying the
> files. Users should be able to copy the files and Install directory to a
> backup disk for the purpose of reinstalling in case of a system crash.
>
> An explicit list would prevent bad stuff from getting into computers.
> The standards agency would certify the software.
>
>
>

D

It has existed for years! It has international status! It has no enforcement
powers.

--

Regards.

Gerry
~~~~
FCA
Stourport, England

Enquire, plan and execute
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



"HillBillyBuddhist" <hillbillybuddhist@shoesgmail.com> wrote in message
news:OoumbzjDGHA.2628@TK2MSFTNGP09.phx.gbl...
>
> "Sanford Aranoff" <aranoff@analysis-knowledge.com> wrote in message
> news:43B6BFAB.71124B1B@analysis-knowledge.com...
>> We must vigorously enforce standards for software installations. After
>> suffering a reinstall of the OS, I see the very important need for a
>> national or international agency to mandate these standards.
>
> --snipped for brevity--
>
> ...and how do they force every software vendor to comply to these
> standards on a national and international level? How would this agency
> track compliance of the literally millions of different software products
> out there, checking every service update and new version? Would all
> software vendors freely hand over their source code so the agency could
> ensure compliance? How about private citizens who write and distribute
> freeware on their own time?
>
> Most importantly who's paying for all this? (rhetorical question) I'll
> tell you who. You, me and everybody else who buys software. The cost of
> running such an agency would be astronomical and ultimately passed on to
> the consumer in one way or another. The cost of maintaining compliance
> would send the price of software through the roof and would force the
> small shops out of business all together.
>
> Good intention. Bad idea.
>
> --
> D
>

Sanford Aranoff wrote:
> We must vigorously enforce standards for software installations. After
> suffering a reinstall of the OS, I see the very important need for a
> national or international agency to mandate these standards.
>
> If the installation requires a previous installation be uninstalled,
> then this should be done automatically. Much too often a user installs
> the app without uninstalling the previous app, causing all types of
> problems to arise.
>
> The application must create an Install directory as a subdirectory of
> the application. This will contain a log file and registry entries.
> • If any registry settings are modified, the install would export the
> settings to the Install directory before and after making the mods.
> • If any registry settings are added, the install would export these
> settings.
> • All files added to the system would be listed, along with attributes
> (like hidden)
> • A separate list of files, which spyware programs may flag, would be
> given.
>
> The user should have the ability to deactivate (by renaming) the
> possible spyware files to see how the application would run without
> these files.
>
> All software must conform to these standards, including operating
> systems.
>
> A reinstall should be easy, by importing to the registry and copying the
> files. Users should be able to copy the files and Install directory to a
> backup disk for the purpose of reinstalling in case of a system crash.
>
> An explicit list would prevent bad stuff from getting into computers.
> The standards agency would certify the software.
>

Yup. Standards to exist. They range from common sense to
some very particular legal ones pertaining to all of the
points mentioned. Now find someone to enforce them to the
hilt. For example, who from the Anti-Terrorism Task Force
would like to deliver the death sentence to SONY for its
DRM fiasco?

In the meantime, RTFM...read the f--king manual, if there
is one for the particular product before installing. If not,
then check the particular website. More often than not, the
instructions are pretty specific. If one wishes to inspect
better the installation of any particular application and
how the files and registry entries are handled, all that's
needed is to look into the installation *.inf files and
*.ini files for it. One must protect oneself if no other
resources are pre-disposed to do it.

HillBillyBuddhist wrote:

> "Sanford Aranoff" <aranoff@analysis-knowledge.com> wrote in message
> news:43B6BFAB.71124B1B@analysis-knowledge.com...
> > We must vigorously enforce standards for software installations. After
> > suffering a reinstall of the OS, I see the very important need for a
> > national or international agency to mandate these standards.
>
> --snipped for brevity--
>
> ...and how do they force every software vendor to comply to these standards

Very simple. The agency would issue a certificate of compliance. When people
buy software, they may think more carefully about buying certified software.

Standards must be updated periodically. Old standards are useless, as you
mention.

Very simple. The agency would issue a certificate of compliance. When people

> buy software, they may think more carefully about buying certified software.
>
> Standards must be updated periodically. Old standards are useless, as you
> mention.

May I suggest that if possible we developers try to adopt these standards.

| "HillBillyBuddhist" <hillbillybuddhist@shoesgmail.com> wrote in message
| news:OoumbzjDGHA.2628@TK2MSFTNGP09.phx.gbl...
| >
| > "Sanford Aranoff" <aranoff@analysis-knowledge.com> wrote in message
| > news:43B6BFAB.71124B1B@analysis-knowledge.com...
| >> We must vigorously enforce standards for software installations. After
| >> suffering a reinstall of the OS, I see the very important need for a
| >> national or international agency to mandate these standards.
| >
| > --snipped for brevity--
| >
| > ...and how do they force every software vendor to comply to these
| > standards on a national and international level? How would this agency
| > track compliance of the literally millions of different software
products
| > out there, checking every service update and new version? Would all
| > software vendors freely hand over their source code so the agency could
| > ensure compliance? How about private citizens who write and distribute
| > freeware on their own time?
| >
| > Most importantly who's paying for all this? (rhetorical question) I'll
| > tell you who. You, me and everybody else who buys software. The cost of
| > running such an agency would be astronomical and ultimately passed on to
| > the consumer in one way or another. The cost of maintaining compliance
| > would send the price of software through the roof and would force the
| > small shops out of business all together.
| >
| > Good intention. Bad idea.
| >
| > --
| > D
| >
|

"Gerry Cornell" <gcjc@tenretnitb.com> wrote in message
news:%23C7wWLkDGHA.3884@TK2MSFTNGP10.phx.gbl...
| D
|
| It has existed for years! It has international status! It has no
enforcement
| powers.
|
| --
|
| Regards.
|
| Gerry
| ~~~~
| FCA
| Stourport, England
|
| Enquire, plan and execute
| ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
|

The linchpin phrase in the OPs' argument is for a controlling agency with
power to "mandate."

An international standards organization that consorts and agrees vs. one
with the power to make *it's* standards mandatory are vastly different
animals. The former is a necessity, the later would be a beast.

--
Doug

Sanford Aranoff wrote:
>
> HillBillyBuddhist wrote:
>
>
>>"Sanford Aranoff" <aranoff@analysis-knowledge.com> wrote in message
>>news:43B6BFAB.71124B1B@analysis-knowledge.com...
>>
>>>We must vigorously enforce standards for software installations. After
>>>suffering a reinstall of the OS, I see the very important need for a
>>>national or international agency to mandate these standards.
>>
>>--snipped for brevity--
>>
>>...and how do they force every software vendor to comply to these standards
>
>
> Very simple. The agency would issue a certificate of compliance. When people
> buy software, they may think more carefully about buying certified software.
>
> Standards must be updated periodically. Old standards are useless, as you
> mention.
>
>

Certainly worthwhile pursuing. However, would you be willing
to pay for the rigorous testing and review in order to obtain
a certificate of compliance for each and every revision of your
application? Just ask those of us who work in the health care
industry; we need to obtain certification for each and every
country in which our code is used in patient care.

You could have a self certification scheme and a Kite mark.

--

Regards.

Gerry
~~~~
FCA
Stourport, England

Enquire, plan and execute
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



"GHalleck" <ghalleck@arrakian.mining.com> wrote in message
news:eWqdx7lDGHA.516@TK2MSFTNGP15.phx.gbl...
>

>>
>>
>
> Certainly worthwhile pursuing. However, would you be willing
> to pay for the rigorous testing and review in order to obtain
> a certificate of compliance for each and every revision of your
> application? Just ask those of us who work in the health care
> industry; we need to obtain certification for each and every
> country in which our code is used in patient care.
>