Windows Installer for Emacs-27

Windows Installer for Emacs-27

[Phillip Lord]

I've pushed a windows installer for a snapshot of Emacs-27 to
alpha.gnu.org. Feedback is welcome.

Currently, it installs to Desktop which is not right, but was easy.

Few other known issues:

 - asks for elevation but doesn't need it
 - supposed to use show a logo but doesn't
 - doesn't know how to uninstall an existing version


Phil

Re: Windows Installer for Emacs-27

[Ted Zlatanov]

On Tue, 07 Nov 2017 11:21:40 +0000 phillip.lord@russet.org.uk (Phillip Lord) wrote: 

PL> I've pushed a windows installer for a snapshot of Emacs-27 to
PL> alpha.gnu.org. Feedback is welcome.

PL> Currently, it installs to Desktop which is not right, but was easy.

PL> Few other known issues:

PL>  - asks for elevation but doesn't need it
PL>  - supposed to use show a logo but doesn't
PL>  - doesn't know how to uninstall an existing version

I assume you mean the contents of https://alpha.gnu.org/gnu/emacs/pretest/windows/emacs-27/

In order to check for updates, can you also push a .txt or .json file
with enough information to identify the installer's version (which I
assume is also the Emacs version) and other metadata, like what DLLs are
included or even a manifest?

Then it will be easier to implement something in Emacs to check for
available updates on that platform by looking at that version.

Thank you!
Ted

Re: Windows Installer for Emacs-27

[Phillip Lord]

Ted Zlatanov <tzz@lifelogs.com> writes:

> On Tue, 07 Nov 2017 11:21:40 +0000 phillip.lord@russet.org.uk (Phillip Lord) wrote: 
> PL>  - asks for elevation but doesn't need it
> PL>  - supposed to use show a logo but doesn't
> PL>  - doesn't know how to uninstall an existing version
>
> I assume you mean the contents of
> https://alpha.gnu.org/gnu/emacs/pretest/windows/emacs-27/

Yep.

> In order to check for updates, can you also push a .txt or .json file
> with enough information to identify the installer's version (which I
> assume is also the Emacs version) and other metadata, like what DLLs
> are included or even a manifest?

The files for snapshots are now dated. Is this enough? Manifest is not
so easy, since msys2 is a rolling release. The DLLs are the same as
those in the pre-test dependencies zip file.


> Then it will be easier to implement something in Emacs to check for
> available updates on that platform by looking at that version.

Let me know if you don't have enough.

Phil

Re: Windows Installer for Emacs-27

[Ted Zlatanov]

On Wed, 22 Nov 2017 23:09:44 +0000 phillip.lord@russet.org.uk (Phillip Lord) wrote: 

PL> Ted Zlatanov <tzz@lifelogs.com> writes:
>> On Tue, 07 Nov 2017 11:21:40 +0000 phillip.lord@russet.org.uk (Phillip Lord) wrote: 
PL> - asks for elevation but doesn't need it
PL> - supposed to use show a logo but doesn't
PL> - doesn't know how to uninstall an existing version
>> 
>> I assume you mean the contents of
>> https://alpha.gnu.org/gnu/emacs/pretest/windows/emacs-27/

PL> Yep.

>> In order to check for updates, can you also push a .txt or .json file
>> with enough information to identify the installer's version (which I
>> assume is also the Emacs version) and other metadata, like what DLLs
>> are included or even a manifest?

PL> The files for snapshots are now dated. Is this enough? Manifest is not
PL> so easy, since msys2 is a rolling release. The DLLs are the same as
PL> those in the pre-test dependencies zip file.

I think that's good, assuming the date acts as a version string, and the
latest release is always the version the user wants.

>> Then it will be easier to implement something in Emacs to check for
>> available updates on that platform by looking at that version.

PL> Let me know if you don't have enough.

Anything else we can do from Emacs to help the user would be good:

* check signature of installer (ideally without GnuPG, since installing
  that on W32 is not easy)
* check what DLLs are out of date and will be updated by the installer
* look at the release notes for this installer

I understand this is not necessarily easy, but it would be helpful to
Emacs users on that platform. None of it is required, though. We can
already start checking that URL for "the latest" if the user enables it.
Can you just look at that list and consider if any of it is feasible?

Thanks
Ted

Re: Windows Installer for Emacs-27

[Phillip Lord]

Ted Zlatanov <tzz@lifelogs.com> writes:
>>> Then it will be easier to implement something in Emacs to check for
>>> available updates on that platform by looking at that version.
>
> PL> Let me know if you don't have enough.
>
> Anything else we can do from Emacs to help the user would be good:
>
> * check signature of installer (ideally without GnuPG, since installing
>   that on W32 is not easy)

Actually, that's easy since windows does this
automatically. Unfortunately, it needs the binary to be signed. That's
straight-forward enough, although I would need a certificate to do this,
which isn't free (as in beer). The same issue also applies to the
binaries inside the installer (i.e. runemacs, emacs and the rest).

In the ideal world, I would like FSF to do this, after I upload. They
can check the GPG signature, then code sign the installer. But,
runemacs and emacs I would need to sign before packagaing I fear.


> * check what DLLs are out of date and will be updated by the installer

That would be harder, and ultimately would just be a big list of
everything that has changed.


> * look at the release notes for this installer

That I can do from the changelogs; happy to incorporate this when I can.

> I understand this is not necessarily easy, but it would be helpful to
> Emacs users on that platform. None of it is required, though. We can
> already start checking that URL for "the latest" if the user enables it.

Checking for "latest" is a little complex since I need to consider the
correct upgrade paths (so emacs-26 to snapshot is probably
wrong. emacs-27-snapshot to emacs-27 itself is probably
correct. snapshots to pre-releases -- tricky). But yes, can be done.

> Can you just look at that list and consider if any of it is feasible?

Re: Windows Installer for Emacs-27

[Robert Pluim]

phillip.lord@russet.org.uk (Phillip Lord) writes:

> Ted Zlatanov <tzz@lifelogs.com> writes:
>>>> Then it will be easier to implement something in Emacs to check for
>>>> available updates on that platform by looking at that version.
>>
>> PL> Let me know if you don't have enough.
>>
>> Anything else we can do from Emacs to help the user would be good:
>>
>> * check signature of installer (ideally without GnuPG, since installing
>>   that on W32 is not easy)
>
> Actually, that's easy since windows does this
> automatically. Unfortunately, it needs the binary to be signed. That's
> straight-forward enough, although I would need a certificate to do this,
> which isn't free (as in beer).

What kind of certificate? <https://letsencrypt.org> offers free as in
beer TLS certificates.

Robert

Re: Windows Installer for Emacs-27

[Phillip Lord]

Robert Pluim <rpluim@gmail.com> writes:

> phillip.lord@russet.org.uk (Phillip Lord) writes:
>
>> Ted Zlatanov <tzz@lifelogs.com> writes:
>>>>> Then it will be easier to implement something in Emacs to check for
>>>>> available updates on that platform by looking at that version.
>>>
>>> PL> Let me know if you don't have enough.
>>>
>>> Anything else we can do from Emacs to help the user would be good:
>>>
>>> * check signature of installer (ideally without GnuPG, since installing
>>>   that on W32 is not easy)
>>
>> Actually, that's easy since windows does this
>> automatically. Unfortunately, it needs the binary to be signed. That's
>> straight-forward enough, although I would need a certificate to do this,
>> which isn't free (as in beer).
>
> What kind of certificate? <https://letsencrypt.org> offers free as in
> beer TLS certificates.

A microsoft coding signing one.

Phil