What is the minimal install process?

[Graham Samuel]

Thanks to all who replied on this (Ken, Alex, Monte). I think I'm 
being told that a 3rd party installer is best, certainly for Windows, 
and maybe for Mac. A few comments:

On  Sun, 23 Mar 2003 16:13:51 -0700, Alex Rice <alrice at ARCplanning.com> wrote:

>[helpful info, for which thanks, then...]


>I'm not sure what you mean about Multiplatform Installer. Each OS has
>different installation requirements so shouldn't you use an
>installation technique appropriate for that platform?

I was imagining putting the app on a single ISO 9660 CD, and then 
letting the user take things from there depending on what he sees on 
the desktop (essentially one of 2 standalones, each with a different 
engine). So really there will be at least two installers, I admit (3 
if Unix is to be used, but not in my case). I guess I was muddling 
the install process itself (which must always be platform dependent) 
and the actions of the app, which I want to consist of a single code 
base which just finds out at runtime which platform it's on. If one 
can eliminate any external installer (I now think one can't), then in 
that sense the app and its install process would both be 
multiplatform. I expressed myself badly.

On Mon, 24 Mar 2003 10:06:53 +1030, "Monte Goulding" 
<monte at sweattechnologies.com> wrote:
>
>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.

Yup, that's my market, more or less. The kids in this case are pretty 
young, but experience suggests that they will be frighteningly 
computer-competent.

All in all, I think I just have to accept that after the wonderfully 
smooth process of creating a standalone from within RR, the 
development brakes then get jammed on while the developer struggles 
with setting up the installation process. C'est la vie.

Thanks again.

Graham
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          Graham Samuel / The Living Fossil Co. / UK & France