[
Date Prev][
Date Next][
Thread Prev][
Thread Next][
Date Index][
Thread Index]
[
List Home]
|
[stellation-res] Windows distribution file
|
I have been thinking about the best format for the Windows distribution file
for Stellation. Basically there are three options:
1. Produce a Windows installer file.
2. Produce a .zip file.
3. Produce a self-extracting zip file.
The pro's for option 1 are that this is a well understood format that is
tightly integrated with the Windows environment.
The major disadvantage is that either you need an expensive commercial
installer generation program or you are faced with a LOT of work to generate
a .msi file.
The main pro for option 2 is simplicity. Ant will readily generate a .zip
file. This is also the current distribution mechanism for Eclipse.
The main disadvantage is that you require Winzip installed on the machine to
get access to the contents of the .zip file. Winzip is frequently not
installed on servers which is where the server component of Stellation will
normally be installed. It also means that installation is a two step
procedure instead of a single step procedure.
The main pro for option 3 is that the distribution file is completely
self-contained and that there are no unnecessary installation steps.
The main con's are that the creation of the distribution file is more
complex, although it can still be fully automated. The program that creates
self-extracting zip files is a Windows only program, therefore the step that
creates the distribution file must run on a Windows machine. In addition the
self-extracting zip file creator must be present on the Windows machine.
Providing Samba is available to provide access to the files to be packaged,
it is possible to run this step from a Linux machine, inside the Ant script,
by using the Ant Telenet task.
I would very much like to avoid option 1 because of the requirements for
commercial products to build the distribution file. This approach, to me is
not in the spirit of open source projects.
I personally prefer option 3, primarly because I think it offers a more
professional installation experience and it makes no assumptions about the
software available on the target computer.
What do you think about this?
Regards
Jonathan
Personal Email
jgossage@xxxxxxxx
Business Email
jonathan@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
