Hacker News Reader

Comment by mixmastamyk | Hacker News Reader

    Installation is through the Sublime Text 2 console. This is
    accessed via the ctrl+` shortcut. Once open, paste the following command
    into the console:

    import urllib2,os; pf='Package
    Control.sublime-package'; ipp=sublime.installed_packages_path();
    os.makedirs(ipp) if not os.path.exists(ipp) else None;
    urllib2.install_opener(urllib2.build_opener(urllib2.ProxyHandler()));
    open(os.path.join(ipp,pf),'wb').write(urllib2.urlopen('http://sublime.wbon
    d.net/'+pf.replace(' ','%20')).read()); print 'Please restart Sublime
    Text to finish installation'

Are you kidding me? The product or package maintainer should handle this better.

View on HN

Hey, we're programmers here. When the entire install command fits in one line of Python, and I can read it, I freaking love seeing the entire thing and running it in the interpreter myself. I have -1 problems with this.

Plus it's easy as pie, and as anyone who's actually used Package Control knows, it would be worth it if you had to pluck a hair from an Argentinian llama and place it in your USB port while reciting the gregorian chant from Monty Python and the Holy Grail to install it. One line of actual Python is simply a convenient shortcut.

Um, this is product for developers. I think that they should be able to handle a pretty simple copy/paste. Not sure the reason behind the drama queenery.

If it's worth doing, it's worth doing right. Respect others and they will respect your work.

This is a worthless, false platitude.

So we know your stance on courtesy and respect to others.

It needed to be said, and the style was intentional. Statements like the one you made sound right and are easy for readers to accept as fact. My comment was intended to make people go back and reevaluate yours. I think it was accurate, effective rhetoric. It wasn't intended as a judgment of your worth; just as a judgment of that particular comment's worth.

It reads as if you're more interested in stamping out cliches rather than if the cliche is true or not in this instance.

By doing right did you mean a nice CSS3 layout and HTML5 formated, with sprites and parallax moving piece of step by step install tutorial shit?

Your reaction is understandable but wrong. It's a ugly, horrific block of code that you copy/paste and never think of or see again. The package manager itself makes the installation and management of 3rd party packages incredibly easy. It's super impressive really.

Naturally people ask if the 3rd package manager will become an official feature but that opens up a new can of worms.

If a package manager is needed then it is needed. Let's do it the right way.

Who cares if it is "professional" or not? It works, and you do it once after you install the editor and never do it again. Oh yeah, and it was created for free by someone not associated with the product and is awesome.

> Are you kidding me? The product or package maintainer should handle this better.

Man, you got that right. They should make it so that it can be installed through Package Control.

Oh, wait...

For a bootstrapping method, this seems completely reasonable. It doesn't involve downloading inscrutable single-platform installers, or opening a shell window, or any other external dependencies. The whole process runs inside the one environment you're guaranteed to have: Sublime Text itself.

Agreed. It doesn't go with the rest of ST2 ease of use. I was shocked that people think this is whining, but then remembered that programmers are used to putting up with the obviously-less-than-ideal:

"Computer people generally design terrible computer interfaces because they are not only willing to cope with something bad, they're pleased to."

- Alan kay, Personal Computing Historic Beginnings

Yeah, that's convenient. The alternative is to go in there and copy the package yourself. Enjoy. Of course, other people have better things to do.

I haven't had a chance to checkout Sublime Text 2, but that sample prompted me to download it after finding out it has a console that will accept python as a way to install packages.

I'd prefer that to a black-box installer.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com