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Wireshark-dev: Re: [Wireshark-dev] PortableApps Wireshark feedback

From: "Graeme Lunt" <graeme@xxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Tue, 13 Nov 2007 19:10:20 +0100
Ulf,

> What I'm more concerned about the current U3 and PortableApps 
> generation is: maintainability!
>
> I've seen the WinPcap version at least 5 times! 

I am confused. Based on your own checked in changes:
http://anonsvn.wireshark.org/viewvc/viewvc.py?view=rev&revision=23431
and
http://anonsvn.wireshark.org/viewvc/viewvc.py?view=rev&revision=23433

the following files need to be changed (one change in each file):
NSIS: makefile.am, makefile.nmake, wireshark.nsi = 3 files
U3: makefile.nmake, u3util.c = 2 files
PortableApps: WiresharkPortable.ini, WiresharkPortable.nsi = 2 files

On this basis, maybe we should be more worried about the maintainability of
the NSIS packaging! :-)

> and the Wireshark 
> version at least once hardcoded into the scripts (which is a no go!).

Do you mean in appinfo.tmpl? And this line:
Version: 0.9.6

This is the PortableApp version - not the Wireshark version - which would
have been 0.99.6 anyway.
If it is not, can you let me know which file you are referring to?

> As I had updated the NSIS packaging to WinPcap 4.0.2 pretty 
> quickly, it took me about an hour to find all places to update 
> on the U3 and PortableApps packaging.

Wow! I could have done it in minutes (and I had said I would).

> As I've recently updated my NSIS to 2.32, the previously "installed" 
> FindProcDLL.dll was gone.

Maybe something to discuss with the NSIS people?

> This can't be the way to go in the future!!!

I didn't think it was that bad ...

... however, there is (IMHO) a much bigger problem in this area: 

We have multiple files that define what a Wireshark binary distribution
consists of. For example,
1) packaging/NSIS/wireshark.nsi
2) packaging/U3/win32/makefile.nmake
3) Makefile.nmake
(The PortableApps packaging uses the U3 list, otherwise there'd be a 4th.)

We could really do with just one location/manifest in a generic format that
lists all the files need to run Wireshark, with a mechanism to include
packaging/platform specific meta data. Then when someone wants to add an
additional file, or update a dll, then there is just one place to do it.
Maybe an XML file and some stylesheets?

Graeme