The following is taken from a message I emailed to a contact I have at Apple, although he is not associated with QuickTime or product development at all. I am hoping he can forward my concerns to the proper groups.
The issue is: (email starts here)
I just downloaded the QuickTime 4 Preview, and have a coplaint/issue that I would like passed on to the QuickTime team, and also to all other teams within Apple which may ultimately provide software installers to end users.
Specifically, the QT4 installer is what Microsoft began using first and calls an "active installer". Apple's is based on InstallerVISE. The basic premise of these installers is that you download a relatively tiny executable which has a wizard-like interface, but the vast majority of the actual files to be installed are stored on a remote server, which can be specified using either FTP or HTTP protocols. Thus, when you go to a web site, such as Apple's, and download some piece of software, you only download that tiny installer. It isn't until you actually perform the installation that the real software is downloaded and placed in the correct locations on your hard disk.
This is problematic in any situation where the installation may occur without network connectivity, or in my specific case, when the installation occurs behind a firewall. The QT4 installer does have a way (crudely) to specify a Proxy server, but it does NOT support authenticated proxy servers. So, I can NOT use it.
I guess the real message that needs to be driven home to all developers inside Apple is that ALL internet products need to be designed to natively accommodate authenticated proxy servers, if Apple products are to be competitive and accessible.
Other examples of how this is a problem:
(1) none of sherlock's internet features currently work for me at work
(2) none of the Date & Time time synchronization features work for me at work
(FYI, yes, I do know that the version of Sherlock in 8.6 will address this, but it leaves a LOT to be desired in the implementation. Namely, if you search a topic using multiple plug-ins, you have to supply the proxy name and password for EACH plug in, and it has no facility for remembering them. VERY tedius and annoying!)
If Apple wanst to use these so-called active Installers, they need to address the needs of customers who may be behind firewalls, by either beefing up their proxy support, OR by making full installers available as well. Frankly, I really prefer having the full installer, which I might want to have on a CD or I might want to be able to install on a disconnected machine or one which has been started with a boot CD or with extensions off. Active installers I guess have a role to fill, but I do't think they can ever be all things to all people, and thus I think Apple needs to continue to make the full installers available.
(email stops here)
Any comments?
My idea is this: I would like to see proxy support natively built-in to Open Transport in the TCP/IP control panel. Thus, as long as you have properly configured your TCP/IP configuration with proxy information, ALL internet applications will work fully and completely, and individual developers would NOT have to provide proxy support directly into their programs. The Mac OS 8.5 Internet control panel does NOT accomplish this. All it does is function as a repository for other applications to query for settings defaults.
Any comments?
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Pete K. Johnson
<A HREF="mailto
ete.k.johnson@ina
me.com">pete.k.johnson@ina
me.com</A>
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