Oliver's installation notes from June 15, 2016, sent to Leah at the Library.Oliver installed the Pearson Crystal Data software from the media Leah loaned him. Oliver's notes, in first-person form:
Here's what I found out, answering some of the questions we had this morning:
- DVD installation is required to install the software. A copy of the DVD's data to a folder would not install, alas. Nor would a copy subsequently mounted as an *.iso.
- June 24, 2016 update: Bad news on facilitating distribution of the DVD installation of the Pearson Crystal Data software. There seems to be copy protection on the disk which prevents making an ISO. (The last few sectors and some sectors in the middle that actually don't contain any of the data show up as unreadable.) And we have double-confirmed that a direct copy of the data does not allow installation. Thus, future installations will require Chemistry folks to make a trip to the Math Library.
- June 24, 2016 update: Bad news on facilitating distribution of the DVD installation of the Pearson Crystal Data software. There seems to be copy protection on the disk which prevents making an ISO. (The last few sectors and some sectors in the middle that actually don't contain any of the data show up as unreadable.) And we have double-confirmed that a direct copy of the data does not allow installation. Thus, future installations will require Chemistry folks to make a trip to the Math Library.
- DVD has almost 3GB worth of data.
- Installation requires Admin. Gives the option of installing for just the current account, or for all users of the computer.
- Installed and ran just fine on Windows 7, 64-bit.
- Manual states, "Niggli cell reduction and related operations performed by "Structure Tidy" only works on 32-bit but not on 64-bit Windows systems." Default contemporary Window installs are 64-bit. So that could represent a problem for some researchers.
- License file is a tiny (1.3K) text-based file (*.lic) so presumably very easy to host for distribution, if properly protected.
- The license file has the application expire after 5/31/2017. The file text includes a hash so simply changing the date within the file does not defeat the purpose of the file. Application will quit if the file is not present or valid. If not valid, opens up a message on local email client, filled out to Pearson, with license file pre-attached. End user will need new file each year and replace old file with it. Since in the Program folder, Admin required.
- Installation installs manual. (Thus, no need to scan it.) 2 versions: One in A4 and one in US letter size (8.5*11"). Each is 16.4MB.
- Update was a full, single-file <pcd.exe>. It replaces originally installed one. Originally installed is version 1.9. Downloaded version made it version 1.9b. Question: Is one able to place the newest version into an *.iso or new DVD, or will that break the installation?
Distribution possibilities, informed by our morning discussion and the above confirmations:
(1) Make physical DVD available at Math Library.
- Optional: Provide just PDF of manual(s), behind a authentication/ authorization wall.
(2) Make license file available via thumb drive at Math Library.
- Optionally: Make license file available via download (Library? CU Software?), behind an authentication/ authorization wall.