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I found that strange as well. My guess is that `npm` is just the package manager people are most likely to already have installed and doing it this way makes it
by varenc 7mo ago
I found that strange as well. My guess is that `npm` is just the package manager people are most likely to already have installed and doing it this way makes it easy. They might think asking people to install Cargo is too much effort. Wonder if the pattern of using npm to install non-node tools will keep gaining traction.
- freakynit 7mo agoWhy not just downloadable binary then?
- varenc 7mo agoFor many, installing something with npm is still easier. It chooses the right binary for your OS/architecture, puts it on your PATH, and streamlines upgrades. Their Github releases provides the binaries, as well as a `curl ... | sh` install method and a guide to use github releases attestation which I liked.
- freakynit 7mo agoHmm, that's right... thanks..
- krzyk 7mo agoI feel better with `curl ... | sh` than with npm. npm suggests projects written in js, which is not something I'm comfortable. It is nice to see that this is not JS, but Rust.
- varenc 7mo agoAgreed! The `curl ... | sh` is sketchy, but it's more obviously a security risk and easier to inspect. With install hooks, `npm install ...` also allows arbitrary code execution when you run it, but this is less obvious.
- patates 7mo agoThey have them: https://github.com/googleworkspace/cli/releases https://github.com/googleworkspace/cli/releases
- bigstrat2003 7mo agoMost people aren't going to have npm installed though. Nobody outside of web devs uses it.
- sankalpmukim 7mo ago"Most people" are webdevs Bracing for getting cancelled
- patates 7mo agoA lot of people who are not web devs use it, that's what I see. I even saw some mainframe developers use npx to call some tool on some data dump. Also, this is a web project anyway. Google Workspace is web based, so while there is a good chance that the users aren't web developers, it's a better chance that they have npm than anything else. In the case that they don't, releases can be downloaded directly too: https://github.com/googleworkspace/cli/releases https://github.com/googleworkspace/cli/releases
- gempir 7mo agoIf you had to pick one package manager that was most likely installed across all the different user machines in the world, I'd say npm is a pretty good bet.
- wiseowise 7mo agoPip.
- m000 7mo agoIt's still weird. Why not just use an effing install.sh script like everybody else? And don't tell me "security". Because after installation you will be running an unknown binary anyway.