Where are the preinstalled versions of Uhbik?

[Liero]

Have the preinstalled / no "Program Files" folder-rape versions of uhbik plugins arrived yet? I've been waiting for them a while now, won't buy uhbik as long as it force-creates stuff on my harddrive where I don't want it.

[geroyannis]

You don't buy Uhbik just because it creates a folder with presets and a few graphics files?

[Liero]

Exactly. If you don't hold file management in high regard on a windows machine you're bound to end up with a total mess.

Plus it's totally idiotic that a software like a simple vst plugin, which in it's raw form is just one .dll file, should force a pile of files into a non-customizable, non-nameable location. It's the year 2009! Imagine what our harddrives would look like if every plugin did this.

[billstei]

[koalaboy]

I suppose this is why Microsoft hides the Program Data directory.

[Urs]

I suppose this is why Microsoft hides the Program Data directory.

Yes... and this is why I recently had my installer modified to solve all problems and create a shortcut-to-wherever-you-want next to the .dll. Which in the end is a pita, but sheesh...

I'll just not release anything prematurely before it's absolutely finished and tested in depth (did that all to often in the past... eeek)

Later,

Urs

[Liero]

Last time I tried the uhbik demo it forced stuff into the Program Files directory. But still, if a folder is hidden it's totally ok for software companies to fill it with stuff you don't know about?

The reason I might seem uptight on this is that I have a lot of laptops and desktop computers and I like to keep the same plugin set on them, and that plugin set changes frequently. When all your plugins are from developers like Voxengo, all you have to do is copy a single folder with all your plugin .dll's to another machine and you're done! Authorization is done within the plugin once you load it up, it takes about 3 minutes. When you have 30+ plugins, that makes life pretty easy.
Now imagine that all of those 30+ plugins need an installer that throws files around your drive without you having any control over it. Not only does it take 3 hours instead of 3 minutes, you end up with a messy file system. Is it really too much to ask for some utterly basic file management options and overall OS cleanliness?

EDIT: Cool, I'll download the demo again and check out the new installer.

EDIT EDIT: Ah, you mean the new installer isn't there yet? Ohwell.

[Urs]

EDIT: Cool, I'll download the demo again and check out the new installer.

EDIT EDIT: Ah, you mean the new installer isn't there yet? Ohwell.

Yes. It's not up yet.

I consider my policy pretty open though... my stuff doesn't even write in the registry and all you need are the .dlls and the stuff in, well, Program Files\u-he\. That's pretty moderate if you ask me. In future however you need to remember where you put your stuff. The manual won't tell you anymore (and this is what I'll have to tell all the people who send me emails because they forgot).

[Liero]

Urs, you're absolutely right in saving the registry from further pollution and I applaud you for that. The registry usually gets a huge beating when installing software, heck, just installing one adobe product will usually result in thousands of new strings in there.

Your new installer with a customizable shortcut sounds great and will make me a happy camper, but what I don't exactly understand is why this change was "a pita" for you? Shouldn't this be like a single replace-a-with-b to point all resources in the plugin at $x instead of C:/Program Files/u-he/ ?

Pita or not, I'm happy it's on its way, please make a new topic on the forum when it's here.

[xybre]

I have all my audio apps installed on an external hard drive, and I don't have a "Program Files" directory, it's called "Applications". Well actually, right now there is one because Prodyon hasn't updated Enchoir to use a configurable directory yet.

Either way Uhbik is at the top of my wishlist (literally, its on my "blahg"), but it would be really nice if it would search for %cd%\Uhbik and use that if there's no %ProgramFiles%\Uhbik directory.

[Urs]

Shouldn't this be like a single replace-a-with-b to point all resources in the plugin at $x instead of C:/Program Files/u-he/ ?

That would've been fun!

The software itself was easily updated with the new scheme. However, *installers* seem to exist because they know about places where users don't go. Unfortunately they are oblivious to the obvious, which would be something that the user can choose (apart from Vstplugins directory). Making this happen came in with a lot of scripting to make the installer aware of things.

Another issue was the update process. There is quite a number of people who already own a license of Uhbik (or Zebra, MFM2...) so the installer had to be modified to move things from Program Files (or Vstplux/Zebra2.data) to the new location before merging that with the updated files.

So, hmmmm. It could've been easy, but it wasn't.

Add to that, MS' recommended installation path would be into "Application Data" which is usually *invisible* to the user. That would've become a nightmare at a scale even worse than the occasional user in UAC mode (is that the name?) who can't write to Program Files and hasn't roaming turned on.

Urs

[koalaboy]

I have all my audio apps installed on an external hard drive, and I don't have a "Program Files" directory, it's called "Applications". Well actually, right now there is one because Prodyon hasn't updated Enchoir to use a configurable directory yet.

If it's a recent MS OS, you do have a Program Data directory though

[Liero]

Installers certainly do suck, that's why a single .dll is the most optimal format for me. I know a lot of people complain that skinning is harder/whatever without separate resource files, but what serious audio engineer gives a rats ass about what color the plugin gui happens to be? I've always found this obsession with skinning really weird.
Voxengo has again turned out to be a frontrunner in providing a single dll plugin that has a few color palette choices in the settings menu that are good. Too bad they don't have a similar hiquality effects bundle like uhbik tho...

[Urs]

Installers certainly do suck, that's why a single .dll is the most optimal format for me. I know a lot of people complain that skinning is harder/whatever without separate resource files, but what serious audio engineer gives a rats ass about what color the plugin gui happens to be? I've always found this obsession with skinning really weird.

It's not just about skinning and stuff.

Many of my plugins are bundles, which in case of AU and RTAS reside together in a single executable. In VST2.x one can do shell plugins, but a famous company has done it their way, so that hosts support their way rather than the official way. So what I do is this:

The installer copies the very same executable n times, each time giving it a different name. When the executable (e.g. .dll on Windows) is started, it retrieves its name and then decides which plugin it is supposed to be. On MacOS X, the installer even needs to apply a patch into the binary data to achieve this goal.

Another thing is, well, all these plugins share so much data, it would be a pity if that had to be copied n times as well.

And then of course, the whole resources stuff in Win development has been a mystery to me. I just can't see myself messing with dozens if not hundreds of Resource IDs if I'm changing a few pixels in some bitmaps - when loading them from a harddrive is even the same code as in the Mac version (where resources are always separate files).

Creating a bit of fun for the skinning community is just a nice side effect.

Cheers,

Urs

[xybre]

what serious audio engineer gives a rats ass about what color the plugin gui happens to be?

*raises a hand tentatively*

I don't like looking at ass-ugly interfaces.

If it's a recent MS OS, you do have a Program Data directory though

I have Windows XP, there is one file in that directory, it is the EADM cache. And I just deleted it.