|
sl23 Posts: 285
16/09/2015
|
I have tried damn hard to rid myself of the whole paf suite, but certain apps are simply better done with paf. I tried using using the symenu paf plugin but as it doesn't include all paf apps I find myself still needing the paf menu. Also, as the plugin doesn't seem to be kept us to date and is probably likely to be phased out, I have moved all paf apps back into their menu. But some are natively portable, like cherrytree, but you didn't add it despite it being natively portable, I'm curious why? If you plan on leaving the plugin, then best thing is to remove it and move those apps to sps versions?
|
|
|
link
|
|
Gianluca Administrator Posts: 1274
16/09/2015
|
I haven't added CherryTree yet because the program has a little bug when you first start it on Windows 10. I've already reported the issue to the author.
For a different reason I won't add dotNETInspector.... well a 12MB program to know if .NET framework is installed is insane!! And the source code weight only 163Kb!!!! The programmer should be a strange person 
In its place I added .NET Version Detector that does the same thing (a few more things indeed) and weights only 387Kb.
About the PAF programs I'm not completely foreclosed to them. If the PAF format is the only valid alternative for a program we can add it. The only cons is that you can't test it in SPS Builder but you can do it in SPS Manager. Create your SPS for the PAF and put it in the _CacheCustom folder of your SyMenu. Then test it with the SPS Manager.
What I won't surely do is to add all the PAF programs inside the SPS because alternatives are almost always available.
What about the PAF plugin?
Well... is there anyone out there that wants to maintain it?
|
|
|
link
|
|
sl23 Posts: 285
16/09/2015
|
Hmmm... I didn't notice the startup bug in Cherrytree, I'm on Win10, upgraded from Win8.1, does that make a difference?
EDIT: I just reinstalled Cherrytree and I see where the problem is. It's because the config.ini is empty. Previously, on testing I added my existing file before first start which obviously works fine. This is an instance where SPS Builder needs the ability to add text when creating a file. Unless you leave this to the user? But would need a warning note to state what is necessary.
.NET Version Detector - nice app, needs a bit of work graphically but great alternative, thanks.
The only cons is that you can't test it in SPS Builder but you can do it in SPS Manager.
Not quite sure why you say it can't be tested in SPS Builder? In what way? I setup a few .paf apps and they download, install and run fine. Unless you mean the $PLUGINSDIR folder that's left behind?
.paf plugin - Is it really necessary? I mean, I have simply installed the PA platform into SyMenu/ProgramFiles/PA.c/ and then use it as an auto updater rather than a menu! It has little to offer me other than that. It's far too restrictive and development has taken several years just to add categories!!! It's very well done, but takes too long to add features. I requested FileAssociations around 5 years ago and it still hasn't happened despite all the talk! Now it apparently can't be done due to the way Win10 handles file associations!
I know it's free and you get what you're given, understood, but when news is given about anything, it doesn't happen and that's frustrating, and I wasn't the only one. When I tried to point out to John, why others were getting impatient, he started getting really angry with me just for pointing out what the problem was! So I have given up on PAF now.
Anyway, that's just my opinion of things, and how I have it setup, not sure if you really want the PA Platform as an SPS? Probably not the way to go, but it's useful until SyMenu covers all the bases 
One app I'm curious about, 7zip. You only have the 32bit version, is there a reason you don't have the 64bit version? Would it be worth adding the paf version instead so as to have both in one?
edited by sl23 on 16/09/2015
edited by sl23 on 18/09/2015
|
|
|
link
|
|
Gianluca Administrator Posts: 1274
19/09/2015
|
sl23 wrote:
Hmmm... I didn't notice the startup bug in Cherrytree, I'm on Win10, upgraded from Win8.1, does that make a difference?
EDIT: I just reinstalled Cherrytree and I see where the problem is. It's because the config.ini is empty. Previously, on testing I added my existing file before first start which obviously works fine. This is an instance where SPS Builder needs the ability to add text when creating a file. Unless you leave this to the user? But would need a warning note to state what is necessary.
The CherryTree bugs are two and you can reproduce them only if you run it in portable mode and under certain circumstances.
This is the bug thread: https://github.com/giuspen/cherrytree/issues/64
Anyway waiting for the next version I put a note on the SPS and published it.
sl23 wrote:
Not quite sure why you say it can't be tested in SPS Builder? In what way? I setup a few .paf apps and they download, install and run fine. Unless you mean the $PLUGINSDIR folder that's left behind?
Exactly. SPS Builder is less accurate in unpacking the paf files. The unmanaged $PLUGINSDIR folder is one example.
Indeed the SPS Builder doesn't need to be as accurate as the SPS Manager because you don't need to work with programs managed from the first application, but from the second one. SPS Builder unpacks files only to test the unpacking process.
sl23 wrote:
.paf plugin - Is it really necessary? I mean, I have simply installed the PA platform into SyMenu/ProgramFiles/PA.c/ and then use it as an auto updater rather than a menu!
You are an advanced user, others are not so clever
Serious mode now.
You are right, the importance of the paf plugin is decreasing more and more as the SPS collection grows. I'll throw it away sooner or later. And this is the reason for which I'm not developing anymore on it.
sl23 wrote:
[...]not sure if you really want the PA Platform as an SPS? Probably not the way to go, but it's useful until SyMenu covers all the bases
Not at all, but you are free to publish a thread in this forum to teach to the other users how to configure the PA Platform.
sl23 wrote:
One app I'm curious about, 7zip. You only have the 32bit version, is there a reason you don't have the 64bit version? Would it be worth adding the paf version instead so as to have both in one?
The 64bit version isn't published because I completely forgot to publish it
In this case we have the portable version available natively so I'll publish those one and not the paf version.
|
|
|
link
|
|
sl23 Posts: 285
20/09/2015
|
Cherrytree:
I read the thread and though I don't understand fully what is going on I at least get part of it. But at least it's being worked on.
PAF Plugin:
I'm not really that advanced! Just fluent in the basics more than anything ;-)
I'll add the apps I find useful from their repertoire, which will help reduce the need for the paf plugin. Personally I think I'll delete the plugin as the menu does a better job and contains all the apps. It got confusing using the plugin and the menu as to which version was being used and what platform it was under!
PAMenu:
There isn't any configuration needed as such just a need to add the menu to SyMenu for easy startup. Then it can either be set to auto update or not. I'll make an SPS file for the PAMenu, if you decide to use it, great, if not that's ok it's simple enough to add it. I will create a thread to instruct others, or rather show how I did it, at least that should help the less computer savvy get it running.
7Zip:
Ah, I see, I'll look into adding the 64bit version when I get round to it.
Thanks for all your hard work Gian, very much appreciated
SyMenu/SPSBuilder is seriously a brilliant idea and although still needs some things added, it's fantasticly easy to pick up and get started.
|
|
|
link
|