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For the first time ever, it's the "Clueless Code of the Year" awards, and it goes to...<drumroll please>
Epson America Inc., for outstanding performance in the category of Why in the name of sanity did they do that?
for their continuing efforts to write the worst installers ever seen on Mac OS X.
No, really. You think I'm kidding?
HAH!
Follow the evil trail...
Today, I had to install drivers and associated software for an Epson Stylus Pro 4800 Professional Edition. (yes, yes, I know, they get a supporting award for the Department of Redundancies Department) It took five separate downloads to get all the files I might need, including ColorSync profiles and configuration tools.
Here's the chain of events:
- Download 5 binhexed self-expanding archives, aka .sea.hqx files. Yes, I know, I thought that too. But okay.
- De-binhex down to the .sea file. Note that this file when run, is created by Stuffit Installermaker. Huh, okay, so this will install it. Oh no. No, not even close
- The .sea then creates a .dmg file. That's right, a .dmg file. No, I cannot tell you why they deliver a disk image file in this manner, because while I may indeed be the cynical *($&%# people say I am, I am not in fact, insane. But we aren't done.
- mount the .dmg file, and see....an Installer Vise installer. So to get to the installer it's taken another installer, a disk image, and de-binhexing
- Have one of the installers insist on having every running application quit to install, AND do a restart...Shades of OS 9! I pictured this old dude in the bowels of Epson America saying "When we used OS 9, this is how we did it, and WE LIKED IT!!!"
So actually setting up the printer was easy, right?
Oh hell no. You can't do it manually. You have to use either AppleTalk, or Bonjour, or some autoconfig method, or you can't install the printer.
Is Epson trying to FORCE me to only use HP? Because it seems like it. I really don't think an installer should make me wonder if I'm insane for seeing what I'm seeing.
But maybe I'm wrong. Maybe there's a worse installer on the Mac. So let's have some fun. Post your submissions for "Worst Installer" in the comments for this or as a trackback. If I can get a few done by next Wednesday, I'll turn them into a column for Datamation, and we'll see if maybe that opens an eye or two.
Technorati Tags: Apple, Geeks, Installers, Technology, TEH STOOPUD
Posted by John C. Welch at 18:45 | Permalink
