ANNOUNCE: InstallJammer Multiplatform Installer, version 1.0rc1
Damon Courtney
ANNOUNCE: InstallJammer Multiplatform Installer, version 1.0rc1
The InstallJammer Team is pleased to announce the immediate
release of InstallJammer 1.0rc1!
This is the first release candidate toward the final 1.0
release. Please test and report any bugs you find so that
we can fix them for a really solid 1.0 release. We're
almost there!
~ What is it?
InstallJammer is a multiplatform GUI installer and builder
designed to be completely cross-platform and function on
Windows and most all version of UNIX with eventual support
for Mac OS X.
InstallJammer Features:
* A full-featured install builder.
* Installs are packaged in single binary executables for
each platform making web distribution easy.
* Support for multiple install themes.
* Default install themes that resemble popular, commercial
installers.
* A high level of configurability.
* Built-in support for Windows install conventions.
* Automatic creation of an uninstaller.
* Easily extended to new platforms.
~ What's New in 1.0rc1
The following is a list of some of the major changes in
InstallJammer 1.0rc1. A complete list can be found in
the Release Notes in the documentation. The complete
ChangeLog is also included with each source release.
Along with these enhancements, many bug fixes were also
made and are detailed in the Release Notes.
* Fixed a bug that was causing installers to not all share
the same background color. This would cause the installers
to look odd on most UNIX platforms because the colors didn't
match.
* Fixed a bug where the radiobuttons on the license pane were
not reflecting state properly.
* Fixed a bug that was causing InstallJammer to ignore the
Allow Language Selection property.
* Added a Working Directory property to the Execute External
Program action.
* Fixed a bug in the install builder that would cause the builder
not to remember paned window locations between sessions.
* The Execute Script action now executes at the global level.
* Fixed a bug in the Execute External Program action that would
cause programs to fail if they had spaces or backspaces in
their names.
~ Availability:
Home page:
http://www.installjammer.com/
Downloads are available at:
http://sourceforge.net/project/showfiles.php?group_id=148203
Feedback and bug reports are greatly appreciated.
-
The InstallJammer Team
Wojciech Kocjan
<da...@installjammer.com> wrote:
> Feedback and bug reports are greatly appreciated.
Hello Damon,
Downloaded 1.0rc2. Checked, works like a charm.
I still have some issues with stuff like "add something to start menu only
if X is installed" and many other things, but I guess I need to read the
docs :)
Also, I had some small issues with projects created in earlier versions,
but that doesn't matter, just re-created those.
Anyway, a great app, works like a charm, at least on WinXP.
One great feature request though - I wish it could do something like:
1/ give it a path to one or more tclkit/dqkit binaries for each platform
2/ give it a path to one or more directories that should be appended to
the mk4vfs
(if it would support both starkits and starpack - I'd kiss you :-)
3/ it will do the magic for thatn when building the installer
So that people can just get tclkits, create .mpi projects and the wrapping
would be done by them.
That would be just a *killer app deployer*. Release additional versions
with tclkit included, tutorial how to build a starpack+installer from
scratch in 15 minutes, and that's it.
--
WK
Damon Courtney
> if X is installed" and many other things, but I guess I need to read the
> docs :)
I try to keep the docs pretty thorough, but I don't, as yet, have a
"Is X Installed" condition. 0-] Though, since installers are currently
really built to run in a graphic environment, you can be pretty assured
that X is installed. 0-] Adding to the Start menus in Linux systems is
on my list of features for the next release. Some people make it out
to be really simple, and some of it is, but other parts of it are
really kinda' screwy. Freedesktop.org has taken it a long way, but
there are still platforms that are weird about it.
> Also, I had some small issues with projects created in earlier versions,
> but that doesn't matter, just re-created those.
Yeah. The changes between versions were pretty drastic leading up
to the release candidates. I'm pretty happy with the project structure
now though, so future releases will mostly be focused on new features
that won't really affect the project format.
> 1/ give it a path to one or more tclkit/dqkit binaries for each platform
> 2/ give it a path to one or more directories that should be appended to
> the mk4vfs
I'm not sure I follow you. What exactly are you looking for?
> 3/ it will do the magic for thatn when building the installer
>
> So that people can just get tclkits, create .mpi projects and the wrapping
> would be done by them.
>
> That would be just a *killer app deployer*. Release additional versions
> with tclkit included, tutorial how to build a starpack+installer from
> scratch in 15 minutes, and that's it.
Well, InstallJammer was originally built on Tclkit, and it made it
REALLY easy to deploy .tcl scripts as starpacks just by executing an
action to build the .exe on the target system. I really loved using
it, but its reliance on C++ made it impossible to deploy when, as a
developer, I have NO CLUE what the target system is going to look like.
Tclkit Lite is an interesting idea, but it still lacks the ability to
write kits. So, I just ended up bundling my own 'installkit' that has
everything I need with a ZVFS backing. Though, I'm looking at chucking
that too in favor of a homegrown archive format that will support any
compression format (7zip being the one I would like to use).
We'll see. I have a long list of features that I've been holding
off on until 1.0 is released. 0-]
Damon
Wojciech Kocjan
<da...@installjammer.com> wrote:
> I try to keep the docs pretty thorough, but I don't, as yet, have a
> "Is X Installed" condition. 0-] Though, since installers are currently
Well, I meant "is X installed" in terms of groups of files in the
installjammer, not X11.
>> 1/ give it a path to one or more tclkit/dqkit binaries for each platform
>> 2/ give it a path to one or more directories that should be appended to
>> the mk4vfs
>
> I'm not sure I follow you. What exactly are you looking for?
sdx wrap + install things. So that I have "myapp.vfs" dir and in 5 minutes
I can click and build a nice installer that will do all the magic of
wrapping to my selected tclkit binary for me.
> Well, InstallJammer was originally built on Tclkit, and it made it
> REALLY easy to deploy .tcl scripts as starpacks just by executing an
> action to build the .exe on the target system. I really loved using
> it, but its reliance on C++ made it impossible to deploy when, as a
> developer, I have NO CLUE what the target system is going to look like.
I remember tclkits aren't linked dynamically against libstdc++. Only libc
or everything static.
> Tclkit Lite is an interesting idea, but it still lacks the ability to
> write kits. So, I just ended up bundling my own 'installkit' that has
> everything I need with a ZVFS backing. Though, I'm looking at chucking
> that too in favor of a homegrown archive format that will support any
> compression format (7zip being the one I would like to use).
Yeah, C++ dependency is a mess. Not sure about it, but I guess jcw is
working on replacing metakit in a non-C++ technology.
But the other thing is - since you currently only deploy on win32/linux
does it really make sense to drop tclkit which already supports these? Or
can you just name a platform that you want to deploy on and it doesn't
have a tclkit version?
> We'll see. I have a long list of features that I've been holding
> off on until 1.0 is released. 0-]
--
WK