Why does no one talk about the Windows Registry?

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macboer

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Firstly, delete this post if you want.

Secondly, Why do i only find out now about the Windows registry "problem".
Am i wrong or is this a huge problem with Windows?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_Registry

I'm tired of bashing windows but this was very interesting to me, so i thought i'd share the AMO! :P
 
mess around with the Registry, and Windows is dead :D

Great tool for us BOFH's to bork a luser's PC completely :D
 
macboer said:
Why does no one talk about the Windows Registry?
Click to expand...

Because this is the Mac forum. We don't care.

macboer said:
Secondly, Why do i only find out now about the Windows registry "problem".
Click to expand...

We should be asking you that. It's been making computers slow down and lives miserable since 1992...

macboer said:
Am i wrong or is this a huge problem with Windows?
Click to expand...

This is way off topic, but I'll stray a bit. It's a problem yes, but not because of the registry per se. It's a major problem because so many other things around it is done so flat wrong. Letting ordinary applications write anything other than HKEY_USERS, letting desktop users run as administrator - two major evils without which windows would be a far happier place (disclaimer: I don't know about Vista and 7 - haven't used Windows in 3 years).
 
Had this conversation with some of my PC loving friends the other day - they didn't believe me that a Mac doesn't have a registry. Told them that's one of the biggest flaws in Windows ;)
 
Whut? no one talks about it because... there's nothing to talk about.

Whats the big deal? I haven't had a registry error on any on my pc's. Ever.
I know its there, and I have poked around in it every now and then.

Windows is a tool, not a lifestyle. If it doesn't work for you get another tool, don't sit and brood about how your last tool didn't work for you.
Use the new tool, get on with your life. (you must lead a sad little existence)
 
Fudzy said:
How does the Mac store configuration information?
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If I'm not mistaken, this is why you can copy a program from one Mac to another Mac - unlike on a PC where files are installed all over the place when installing an app. Unix and Windows think totally different when developing :D
 
rapidblue said:
If I'm not mistaken, this is why you can copy a program from one Mac to another Mac - unlike on a PC where files are installed all over the place when installing an app. Unix and Windows think totally different when developing :D
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Oh so the configuration file is in the program folder, cool. But then system configurations etc? The registry goes a bit further than just application settings.

Also if you have two users on a Mac, one is allowed to burn CDs etc using application X while the other user is not allowed, how do you manage that?
 
When the registry dies, Windows dies. Best left alone. If you are hellbent on making changes, make exports before touching.
 
Fudzy said:
System restore FTW :D
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Assuming you are running a version of Windows that supports system restore AND are making checkpoint backups. Usually system restore makes a checkpoint when installing software/drivers/whatever. Not so when you decide to fudge around with the registry.
 
unskinnybob said:
Assuming you are running a version of Windows that supports system restore AND are making checkpoint backups. Usually system restore makes a checkpoint when installing software/drivers/whatever. Not so when you decide to fudge around with the registry.
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True, always good idea to leave the registry alone unless you're 100% sure of what you are going in for and if you do, make a backup. It's piss simple.
 
Madman88 said:
Windows is a tool, not a lifestyle. If it doesn't work for you get another tool, don't sit and brood about how your last tool didn't work for you.
Use the new tool, get on with your life. (you must lead a sad little existence)
Click to expand...

We weren't talking about it until a Windows user bought it up in a Mac forum.

Fudzy said:
How does the Mac store configuration information?
Click to expand...

Individual files - mostly plist files and sqlite databases.

rapidblue said:
If I'm not mistaken, this is why you can copy a program from one Mac to another Mac - unlike on a PC where files are installed all over the place when installing an app. Unix and Windows think totally different when developing :D
Click to expand...

No. The program files are contained in one place. Your configuration files for each app is stored in two places. /Library/ somewhere for system-wide, and /Users/yourname/Library/ for user config. If you just drag and drop something from the /Applications folder to another machine, you basically get a fresh install.

There are exceptions to the everything-in-one-place way. Some applications vendors still have Windows mentality and just install their **** all over the place. Microsoft, for example. Office dumps a load of stuff under ~/Documents instead of ~/Library - I really hope this is fixed in the new version.

Some other applications, I imagine VMware/Parallels/VirtualBox need to install stuff at a system level to work at all. I seriously doubt they'll just work if you drag/drop them to another machine. But usually they're pretty good about setting themselves up the first time you run them, so it should be reasonably straight-forward.
 
Fudzy said:
Oh so the configuration file is in the program folder, cool. But then system configurations etc? The registry goes a bit further than just application settings.

Also if you have two users on a Mac, one is allowed to burn CDs etc using application X while the other user is not allowed, how do you manage that?
Click to expand...

Simple, Steve wants you to buy another copy of application X, that's their approach.

Also, just as the same way that Mac stores system configuration settings in plists and databases, so does windows. The registry is just an interface to that.
 
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