Re: [Caml-list] How to fail to install Ocaml in 18 steps

[Andrej Bauer <andrej.bauer@andrej.com>]

> I completely agree that it does not have to be that hard.
>
> On the bright side, we are currently working hard on improving the
> Eclipse support for OCaml, and we should be able to release an improved
> plugin in a few months.
>
> We also plan to release Windows installers for the next versions of
> OCaml, to continue the great work started by Jonathan Protzenko.

Yes, please don't take my report as whining (only), but just as a user
experience report, to see how things go wrong.

I think it is particularly hard to get things right because there is
no single place which describes the correct procedure. Some people
will start with the Eclipse plugin and won't realize they need to
install Ocaml separately. Some people will install Ocaml, but won't
read instructions and won't install Mingw (like my student).

Suppose you do it the logical way:

1. Install Ocaml.
2. Install OcaIDE.

Then you'll still end up installing Mingw and later Cygwin, when
Cygwin with Mingw selected was all that was needed.

The Ocaml web site, or wherever Google sends people who type in
"install ocaml",  should have _unambigious_ set of instructions. No
ifs and thens and "Level 1" and "Level 2", and "source code or binary
installer" and "you need Mingw but you don't really because you can
have Microsoft stuff as well, and if you want 64-bit then Mingw is no
good, and there will be further surprises when you get to OcaIDE, we
lied about Mingw and Microsoft stuff, you will need cygwin anyhow,
etc."

People expect:
1. Install these prerequisites.
2. Install this stuff.
3. Install that stuff.
4. It's working.
5. Somewhere at the bottom of the instructions there is a link to
"alternative ways of installing" and "troubleshooting".

If you make them decide whether they want Mingw or Microsoft right at
the beginning, it's already a lost battle. If you list installation
from source code before you list the binary installer, that's a big
mistake. People who want and know how to install from source will find
the source code even if you hide it from them. The other 99% will just
get confused.

A good example is how Linux distributions have evolved from "it takes
a week to install Linux" to "burn this CD and reboot". They used to
list 27 kernel images with and without drivers and with and without X
windows etc, and they made the user select the right one. Now they're
reduced to "Intel 32", "Intel 64" and something else I never pay
attention to. We're somewhere in the "it takes a week to install
Ocaml" era, I am afraid.

I just realized that the documentation for OcaIDE failed to install,
aparently the relevant stuff could not be downloaded. We had to
disable that. So that's 19 steps.

With kind regards,

Andrej