Hi Brynn,
I'm glad you found some of what I said to be useful. I can't answer all of your questions below, so hope you don't mind if I "pick and choose" only those that I can answer.
On Sat, Dec 3, 2016 at 1:24 PM, brynn <brynn@...3089...> wrote:
Thanks for your comments, Ray. Much appreciated.
Since there hasn't been much response to this, which to me seems like a potentially serious problem/bug, I'm wondering if those who package Inkscape for Windows already are aware of this, but don't have time to explain it.
As I've hinted, I've experienced this problem with other programs before on Microsoft Windows. It is a bit more common than we would like. So, I'm a bit hesitant to label it a "serious bug" given that it does happen to other programs.
Or, to put it another way, I encountered it many years ago when there were still 32-bit systems. Once it bit me, I never took the risk again and uninstalled all previous versions before installing the next one.
If you have a 64-bit machine and 64-bit Windows, indeed...go with the
64-bit program only.
I had to use the 32-bit version of 0.91, because of a bug in the 64-bit version which was bothersome. I felt it was fortunate that I had a choice. But I also understood that Inkscape wouldn't be using all my cores and memory threads (or whateve they are called). (I think it's been fixed for 0.92, so I'll be glad to switch back to 64-bit.
I don't know what you do with Inkscape, but if you're just drawing pictures, I guess 32-bit is probably enough. That seems to be 4 GB of memory -- that's actually a lot of memory for a picture. Surely if you're processing video or other large data files, 4 GB might not be enough.
Just my guess, though... I guess you would know if you were hitting the limit because Inkscape would become *really* slow. (Since it would probably use your hard disk to make up for less memory.) If that hasn't happened to you, my *guess* is that you never hit the limit.
Nowadays, the bigger issue between 32-bit versus 64-bit is that developers are slowing down in terms of updates to the 32-bit version. I think it will be gradually phased out. The fact that Inkscape still makes a 32-bit available is a testament to its low memory requirements (in my humble opinion).
Indeed, two versions of Inkscape should be listed as two versions in
your list of installed programs. The fact that it isn't is of course not your fault. But ignoring it may not be a good idea...
Are you saying that what I thought was true, that multiple versions can be installed, as long as they are in different directories? Or are you saying the *if* multiple versions are allowed, they should both (or all) be shown in Programs and Features?
So, I guess I was saying a few things in that paragraph. Sorry about that!
It's been a while since I even attempted to have two versions of a program on my computer, so this is a bit from memory...
Suppose you had "Microsoft Office 2010" and then you installed "Microsoft Office 2012". I don't suggest this! But in your list of installed programs, you may see two entries. Presumably, Microsoft has allowed these two programs to co-exist and their names are what I just wrote in quotations. Thus, when installing the latter one, there is no name clash.
On the other hand, suppose you first installed version 2010 of "Microsoft Office". Then you try to install version 2012. It would be good if you're given a warning here because there would be a "duplicate program".
So, the question from Microsoft Windows' perspective is what is the name of the program. "Microsoft Office 2010" or "Microsoft Office", version 2010. And the answer to this question isn't clear-cut and it will vary from program to program. I don't know what Inkscape does. Is it "Inkscape 32-bit" or the 32-bit version of "Inkscape"?
The other point I was trying to make is if it is "Inkscape", then suppose you installed the 32-bit version first. Then, when you install the 64-bit version, does it go into "Program Files x86" but in a completely *separate* folder. That is, are the two installations 100% independent? If so, then that is a good sign and having the two versions on your computer is perfectly ok.
On the other hand, with it try to install the 64-bit version on *top* of the 32-bit version? If so, that is bad. And we aren't talking about just the folder but also the "registry" [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_Registry] . The Windows Registry is a database of installed programs -- so it contains information about installed programs. And messing that up is a nightmare.
Without knowing whether the 64-bit version is installed in a way that is completely independent of the 32-bit version, the safest, most conservative approach is to keep at most one version on your computer at any given time. Having the installation succeed doesn't necessarily mean everything is ok -- that is because when the latter version is installed, it may not check if there is another version already there. So, it will write on top of files without warning...
When I do all this uninstalling and installing, I will be transferring my same preferences.xml file from the old into the new. The prefs file has no bearing on this issue, right? And what about Inkscape versions? Should I experiment with 0.91 stable, or 0.92pre3? Or that doesn't matter either?
As a new user of Inkscape, I definitely can't answer this question for you.
What I said above is probably applicable to any program with a 32-bit and a 64-bit version.
Hopefully someone else can help you!
But even if the 64-bit version installs correctly, I still would like someone to address the issue of having multiple versions installed. Do bug managers and testers use all 7z versions, when they do their testing? What if they have to test a problem with an EXE or MSI version??
Likewise, I haven't played with the 7z versions, either.
I'm not sure if anyone has the 32-bit and 64-bit versions co-existing as a type of "test". I think you might need a developer to chime in when you're asking more specifically about Inkscape.
Good luck with your problem! From your other e-mail, it sounds like you uninstalled the 32-bit version and then installed the 64-bit version fine? That's good to hear!
Ray