What is the minimal install process?

[Monte Goulding]

>
> Last July (I'm amazed it was so long ago) I was asking the list about
> installers for RR standalones, particularly on Windows. At the time,
> I was interested in the association between documents and the
> corresponding applications. Ken Ray gave me a very clear explanation.
> He ended his message with the words:
>
> >If an app has *no* documents, you don't need to make any file
> >associations, and can simply copy the app to the user's hard disk.
>
> My publisher has told me that the particular app I'm developing
> doesn't need any file associations (it has documents, but these are
> exclusively opened from within the application); so on the face of it
> I can follow Ken's advice. However there are a couple of other
> considerations:
>
> 1. As I understand it, there are certain conventional places programs
> are supposed to go (various flavours of 'Applications' folders in
> MacOS 9 and 10, presumably the 'Programs' folder in all versions of
> Windows). I can't guarantee that my user is going to follow my
> written advice and copy the standalone to one of these special
> destinations - so do I therefore need an installer to make sure the
> program turns up in the 'right' place? I don't understand the
> consequences of putting stuff in the 'wrong' place on any platform.
>
> 2. I think (not sure) that in recent versions of Windows and in MacOS
> 10.x, programs go into folders which in normal situations are
> write-protected. The 'abnormal' situation is brought about by logging
> on as an administrator. Again, do I need an installer to help with
> this process, or will my user get a sufficiently clear indication as
> to what they've done wrong if they try to copy the app into a
> protected area?

It depends what your market is to what the norm may be. If you are marketing
to individual/home users you probably won't have any problem with this issue
but if you are going to the education market or medium to large business you
will run into this. If you are a system administrator at a school the last
thing you want is students installing anything they want onto the systems.

I work arounding by saving a copy of critical data in the application data
folder. Check out Ken's website for more info on Windows folders.
>
> I'm also somewhat concerned about the placing of preference and/or
> license files, but I think I now know how to get over that one.
>
> A search through the list archives reveals that installers have been
> discussed a few times (there is a good deal of useful info in fact),
> but AFAIK there has not yet been a definitive description of the best
> way to go about creating an installer, particularly a multi-platform
> installer.
>
> Is anyone on the list publishing programs with any kind of installer
> who would care to share their techniques with the rest of us?

Look at Install Maker from clickteam for a very cheap solution. It's even
free if you leave their add in. It also has great compression.

Cheers

Monte