[PD] how-do-i-install-externals-and-help-files page (was Re: Linux Global folder for externals)

[Roman Haefeli]

On Mit, 2017-03-01 at 19:37 -0300, Alexandre Torres Porres wrote:
> 2017-03-01 19:07 GMT-03:00 <zmoelnig at iem.at>:
> > On 03/01/2017 09:47 PM, Alexandre Torres Porres wrote:
> > > you all might be aware, but you that deken still installs it in
> > the
> > > deprecated  '~/pd-externals' path?
> > 
> > no, deken installs into the first available (and writeable) folder.
> > it first checks whether there is a ~/.local/lib/pd/extra folder,
> > and if
> > there is it will suggest to install there.
> > if that folder does not exist (or is not writable), it will try
> > ~/pd-externals.
> > and so on.
> this is then related to another previous discussion, but on windows,
> where we ended up discussing that Pd should install these folders
> automatically...

I don't think that was the conclusion. Why should be the user-specific
search path auto-created only on Windows?

IOhannes made it sound like there was an agreement that the user-
specific folders should not be auto-created _anywhere_. I'm still
convinced that this decision is detrimental for larger part of Pd end
users. 

I'm currently wondering if there are people who actively defend the
current behavior of Pd/Deken. We didn't hear many voices. IOhannes said
it has been discussed and the decision is definitive. I think that you,
Alex, are with me in believing the current situation is unfortunate and
it would be helpful for many if users if they don't have to hunt down
what (hidden) directory they have to create before they can use Deken
in a meaningful manner.

Maybe we can up with a way that everybody agrees on? If people don't
want to have or use the platform specific user specific folder, it
shouldn't be created for them. I think this excludes Pd from auto-
creating whenever it runs. So it probably would be best if Deken deals
with that issue. Deken already asks people where they want to install
stuff and it proposes the first writable (by the current user) folder
and falls back to $HOME, if no user-writable standard search path is
found. However, $HOME is not a standard search path.

Proposal:

First time Deken is used, it asks to install to the user specific
folder regardless whether it exists. If the user confirms, it
automatically creates it and download/extracts the installed external
there. If the user says "no" the first time, Deken remembers this
decision and doesn't prompt for the user specific folder anymore from
then on as long as it does not exist. We would then have the same
behavior as we do have now.

pros:
  * People do not have to know about Pd peculiarities before they can
    successfully install and use external.
  * Nobody is forced to use the user specific folder if they don't want
    to.

cons:
  * People that do not want to use the user specific folder have to
    click 'no' once. Is that too demanding?
  * Deken needs some way to remember the decision. I don't know if
    Deken has already a notion of remembering user decisions. I hope it
    does.

End goal:

The required knowledge to use externals successfully boils down to:
 * selecting an external in Deken
 * [declare] it within the patch

What do you think?

Roman
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