Tuesday, November 25, 2003
An Open Letter To Developers From A Pocket PC User
Posted by Ed Hansberry in "THOUGHT" @ 06:00 PM
What follows is a letter to the support team for Pocket Informant, which basically thanks them for providing CAB files for easy downloading and installation and a request that all other developers follow suit. I agree completely. There are a number of reasons to have CAB files so you can install files without having to have a desktop around. Just a few reasons include:
• Downloading new apps or reinstalling newer versions over WiFi, GPRS or even a 56K modem when traveling.
• Mac users don't have to put up with installing Virtual PC just to use the ActiveSync installer.
• Many users like keeping CAB files of important programs on storage cards so that in the event of a hard reset, they can quickly get back up and running - though I'd argue a good backup is better as none of your all important data is missing, but I digress.
In addition to the request made in this letter, I'd like to see MS improve CAB handling on Windows Mobile devices in two ways. 1) Ask the user where to install the application. Currently, it assumes RAM. There are third party apps that will allow you to override this, but that would be like having to have a third party app on your desktop to redirect installs to other partitions. 2) Ask the user if they want to keep the CAB file after installing. It currently deletes it, which may be OK most of the time, but more than once I've wished the CAB was there after the install - usually after I've downloaded one over the air and want to transfer the CAB to my desktop when I get back home.
So read the letter and vote in the poll.
Everyone knows I'm a huge Laridian fan and I'd have to agree with the sentiments above. I'd be less so if I were on the Mac and had to jump through those hoops. Even being a Windows user, more than once I've wanted to buy a Laridian book or download a new/updated program and had to wait until I got home. Come on devs, let us have those CAB files!
As a slight aside, :bad-words: if you develop small utility that is basically a single .EXE file, just give us the .EXE, or give us the .EXE as an alternative. I've gone round and round today trying to get one utility on my Pocket PC that is a 15-30K .exe file when expanded that is all wrapped up in some complex button pressing form that interfers with WinZip's download association for .ZIP files for some reason just to get the ActiveSync installer and when you get down to it, the AS installer and the CAB is going to put stuff in the registry, shortcuts where I don't want them, blah blah blah. Full sized apps need installers. Most utilities don't. Stop making this so complex! Needless to say, I'm not going to even bother installing the thing. Ok, rant over. :?
• Downloading new apps or reinstalling newer versions over WiFi, GPRS or even a 56K modem when traveling.
• Mac users don't have to put up with installing Virtual PC just to use the ActiveSync installer.
• Many users like keeping CAB files of important programs on storage cards so that in the event of a hard reset, they can quickly get back up and running - though I'd argue a good backup is better as none of your all important data is missing, but I digress.
In addition to the request made in this letter, I'd like to see MS improve CAB handling on Windows Mobile devices in two ways. 1) Ask the user where to install the application. Currently, it assumes RAM. There are third party apps that will allow you to override this, but that would be like having to have a third party app on your desktop to redirect installs to other partitions. 2) Ask the user if they want to keep the CAB file after installing. It currently deletes it, which may be OK most of the time, but more than once I've wished the CAB was there after the install - usually after I've downloaded one over the air and want to transfer the CAB to my desktop when I get back home.
So read the letter and vote in the poll.
Quote: I'm a physician, so a lot are medical. Some of the biggies, medical wise are:
Sanford Guide
Pepid
Skyscape's products
ePocrates
The problem with the latter three is that they update occasionally and the hardware to do that is only on the PC. Thus, in their current iterations, I see no way around the Virtual PC/have a PC solutions. That's frustrating because AvantGo, for example, will sync up over my Wi-Fi connection directly from the handheld. To me, this is the direction the updating software should be going. Wi-Fi is becoming so much more common that if I could just get the software to look for updates directly from the PPC, it'd be much better. Make sense? Plus, with PDA/phone combos, this doesn't even have to be limited to Wi-Fi.
Other software I've had a problem with are games, ranging from Hexacto's stuff to PDAmill's. Tonight I downloaded the Atomic Cannon Pocket demo from Handango and tried to install via .exe through PocketMac. It said it found .cab's and tried to install, but the iPaq couldn't recognize the files it got. I could probably get the developer to send me a CAB if I bought it, but sometimes you want to try the demo first and it just ends up being not worth the hassle. HandyMenu sent me a cab, but it's just a pain, you know.
Laridian's PocketBible is a mainstay for me (even from back in the Palm days) and it too required a Virtual PC session. And maybe it's just me but Virtual PC is so slow and such a processor hog that I have to really plan a dedicated time, restart the Mac, then launch VPC only and do my stuff, then get out of it. Even then, it's slow. With my Palm, I could just download a demo, install it and go. Speedy. Even if I can get developers to send me .cab's it's inconvenient. You handle this perfectly. In fact, I downloaded PI 4.6 as a cab directly to my PPC without ever messing with the Mac or VPC. Awesome. If developers would take the cue, it seems to me that direct installation would take off.
With whatever influence you do have, I wish you'd lobby for more cabs to be available without special request, either on the site, but perhaps even better through Handango/PocketGear type sites. I mean the mobile Handango site is a joke. I don't think that PI's even there. Too few programs to make it worthwhile. To me, that's the key.
Look, I knew when I bought this PPC that it might be inconvenient, so I'm not meaning to whine. It's just a hassle to try out new stuff, so I end up not doing it, and I end up missing my Palm more than I thought I would. Of course, there are just tons more medical things available for the Palm, too, so that's part of my disappointment.
I'm not kidding or kissing {up} when I say that PI is really right now just about the only thing exciting me about the PPC.
Sanford Guide
Pepid
Skyscape's products
ePocrates
The problem with the latter three is that they update occasionally and the hardware to do that is only on the PC. Thus, in their current iterations, I see no way around the Virtual PC/have a PC solutions. That's frustrating because AvantGo, for example, will sync up over my Wi-Fi connection directly from the handheld. To me, this is the direction the updating software should be going. Wi-Fi is becoming so much more common that if I could just get the software to look for updates directly from the PPC, it'd be much better. Make sense? Plus, with PDA/phone combos, this doesn't even have to be limited to Wi-Fi.
Other software I've had a problem with are games, ranging from Hexacto's stuff to PDAmill's. Tonight I downloaded the Atomic Cannon Pocket demo from Handango and tried to install via .exe through PocketMac. It said it found .cab's and tried to install, but the iPaq couldn't recognize the files it got. I could probably get the developer to send me a CAB if I bought it, but sometimes you want to try the demo first and it just ends up being not worth the hassle. HandyMenu sent me a cab, but it's just a pain, you know.
Laridian's PocketBible is a mainstay for me (even from back in the Palm days) and it too required a Virtual PC session. And maybe it's just me but Virtual PC is so slow and such a processor hog that I have to really plan a dedicated time, restart the Mac, then launch VPC only and do my stuff, then get out of it. Even then, it's slow. With my Palm, I could just download a demo, install it and go. Speedy. Even if I can get developers to send me .cab's it's inconvenient. You handle this perfectly. In fact, I downloaded PI 4.6 as a cab directly to my PPC without ever messing with the Mac or VPC. Awesome. If developers would take the cue, it seems to me that direct installation would take off.
With whatever influence you do have, I wish you'd lobby for more cabs to be available without special request, either on the site, but perhaps even better through Handango/PocketGear type sites. I mean the mobile Handango site is a joke. I don't think that PI's even there. Too few programs to make it worthwhile. To me, that's the key.
Look, I knew when I bought this PPC that it might be inconvenient, so I'm not meaning to whine. It's just a hassle to try out new stuff, so I end up not doing it, and I end up missing my Palm more than I thought I would. Of course, there are just tons more medical things available for the Palm, too, so that's part of my disappointment.
I'm not kidding or kissing {up} when I say that PI is really right now just about the only thing exciting me about the PPC.
Everyone knows I'm a huge Laridian fan and I'd have to agree with the sentiments above. I'd be less so if I were on the Mac and had to jump through those hoops. Even being a Windows user, more than once I've wanted to buy a Laridian book or download a new/updated program and had to wait until I got home. Come on devs, let us have those CAB files!
As a slight aside, :bad-words: if you develop small utility that is basically a single .EXE file, just give us the .EXE, or give us the .EXE as an alternative. I've gone round and round today trying to get one utility on my Pocket PC that is a 15-30K .exe file when expanded that is all wrapped up in some complex button pressing form that interfers with WinZip's download association for .ZIP files for some reason just to get the ActiveSync installer and when you get down to it, the AS installer and the CAB is going to put stuff in the registry, shortcuts where I don't want them, blah blah blah. Full sized apps need installers. Most utilities don't. Stop making this so complex! Needless to say, I'm not going to even bother installing the thing. Ok, rant over. :?
