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Simplify CLI installation and first usage #1711
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I just found some more issues with balena-cli. Might be related to the installation process (and could be fixed with a proper installer). a) if I do I don't remember having this issue on my old computer. So it might be related to the fact that I installed balena-cli first and then docker, which brings me to the next issue: b) balena-cli does not tell me that I need to install docker first. Of course, there's no installer. But the installation instructions don't tell me either and balena doesn't mention missing docker engine until it fails because of the missing docker engine. Should I submit separate issues for that? |
Thank you for the feedback @frederikheld 👍
As far as I am aware, the If there is a CLI command that requires login and also requires The explanation is that the CLI creates a For the record, :-) we are amending documentation as an easy, short-term workaround to what are really design / implementation issues. Code changes to implement dynamic privilege escalation, dynamic environment detection, and improved CLI installers would avoid the need of a number of manual installation steps and respective documentation.
The Linux installation instructions, Additional Dependencies section, mention that Docker is required for the
With regard to sudo and installers, the problem is not lack of issues, it's lack of developer hours to solve the known issues. :-) In addition to the issues already linked from this issue, other sudo-related issues include: |
Thanks for the clarification :-) I would actually like to contribute more, but it's difficult to find time between my day job and side projects. And installers aren't my turf yet :-P But I just started to use balena, I might contribute more as soon as I understand it better :-) |
User experience / product feedback (gsheet, flowdock) is that the CLI installation (and first usage) is "pretty complicated". Some specific action points have been identified:
Have a proper installer for Linux:
apt install balena-cli
balena version
responds immediately but hangs around for a long time #1436 Produce Ubuntu/Debian packages (deb installer) on releases (oclif publish:deb)This issue has been bumped up in the ordered backlog.
Especially for the getting started / first-time users workflow, avoid requiring users to read a long installation document, open a releases page and choose the right version and file to download:
One "vision" is for the getting started guide (and CLI docs) to have a link like "Click here to download and install the CLI" (exact wording to be decided) and that link points directly to the
.exe
/.pkg
file (Windows / Mac respectively), which the user downloads and executes. No need to read install docs and make early installation choices.For Linux, once we have the installer, the download link might be replaced with: "run
sudo apt-get install balena-cli
to install the CLI" (exact wording to be decided).On the other hand, users might benefit from the awareness of additional installation options. For example, previous mixpanel data analysis suggest that many dashboard Windows users use the CLI on Linux (including the Windows Subsystem for Linux app installed via Microsoft App Store), in which case the assumption that the CLI for Windows is the correct the download option may not be correct. In addition, the standalone zip installation option may be the best choice for text-only (no GUI) remote usage, especially in Continuous Integration environments (including Windows Servers on Azure), though clearly this is not applicable to getting started / first-time users.
Perhaps a reasonable compromise would be for the getting started guide (and CLI docs) to have a couple of links, something like:
Click here to download and install the CLI for Windows
Note: Additional platforms and installation options are available, including the ability to choose specific CLI versions to install -- read more about the installation options.
Such that, hopefully, first-time users just click the first link, but at a later time (once they are more invested in the platform) they could choose to click the second link.
Subtask: Generate download link to latest CLI release ("balena update") #1716 Generate download link to latest CLI release ("balena update")
(The docs / getting started guide should dynamically generate the download link to the latest available CLI release, for the required platform.)
The installer should present an information screen at the end of the installation process, indicating what to do next: open a command shell (which one?) and run
balena version
or something. (And also, discretely add that second link for additional installation options.)Additional Dependencies
We want to avoid requiring the user to manually install additional dependencies, by bundling them and automatically installing them (subject to user consent). (Documenting the external dependencies is better than nothing, but doesn't meet the frictionless standard.) Where the CLI cannot automatically install the dependencies, or as an intermediate step, the CLI should guide / provide information to the user on how to install the dependencies, at 2 stages: during CLI installation, and during command usage. (Consider also that some users may only attempt running commands that require the extra dependencies a long time after the initial installation, so they would not remember any advice provided at installation time.)
balena scan
balena scan
sudo situation #1714 Improvebalena scan
error message re insufficient privileges and "sudo"balena scan
should not filter out production devices #1713balena scan
should not filter out production devicesbalena scan
results. #1578 Flag devices which do not have local-mode enabled inbalena scan
results.balena ssh
balena build
,balena deploy
Web authorization
Performance
balena version
responds immediately but hangs around for a long time #1436balena version
responds immediately but hangs around for a long timebalena help
. #1708 Speed upbalena help
by creating/saving usage information at compile timeAll subtasks identified in this issue have also been added to a GitHub project: https://github.com/balena-io/balena-cli/projects/3
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