Every organization is facing their own Digital Transformation as they attempt to stay ahead of the competition, or worse, just keep up. Each new opportunity, whether embracing machine learning, IoT, or a cloud migration, seems to bring new development, deployment, and management models. The results are more diverse and federated computing models than any time in our history.
| By Ed Zebrowski | Article Rating: |
|
| April 1, 1998 12:00 AM EST | Reads: |
16,304 |
The huge task of creating that great Java application is finally over. Although the product is "user friendly" when up and running, installation has typically been very cumbersome and time consuming. A product that is easy for the layman to install will surely outsell one that isn't.
You must now go back to work. What's needed is a development tool that not only enables applications to be installed easily for the end-user, but is quick and easy for the developer to use as well. What's needed is InstallAnywhere from Zero G Software, Inc. InstallAnywhere enables the creation of a single, universal installer that will operate on any Java-enabled platform. This includes Windows, UNIX and Mac OS. IA tailors itself to the user's system, saving the time and expense of building separate installers for each platform.
Installing IA was an absolute breeze. Anyone who can install basic software off a CD can have IA up and running in a matter of minutes. If you're like me, typing code at a command line all day will start to drive you batty. Here lies another wonderful feature: IA runs entirely in a GUI interface.
When I first opened IA, I was given two choices; an "open existing" option which allowed me to continue working on a previous installer, or a "new" option, which asked me to name the new installer. Upon clicking new, a "quick start" feature greeted me. It then walked me through a seven-step shortcut which made building my installer remarkably easy. The seven steps I had to follow were:
1. Select the "Add files/folders" button
2. Select and add the files to install
3. Select the main class
4. Create a launch Anywhere executable (for Java applications)
5. Switch to the build task (for Java applications)
6. Press the "build installer" button
7. Run my installer
If a simple installer is required, I've found it! I came away amazed at just how easy it is to use this product. If your application requires more complex interactions, fear not. Although the seven-step method can't be used for more complex installations, life will still be much easier using IA.
When I bypassed the "quick start" feature, I thought I was looking at a nicely laid out Web page rather than a powerful application builder. On the left side of the screen, there are seven tasks from top to bottom. When a task is clicked on, a center work field is filled with the various tools pertaining to that task. Let's take a look at each task, and what's involved with each one.
Files
This task displays all the files and directories that will be installed. It is broken down into three panes:
Bundles
This task shows the "Bundles" (functional groups of files) in the installer, along with the "Install sets" each bundle is assigned to. This task also has three panes:
Install Sets
This task shows the groupings of bundles that comprise the entire installation in your installer. It also has three panes:
This task allows you to specify five options about the installer being designed:
Plug-ins
This task brings up the interface for the IA plug-ins you may be using. Zero G tells us that there are a number of plug-ins under development, including a multi-language kit.
Build
The Build task allows the specification of what types of installers you want to build and which platforms you want your installer to run on. One of the specifications of this task is the "Delivery" option, which specifies which type of installation you want to build. IA supports two types of installations:
View Java
This task will generate Java code for the installer you have just built. By looking at this, you can see how objects are created and get a good picture of how your installer will work. This is a good feature for the true Java-heads who are just not comfortable unless they can look directly at their source code. The code faithful will be disappointed to learn that the code must be edited outside of IA. Files to be edited must be copied and then opened in an external development environment. The InstallAnywhere Standard Edition, it should be noted, does not support the addition of code outside of the existing IA objects. You would have to move up to InstallAnywhere Commercial Edition, an additional $3000.00 cost, to have this feature. For the extra three grand, you get detailed developer and API documentation and sample code and can use JavaBeans.
Conclusion
The job of the software developer is to develop products that are easy for the customer to install and use. In today's "we need it yesterday" world, it's good to know that a tool is available that allows quick and easy development of reliable custom installers. Give InstallAnywhere a try. It could help make your task just a bit easier.
Published April 1, 1998 Reads 16,304
Copyright © 1998 SYS-CON Media, Inc. — All Rights Reserved.
Syndicated stories and blog feeds, all rights reserved by the author.
More Stories By Ed Zebrowski
Edward Zebrowski is a technical writer based in the Orlando, Florida, area. Ed runs his own Web development company, ZebraWeb
Every organization is facing their own Digital Transformation as they attempt to stay ahead of the competition, or worse, just keep up. Each new opportunity, whether embracing machine learning, IoT, or a cloud migration, seems to bring new development, deployment, and management models. The results are more diverse and federated computing models than any time in our history.
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