[plt-scheme] Application distribution mechanisms ...

On Wed, Jan 7, 2009 at 8:57 AM, Matthew Flatt <mflatt at cs.utah.edu> wrote:
> benefit, installing a Planet or ".plt" package avoids a lot of linking
> and compatibility problems with shared-library versions.

I will say that the new distribution method works great for me. I love
the fact that we no longer have a dependency on the entirety of PLT
Scheme to distribute parts of our toolchain. A few MB for a tool is a
great trade-off from requiring users to install 30+MB (and possibly
get the wrong version, or bung things up, or ...).

Like you say:

"For this to be the right default installation, though,
there'd have to be many users downloading many PLT-based executables,
and the users must really want executables instead of
executable-creating ".plt" files. Is there such a group of people?"

I don't know how big those numbers are, but I've never achieved them.
I'm still in the 1-10 user range on most things, and the simplicity of
"Create Executable" makes things a lot better. (I take that back: when
we use our tools in the classroom, I guess we have more users... and
still, requiring PLT Scheme so students can program a robot in another
language really doesn't play out well.)

My (unasked for) 2c.

Cheers,
Matt