- cross-posted to:
- [email protected]
- cross-posted to:
- [email protected]
On a somewhat related note, why do so many open source projects give me a zip file with a single exe inside it instead of just the exe directly?
Because zipping it can reduce the size
EXE files don’t really compress well, plus the files should already be internally compressed when the exe is built.
A lot of exe files are secretly zip files. zip files can contain arbitrary data at the end of the file. exe files can have arbitrary data at the start of the file. It’s a match made at Microsoft.
Plus a lot of antivirus whatevers will straight up block the downloading of *.exe
Bravo. Truly an exceptional meme.
I’d like to make it like that for my projects, but I don’t use windows so I can’t do well with packaging them. And sometimes when I try it runs in the computer, but then doesn’t run in other computers because of missing dlls or some other things.
Anyone have good idea how to make it easy. Using windows VM is such a hassle to install and such just for tiny programs I make.
Make them in a portable language. Something like Java for example. Or you can write in rust and compile for each target.
It’s in rust. Problem is the gtk part, it has to be installed in the system, which makes it run there. But how do I distribute the program without having everyone install gtk on their computer. In Linux it’s just a dependency so it’s not a problem, for windows I can’t seem to make it work.
Edit: also, I need gtk because people around me who uses windows aren’t going to use CLI program at all.
Edit: also, I need gtk because people around me who uses windows aren’t going to use CLI program at all.
If that’s the reason - maybe you can use TUI instead? In Windows, it’d open a CMD window which your users will be able to use. Not as pretty as actual GUI, but easier for Windows users to use than a CLI.
Another option is to use one of the numerous Rust-native GUI libraries (like iced or Druid, to name a few). None of them are as big as GTK/QT - but they are easier to get running on Windows.
The 2024 animated movie Flow was done entirely in Blender. It is an incredible movie, highly recommend.
Blender was also used a bit in Everything Everywhere All At Once
And Into the Spiderverse for some stuff
I just got blender after having last looked at it ten years ago. It looks so much better! I had an easy time finding stuff. If you tried it in the past and are afraid of how ugly it was it is worth another shot. Also look up the doughnut tutorial.
Me running Godot on a new computer yesterday
If only it was that easy on Linux
You can do exactly that with blender on linux
I’d say
{insert package manager} install blender
is easier.I don’t really like the way software installation is centralized on Linux. It feels like, Windows being the proprietary system, they don’t really care about how you get things to run. Linux the other hand cares about it a lot. Either you have to write your own software or interact with their ‘trusted sources’.
I would prefer if it was easier to simply run an executable file on my personal Linux machine.
Software Installation is all but centralized on Linux. Sure, there is your store or package manager, but both Apple and Windows do have that, too. But you can always add any source you want to that store (flatpak is great), find an AppImage, some doubious install script, find your own packages and manually install them (like .deb), use Steam or sometimes, like with Blender, download, decompress and run it.
Do you know about AppImages? Seems like those meet the need you’re complaining about.
You still have to set the executable flag for them, but you can do that through the graphic user interface. No need to open a terminal.
You can still do that on Linux. Just download it and run. You can even compile it from source if that’s your thing.
However, because there is a much greater variety of Linux distros and dependencies compared to Windows or MacOS versions, it’s better to either have a Flatpak, AppImage, or package from your distro’s repo. That way you’re ensured that it will work without too much fiddling around.
The difference between a package manager and an app store is that the package manager allows you to pick your own sources. You can even run your own repository if you wanted to.
You can also just download any binary file you find online and run it. Or use any
install.sh
script you happen to find anywhere.Package managers are simply a convenient offer to manage packages with their dynamically linked libraries and keep them up to date (important for security). But it’s still just an offer.
I don’t really like the way software installation is centralized on Linux.
you have to interact with their ‘trusted sources’.
I would prefer if it was easier to simply run an executable file on my personal Linux machine.
I’m sorry but which is it? Do you want centralized software installation (this is literally how all of Microsoft Windows works.) Or do you want independent release software? (Those are the ‘trusted sources’ you seem to detest.)
And there are plenty of programs that run as an independent file on Linux, installers even. They just aren’t labeled .exe.
Either you want Linux and want independent control of your desktop system and environment or you want to be spoonfed everything as a Windows or OSX user. So which is it??
Yeah but then I get an ancient version because I use Debian.
I think the last time I used Blender I installed it through Steam.
That is part of the deal with Debian. You get stable software… but you only get stable software. If you want bleeding edge software, you’ll have to install it manually to
/usr/local
, build from source and hope that you have the dependencies, or containerize it with Distrobox.If you go to a butcher, don’t complain about the lack of vegan options.
I’m aware and I’m not complaining. Just sharing what I thought was a funny story of using Steam as a package manager.
One command line away?
If I have to go into DOS to do something a normal user wants to do, the GUI OS is a failure.
The fact you called it DOS feels like you are just rage-bait trolling… lol
No, I call any command-line interface that runs from an internal drive “DOS”. I do mean the term somewhat generically as a Disk Operating System.
I think “CLI” would be a better word choice. DOS is a more specific term.
You are also able to install Linux distros that are primarily GUI based, or even install individual GUI interfaces for things you need.
You got downvoted by the Linux fanboys, but it’s not wrong. Linux has a big issue with approachability… And one of the biggest reasons is that average Windows users think you need to be some sort of 1337 hackerman to even boot it, because it still relies on the terminal.
For those who know it, it’s easier. But for those who don’t, it feels like needing to learn hieroglyphs just to boot your programs. If Linux truly wants to become the default OS, it needs to be approachable to the average user. And the average user doesn’t even know how to access their email if the Chrome desktop icon moves.
I ran Linux Mint for close to a year and never used the terminal. It’s not 2000 anymore
Yeah, on linux you have to right click, open properties and give it permission to run. So much harder
Properties is a strange name for a terminal
Yea, I’d expect it to be named “propertty”
deleted by creator
It’a a start! Makes the switch much easier.
No. You either go full Stallman and inject Gentoo directly into your aorta, or you might as well be deep throating Satya Nutella while bouncing on Tim Apple’s lap. Filthy casual.
Noob, I snort pure Colombian and run LFS directly in my brain using the power of cryptic dreams and messages handed down to me directly by Lord RMS
So you’re saying your prefrontal cortex doesn’t even have a Holy C✝ compiler? Terry looks down on you in shame.
Agreed, OSS purity is silly. I am running an open source client (Thunder) to this open source service on my Pixel 9 running GraphineOS, the low level firmware is still absolutely proprietary.
Running Linux on closed source hardware. Classic.
I bet you aren’t even using your own open RISC-V based SBC, with fully open-source peripherals. Is your computer monitor even running an open-source firmware or are you just a FOSS poser?
Using computers with closed source biology. Classic.
I bet you haven’t even engineered your own DNA-II, fully-sequenced, libre-licensed microbiome with open source biochemical pathways. Are your eyes even running an open-source neural firmware, or are you just a FOSS poser?
Using biology on closed source chemistry. Classic. I bet you didn’t even roll your own proton mass or bother configuring your own valence shells. Are you even running your own coulomb law policies, or are you just a FOSS poser?
I don’t have a witty reply, but these kinds of threads were the best part of reddit. So glad to have shitposters like you all here on Lemmy.
Hot take: I hate when software just extracts an executable.
Fucking install it so that it’s registered with the software updater and uninstaller. Don’t make me remember that I have to go hunting in the folder to delete this one app.Some people prefer it.
I maintain a small piece of Windows software and originally just provided an installer, but I received enough requests for it that now when I publish releases I provide both an installer and a zipped portable build.
Assuming you are on Windows, the proper install method is to run
winget install -e --id BlenderFoundation.Blender
Cool, that doesn’t help because I don’t actually want blender.
I’m commenting on how much I hate when software is provided as just a portable executable.
I know that a lot of the time they’re also provided as flatpaks or debs or in snap or windows app store, or Apple app store, etc.
But I’m talking about doing the thing that is being described in the image: unpacking a portable executable.
Kind of a moot point since most windows programs don’t have a centralized hub for updates either, even when “properly installed” in program files.
Having no package manager be like:
- You don’t need an uninstaller if deleting the folder suffices
- You don’t want some software to update.
Oh it’s free so it lacks features
Exactly! And every proprietary software is by definition perfect cause it is subject to the forces of the open market. Subway eat fresh and freeze, scumbag!
Oh fuck it’s Home Depot presents: The Police™
every move you make
If you don’t count professional software, nowadays it’s actually the opposite. Very often in proprietary software there are features removed with no alternative provided by developers, or there’s one but actually it has nothing to do with what you actually want.