Total Commander

The default installation directory is still C:\totalcmd.
I think this should be changed to "C:\Program Files\Total Commander". Every 'good' windows program should just install itself in the program files directory, and not in the root directory.

P.S. Yes I know it's not always C:\Program Files, but you get the point. (The real location can be retrieved from the registry with a Win32 API function, I can't remember which one).

Really do you think Total Commander is merely a 'good' Windows program?

i personally don't care where the installer wants to put it. i haven't used the installer for years to "install" tc, because i have my version configured so it is portable.
And for the updating process i find it more convenient to do it "by hand", because then i see which files get overwritten.

The program directory needs to be accessable, M$ keeps changing the way that things are described directorially (?).

Imagine if cg had ever chosen to use the now destroyed 'My Documents' convention for anything... gad, I get nauseous even thinking about it, heheh. One (or *I*) has to presume that some(hopeless,worthless POS)one in M$ will see fit to attach 'Program Files' to this ghastly thought process (term used Very loosely) so as to coerce Ma & Pa Kettle to buy multiple licenses of software, because Ma installed it - clicking 'yes' to every button, so it landed in:

Program files/installed programs/programs that I can see but that no one else in my family can cuz that might be efficient/my programs/this program/another directory that copies several other directories so as to seriously confuse people/a group of programs that might have something in common but actually don't/a subdirectory that separates this from other similarly dissimilar programs/directory that is dictated by the seller, but in no way-shape-or-form may refer to the company that wrote the software/name of company that wrote the software/software grouping even though the software compay makes only one product/software name, suspiciously called something else, so Pa can't even search for it, as a kindness to save him time, since he wouldn't be allowed to see it in the first place.

... and Pa doesn't know Ma's login password, so he can't use the program! (yes, he went to Best Buy / Walmart to buy it in the first place).

laugh now, read this again in a year...

This issue has been discussed in the past and AFAIK the reason it is like this, is backwards compatibility. Since support for older Windows versions may change in the future (as Christian has stated in this post), it would be very nice if the default installation path was changed too. IMHO, nomatter how much one likes or dislikes M$, Windows have set some standards and it would be nice if all tried to use them. "Program Files" is one of them.

I suppose that combining these approaches would be very simple, in the same way as an option allowing to select the location of ini files (it has been added in last versions). Then user will be able to select the desired path at installation in one click, something like this:

• (o) C:\Program Files\Total Commander
  (o) C:\totalcmd
  (o) [select your own path]

wanderer wrote:IMHO, nomatter how much one likes or dislikes M$, Windows have set some standards and it would be nice if all tried to use them. "Program Files" is one of them.

I totally agree. We shouldn't even be discussing this. Programs go into the Program Files folder. That's it, end of story.

wanderer wrote:IMHO, nomatter how much one likes or dislikes M$, Windows have set some standards and it would be nice if all tried to use them. "Program Files" is one of them.

I agree. I have my TC in root drive, but generally I really don't like when programs set their default install directories other than Program Files.

compie,
I agree, we shouldn't even be discussing this. Programs go into the Programy folder. That's it, end of story.

Roman

Hi, Hacker (and all the others, too)

I thought you might remember that inside the history.txt you can read that the default installation folder had to be changed back to C:\totalcmd, because on most NT-based systems (NT, Win2K, WinXP and Win2003), everybody can create a folder in the root of C:, but only admins and power users can create folders inside %programfiles%.

(I had argued in favour of %programfiles%\totalcmd as well, before I realized this issue with %programfiles%)

Karl

Programs go into the Programy folder.

No! they go into "Programmer"

karlchen wrote:I thought you might remember that inside the history.txt you can read that the default installation folder had to be changed back to C:\totalcmd, because on most NT-based systems (NT, Win2K, WinXP and Win2003), everybody can create a folder in the root of C:, but only admins and power users can create folders inside %programfiles%.

Yup, nice one MS. What a way to secure Windows!

karlchen,
Hello!

I thought you might remember that inside the history.txt you can read that the default installation folder had to be changed back to C:\totalcmd

Yes, I remember that.

Roman

karlchen wrote:Hi, Hacker (and all the others, too)

I thought you might remember that inside the history.txt you can read that the default installation folder had to be changed back to C:\totalcmd, because on most NT-based systems (NT, Win2K, WinXP and Win2003), everybody can create a folder in the root of C:, but only admins and power users can create folders inside %programfiles%.

(I had argued in favour of %programfiles%\totalcmd as well, before I realized this issue with %programfiles%)

I don't think this is a good reason to keep the default install directory in the root. If it was a good reason all programs would install in the root directory by default, which is not the case.

compie wrote:I don't think this is a good reason to keep the default install directory in the root. If it was a good reason all programs would install in the root directory by default, which is not the case.

As much as i hate to say it, there is. From a developer's point of view, who wishes to make it easy for his customers to use it's program, this is a solution. Not to mention that TC still supports Windows 3.11 (which do not have a "Program Files" folder) and before you ask, yes there are still Win31 users out there! If Christian decides to drop support for older Windows versions, he may also consider changing the default dir. Until then, i don't see things changing.