viking@iuvax.cs.indiana.edu (Jon W. Backstrom) (10/27/88)
This is a potentially ignorant question, but is it possible to read
the contents of an install script in order to tell what it will do
when it gets executed?
I get install scripts with about every software package I purchase and
I'm never quite sure what the script is doing. If there is a software
tool that reads scripts, I'd like to know about it.
Thanks for any and all information.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jon W. Backstrom "Yah sure...we gonna have fun, you bet!"
Computer Science Department
Indiana University Internet: viking@iuvax.cs.indiana.edu
Lindley Hall 101 UUCP: {ames,rutgers,pur-ee,att}!iuvax!viking
Bloomington, IN 47405
"The world has arrived at an age of cheap
(812) 855-4829 (Office) complex devices of great reliability; and
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- Vannevar Bush (1945)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------wade@sdacs.ucsd.EDU (Wade Blomgren) (10/27/88)
In article <14298@iuvax.cs.indiana.edu>, viking@iuvax.cs.indiana.edu (Jon W. Backstrom) writes: > is it possible to read the contents of an install script in order to > tell what it will do when it gets executed? > I get install scripts with about every software package I purchase and > I'm never quite sure what the script is doing. If there is a software > tool that reads scripts, I'd like to know about it. > If you are talking about scripts for the Apple Installer program, they can be read with ResEdit. In each script file is a resource of type 'insc', ie "installer script". ResEdit has a fairly comprehensive template for editing this resource type, and someone with a reasonable understanding of what resources are all about should be able to follow along. The format of an 'insc' resource is documented in Technical Note 75. Wade Blomgren wade@sdacs.ucsd.edu
u545731798ea@deneb.ucdavis.edu (L. Greg DeMichillie) (10/27/88)
In article <14298@iuvax.cs.indiana.edu> viking@iuvax.cs.indiana.edu (Jon W. Backstrom) writes: >This is a potentially ignorant question, but is it possible to read >the contents of an install script in order to tell what it will do >when it gets executed? > >I get install scripts with about every software package I purchase and >I'm never quite sure what the script is doing. If there is a software >tool that reads scripts, I'd like to know about it. > >------------------------------------------------------------------------------ >Jon W. Backstrom "Yah sure...we gonna have fun, you bet!" Actually, you can use ResEdit to view installer scripts. Scripts are stored as resources of type 'insc'. Each insc resource is just a list of strings indicating the resource type and numbers to be copied. To make things even easier, there is an insc template installed in ResEdit (at least in version 1.2b2) that allows you to directly edit the insc. A word of caution: you should of course be careful when mucking around with installer scripts, if the manufacturer wanted a particular resource to be installed and you don't install it, the program may get downright nasty about it. Have fun ----- L. Greg DeMichillie "How much is a Jasmine hard disk *without* Apple Student Rep - UC Davis the keyboard?" lgdemichillie@ucdavis.edu - Weird computer customer question of AppleLink: ST0178 the week Disclaimer: If you've seen one disclaimer, you've seen them all.
kent@lloyd.camex.uucp (Kent Borg) (10/28/88)
In article <14298@iuvax.cs.indiana.edu> viking@iuvax.cs.indiana.edu (Jon W. Backstrom) writes: >This is a potentially ignorant question, but is it possible to read >the contents of an install script in order to tell what it will do >when it gets executed? ... ResEdit (at least newer versions) has a template for looking at `insc' (I hope I got that right) resources. That plus the tech note (67?) on the installer will get you started, but warning: it's not easy. Kent Borg kent@lloyd.uucp or hscfvax!lloyd!kent