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If you're downloading open source software on Windows, friendly reminder to get it via Chocolatey rather than ever clicking on a download button. Chocolatey has

If you're downloading open source software on Windows, friendly reminder to get it via Chocolatey rather than ever clicking on a download button. Chocolatey has reviewed, silent, direct, crapware free downloads of just about anything you'd want. https://chocolatey.org/packages https://chocolatey.org/packages

raesene9 11y ago
Not too sure you can rely on Chocolatey to be direct..? Last time I installed WinDirStat using Chocolatey it got the install file from Sourceforge (over an unencrypted HTTP connection) http://imgur.com/fajFMUA http://imgur.com/fajFMUA
- jongalloway2 11y ago
  It links to official installers which are sometimes on SourceForge, but uses installer switches to set options to deselect crapware, do silent install, etc.
adam12 11y ago
Ninite is pretty slick and crapware free. https://ninite.com/ https://ninite.com/ I can't wait for the new package manager in Windows 10, though.
- raesene9 11y ago
  It would be cool to have a Windows "official" package manager, however I don't think their initial launch is going to be that. From what I understand, it's more of a "package manager-manager" so it manages other systems (like Chocolatey) rather than running the repos itself.
  - chebum 11y ago
    There is Windows Marketplace for that.
    - baldfat 11y ago
      What a complete wasted effort it has become. It could have been so much more. Plus it scared Steam so much that we now have Steam OS and have over 1200 Linux games now available.
    - zymhan 11y ago
      I have a $25 credit in the Windows Store, and I cannot for the life of me find a single thing worth buying.
      - jongalloway2 11y ago
        Windows 10 will include desktop apps in the Windows Store: http://www.engadget.com/2015/04/29/desktop-apps-are-coming-to-the-windows-store/ http://www.engadget.com/2015/04/29/desktop-apps-are-coming-t... In the meantime, I'd drop $5 on Hitman Go: http://apps.microsoft.com/windows/en-us/app/hitman-go/5fa3bb42-c32b-4b1f-9fde-bd2c3d5f3241 http://apps.microsoft.com/windows/en-us/app/hitman-go/5fa3bb...
  - hirsin 11y ago
    Correct. It can (will be able to) talk to npm, pip, RubyGems, cpan, the full gamut of package providers. Connecting to things like Windows Update, Microsoft Dev Center, etc. are also possible to implement.
- deleted 11y ago
  [deleted]
- joshschreuder 11y ago
  Ninite is always the first thing I download on a newly imaged Windows PC. It makes it so easy to install all the programs I use frequently.
- jongalloway2 11y ago
  I used Ninite for years and recommend it to non-techy friends. As a dev, I prefer Chocolatey since it offers a lot more dev-focused packages, meta-packages, can be scripted, works with BoxStarter, etc.
Grue3 11y ago
Reviewed by whom? This and ninite are MITM software providers just like SourceForge. Even if they're safe now, you can't be sure they won't installing crapware in the future.
- 0xAA 11y ago
  Same as with Linux distro maintainers. No guarantees, but this scheme is working for now.
agumonkey 11y ago
Putty was installed quite weirdly though. Otherwise it was pretty exciting to use.
- tracker1 11y ago
  These days, I pretty much use GitExtensions for my gnu-win32 and git bits, it also includes Putty, iirc, but I don't interact with it much.
  - agumonkey 11y ago
    I've always installed putty through the mainstream installer. Chocolatey put some binaries somewhere deep in the FS and hardlinked these in the start menu, no full integration.
pjc50 11y ago
How is it paid for?
- adam12 11y ago
  They have a shop: http://www.cafepress.com/chocolatey http://www.cafepress.com/chocolatey and a donate button at the bottom of the front page. I wonder how much money that can generate though.
- jongalloway2 11y ago
  They're working on Professional, Business and Enterprise plans that offer some more advanced enterprisey features and support: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/ferventcoder/chocolatey-the-alternative-windows-store-like-yum/description https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/ferventcoder/chocolatey... Pretty similar to npm.
drjeats 11y ago
Can it do uninstalls well yet? I tried to make a package for a simple binary last year (I believe it was premake4 or something). It was annoying to use, and other software I installed with it didn't have an uninstall option. Package managers make me happy (love Homebrew on OSX), but I don't see a point if I can't also uninstall. I rarely install things from sources that need vetting.
- jongalloway2 11y ago
  Yes, and they've done some work on automatic uninstall so that there's less work required by packages to support uninstall: https://github.com/chocolatey/choco/wiki/CommandsUninstall https://github.com/chocolatey/choco/wiki/CommandsUninstall

raesene9 11y ago

Not too sure you can rely on Chocolatey to be direct..? Last time I installed WinDirStat using Chocolatey it got the install file from Sourceforge (over an unencrypted HTTP connection) http://imgur.com/fajFMUA http://imgur.com/fajFMUA

jongalloway2 11y ago
It links to official installers which are sometimes on SourceForge, but uses installer switches to set options to deselect crapware, do silent install, etc.

adam12 11y ago

Ninite is pretty slick and crapware free. https://ninite.com/ https://ninite.com/ I can't wait for the new package manager in Windows 10, though.

raesene9 11y ago
It would be cool to have a Windows "official" package manager, however I don't think their initial launch is going to be that. From what I understand, it's more of a "package manager-manager" so it manages other systems (like Chocolatey) rather than running the repos itself.
- chebum 11y ago
  There is Windows Marketplace for that.
  - baldfat 11y ago
    What a complete wasted effort it has become. It could have been so much more. Plus it scared Steam so much that we now have Steam OS and have over 1200 Linux games now available.
  - zymhan 11y ago
    I have a $25 credit in the Windows Store, and I cannot for the life of me find a single thing worth buying.
    - jongalloway2 11y ago
      Windows 10 will include desktop apps in the Windows Store: http://www.engadget.com/2015/04/29/desktop-apps-are-coming-to-the-windows-store/ http://www.engadget.com/2015/04/29/desktop-apps-are-coming-t... In the meantime, I'd drop $5 on Hitman Go: http://apps.microsoft.com/windows/en-us/app/hitman-go/5fa3bb42-c32b-4b1f-9fde-bd2c3d5f3241 http://apps.microsoft.com/windows/en-us/app/hitman-go/5fa3bb...
- hirsin 11y ago
  Correct. It can (will be able to) talk to npm, pip, RubyGems, cpan, the full gamut of package providers. Connecting to things like Windows Update, Microsoft Dev Center, etc. are also possible to implement.
deleted 11y ago
[deleted]
joshschreuder 11y ago
Ninite is always the first thing I download on a newly imaged Windows PC. It makes it so easy to install all the programs I use frequently.
jongalloway2 11y ago
I used Ninite for years and recommend it to non-techy friends. As a dev, I prefer Chocolatey since it offers a lot more dev-focused packages, meta-packages, can be scripted, works with BoxStarter, etc.

Grue3 11y ago

Reviewed by whom? This and ninite are MITM software providers just like SourceForge. Even if they're safe now, you can't be sure they won't installing crapware in the future.

0xAA 11y ago
Same as with Linux distro maintainers. No guarantees, but this scheme is working for now.

agumonkey 11y ago

Putty was installed quite weirdly though. Otherwise it was pretty exciting to use.

tracker1 11y ago
These days, I pretty much use GitExtensions for my gnu-win32 and git bits, it also includes Putty, iirc, but I don't interact with it much.
- agumonkey 11y ago
  I've always installed putty through the mainstream installer. Chocolatey put some binaries somewhere deep in the FS and hardlinked these in the start menu, no full integration.

pjc50 11y ago

How is it paid for?

adam12 11y ago
They have a shop: http://www.cafepress.com/chocolatey http://www.cafepress.com/chocolatey and a donate button at the bottom of the front page. I wonder how much money that can generate though.
jongalloway2 11y ago
They're working on Professional, Business and Enterprise plans that offer some more advanced enterprisey features and support: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/ferventcoder/chocolatey-the-alternative-windows-store-like-yum/description https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/ferventcoder/chocolatey... Pretty similar to npm.

drjeats 11y ago

Can it do uninstalls well yet? I tried to make a package for a simple binary last year (I believe it was premake4 or something). It was annoying to use, and other software I installed with it didn't have an uninstall option. Package managers make me happy (love Homebrew on OSX), but I don't see a point if I can't also uninstall. I rarely install things from sources that need vetting.

jongalloway2 11y ago
Yes, and they've done some work on automatic uninstall so that there's less work required by packages to support uninstall: https://github.com/chocolatey/choco/wiki/CommandsUninstall https://github.com/chocolatey/choco/wiki/CommandsUninstall