Comments on: Disk images suck: An examination of why, and of the alternatives http://boredzo.org/blog/archives/2007-05-13/disk-images-suck-an-examination-of-why-and-of-the-alternatives The personal weblog of Peter Hosey. Thu, 08 Jan 2009 23:59:28 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.5 By: Peter Hosey http://boredzo.org/blog/archives/2007-05-13/disk-images-suck-an-examination-of-why-and-of-the-alternatives#comment-134980 Peter Hosey Thu, 01 Nov 2007 16:27:42 +0000 http://boredzo.org/blog/archives/2007-05-13/disk-images-suck-an-examination-of-why-and-of-the-alternatives#comment-134980 Martin: Agreed. However, some users don't use English as their system language, even if they know English and accept it in web responses. For these users, you should have your Download link go to a page that redirects to the disk image for the automatically-chosen language, and offers direct links to the disk images in all the other languages. Martin: Agreed.

However, some users don't use English as their system language, even if they know English and accept it in web responses. For these users, you should have your Download link go to a page that redirects to the disk image for the automatically-chosen language, and offers direct links to the disk images in all the other languages.

]]> By: Martin Redington http://boredzo.org/blog/archives/2007-05-13/disk-images-suck-an-examination-of-why-and-of-the-alternatives#comment-134979 Martin Redington Thu, 01 Nov 2007 16:21:56 +0000 http://boredzo.org/blog/archives/2007-05-13/disk-images-suck-an-examination-of-why-and-of-the-alternatives#comment-134979 You should be able to serve up localized disk images, by inspecting the language settings of incoming http requests, and configuring your webserver to send the appopriate image, or an english fallback if you don't have a version for the users language. This would actually be pretty sweet. You should be able to serve up localized disk images, by inspecting the language settings of incoming http requests, and configuring your webserver to send the appopriate image, or an english fallback if you don't have a version for the users language.

This would actually be pretty sweet.

]]> By: David Smith http://boredzo.org/blog/archives/2007-05-13/disk-images-suck-an-examination-of-why-and-of-the-alternatives#comment-47400 David Smith Tue, 15 May 2007 16:06:27 +0000 http://boredzo.org/blog/archives/2007-05-13/disk-images-suck-an-examination-of-why-and-of-the-alternatives#comment-47400 In response to comment 2, just that they behave like normal disk images. In response to comment 2, just that they behave like normal disk images.

]]> By: ssp http://boredzo.org/blog/archives/2007-05-13/disk-images-suck-an-examination-of-why-and-of-the-alternatives#comment-47398 ssp Tue, 15 May 2007 15:36:15 +0000 http://boredzo.org/blog/archives/2007-05-13/disk-images-suck-an-examination-of-why-and-of-the-alternatives#comment-47398 When I played with all options of the hdiutil command a few years back it seemd to decrease the size of the disk image slightly. At least in the tests I did back then I could beat pretty much any other feasible compression method which is why we went with disk images as we didn't have a lot of bandwidth to waste then. When I played with all options of the hdiutil command a few years back it seemd to decrease the size of the disk image slightly. At least in the tests I did back then I could beat pretty much any other feasible compression method which is why we went with disk images as we didn't have a lot of bandwidth to waste then.

]]> By: Peter Hosey http://boredzo.org/blog/archives/2007-05-13/disk-images-suck-an-examination-of-why-and-of-the-alternatives#comment-47213 Peter Hosey Mon, 14 May 2007 10:05:11 +0000 http://boredzo.org/blog/archives/2007-05-13/disk-images-suck-an-examination-of-why-and-of-the-alternatives#comment-47213 I find the zsh equivalent far more straightforward: <code>function dmg { hdiutil create -ov -format UDBZ -layout NONE -srcdir $1 $2.dmg && hdiutil internet-enable $2.dmg } </code> Should work in bash, too, but I haven't tested it. I hadn't known about -layout NONE before. Does that help anything? I find the zsh equivalent far more straightforward:

function dmg { hdiutil create -ov -format UDBZ -layout NONE -srcdir $1 $2.dmg && hdiutil internet-enable $2.dmg }

Should work in bash, too, but I haven't tested it.

I hadn't known about -layout NONE before. Does that help anything?

]]> By: ssp http://boredzo.org/blog/archives/2007-05-13/disk-images-suck-an-examination-of-why-and-of-the-alternatives#comment-47209 ssp Mon, 14 May 2007 09:43:37 +0000 http://boredzo.org/blog/archives/2007-05-13/disk-images-suck-an-examination-of-why-and-of-the-alternatives#comment-47209 Ah, well I forgot half of what I wanted to say: I meant to post two links (below) the upshot of which is that you want to have a line like alias dmg 'hdiutil create -ov -format UDZO -layout NONE -imagekey zlib-level=9 -fs 'HFS+' -srcfolder \!:1 \!:2.dmg; hdiutil internet-enable -yes \!:2.dmg' in your .tcshrc (or use UDBZ in there if you don't need X.3 compatibility, of course). Turning this into something equivalent for bash or other shell hell or putting it into an Automator workflow is left as an exercise to the reader. http://earthlingsoft.net/ssp/blog/2003/11/xcode http://earthlingsoft.net/ssp/blog/2007/04/software_distribution Ah, well I forgot half of what I wanted to say: I meant to post two links (below) the upshot of which is that you want to have a line like

alias dmg 'hdiutil create -ov -format UDZO -layout NONE -imagekey zlib-level=9 -fs 'HFS+' -srcfolder \!:1 \!:2.dmg; hdiutil internet-enable -yes \!:2.dmg'

in your .tcshrc (or use UDBZ in there if you don't need X.3 compatibility, of course). Turning this into something equivalent for bash or other shell hell or putting it into an Automator workflow is left as an exercise to the reader.

http://earthlingsoft.net/ssp/blog/2003/11/xcode
http://earthlingsoft.net/ssp/blog/2007/04/software_distribution

]]> By: Peter Hosey http://boredzo.org/blog/archives/2007-05-13/disk-images-suck-an-examination-of-why-and-of-the-alternatives#comment-47177 Peter Hosey Mon, 14 May 2007 04:47:30 +0000 http://boredzo.org/blog/archives/2007-05-13/disk-images-suck-an-examination-of-why-and-of-the-alternatives#comment-47177 ssp and Michael: I've updated the post to include your comments. Thanks! ssp and Michael: I've updated the post to include your comments. Thanks!

]]> By: Simone Manganelli http://boredzo.org/blog/archives/2007-05-13/disk-images-suck-an-examination-of-why-and-of-the-alternatives#comment-47162 Simone Manganelli Mon, 14 May 2007 02:24:04 +0000 http://boredzo.org/blog/archives/2007-05-13/disk-images-suck-an-examination-of-why-and-of-the-alternatives#comment-47162 Michael: I stand corrected. So you can. :) Michael: I stand corrected. So you can. :)

]]> By: Michael Tsai http://boredzo.org/blog/archives/2007-05-13/disk-images-suck-an-examination-of-why-and-of-the-alternatives#comment-47146 Michael Tsai Mon, 14 May 2007 00:46:23 +0000 http://boredzo.org/blog/archives/2007-05-13/disk-images-suck-an-examination-of-why-and-of-the-alternatives#comment-47146 Simone: You can setup a configuration in DropDMG with the options that you want (such as Internet enabled), then create an Automator workflow that uses that DropDMG configuration, and finally save the workflow as a contextual menu item plug-in. Simone: You can setup a configuration in DropDMG with the options that you want (such as Internet enabled), then create an Automator workflow that uses that DropDMG configuration, and finally save the workflow as a contextual menu item plug-in.

]]> By: ssp http://boredzo.org/blog/archives/2007-05-13/disk-images-suck-an-examination-of-why-and-of-the-alternatives#comment-47128 ssp Sun, 13 May 2007 21:36:31 +0000 http://boredzo.org/blog/archives/2007-05-13/disk-images-suck-an-examination-of-why-and-of-the-alternatives#comment-47128 I had my 2.71 words to say on this in the past. And the bottom line isn't clear at all. In particular I found that the size advantage of disk images can range from being very small - around 5% say – to quite large – I think I've seen up to 1/3, depending on the data you have. From a user-friendliness POV, though, I think zip always wins these days. If only because Safari will decompress the archives almost instantaneously while even an internet enabled disk image requires quite lengthy processing with the mounting, copying and unmounting that has to be done. You can even see the mounted image while this happens which can easily lead to unintended confusion as well. I guess this is the price we have to pay for Apple choosing the very 'compatible' zip format for us. I had my 2.71 words to say on this in the past. And the bottom line isn't clear at all. In particular I found that the size advantage of disk images can range from being very small - around 5% say – to quite large – I think I've seen up to 1/3, depending on the data you have.

From a user-friendliness POV, though, I think zip always wins these days. If only because Safari will decompress the archives almost instantaneously while even an internet enabled disk image requires quite lengthy processing with the mounting, copying and unmounting that has to be done. You can even see the mounted image while this happens which can easily lead to unintended confusion as well.

I guess this is the price we have to pay for Apple choosing the very 'compatible' zip format for us.

]]> By: Simone Manganelli http://boredzo.org/blog/archives/2007-05-13/disk-images-suck-an-examination-of-why-and-of-the-alternatives#comment-47127 Simone Manganelli Sun, 13 May 2007 21:19:59 +0000 http://boredzo.org/blog/archives/2007-05-13/disk-images-suck-an-examination-of-why-and-of-the-alternatives#comment-47127 <a href="http://c-command.com/dropdmg/" rel="nofollow">DropDMG</a> is a nice piece of software that'll make an internet-enabled disk image from a folder, but it costs $20 and isn't a contextual menu item. But it's worth mentioning anyway. DropDMG is a nice piece of software that'll make an internet-enabled disk image from a folder, but it costs $20 and isn't a contextual menu item. But it's worth mentioning anyway.

]]> By: Peter Hosey http://boredzo.org/blog/archives/2007-05-13/disk-images-suck-an-examination-of-why-and-of-the-alternatives#comment-47121 Peter Hosey Sun, 13 May 2007 19:32:57 +0000 http://boredzo.org/blog/archives/2007-05-13/disk-images-suck-an-examination-of-why-and-of-the-alternatives#comment-47121 How don't they work properly in other browsers? (Aside from being just like non-internet-enabled images.) How don't they work properly in other browsers? (Aside from being just like non-internet-enabled images.)

]]> By: David Smith http://boredzo.org/blog/archives/2007-05-13/disk-images-suck-an-examination-of-why-and-of-the-alternatives#comment-47120 David Smith Sun, 13 May 2007 19:13:20 +0000 http://boredzo.org/blog/archives/2007-05-13/disk-images-suck-an-examination-of-why-and-of-the-alternatives#comment-47120 Internet Enabled disk images also don't work properly in all browsers, which can be a bit awkward (my parents, for example, are Camino users). Internet Enabled disk images also don't work properly in all browsers, which can be a bit awkward (my parents, for example, are Camino users).

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