Putting stacks on a web site: doc or standalone?

[Dan Shafer]

>>
In response to a question from Dom, Alex Rice wrote:

>> -- a standalone
>> but the size will be very large, sometimes for a simple utility
>> (I don't like real basic apps for this very reason ;->)
>>
>> * as for the runtime, can I redirect visitors to Revolution web site,
>> or ??
>>
> A 2 MB standalone will compress down to < 1MB. A lot of users won't
> even try software that requires a player or runtime to be downloaded or
> installed. And if it doesn't come with an installer...
>
> I guess it depends on who the audience is!

I agree with Alex here. I'd use a compressed standalone if the intent 
is for users to download and run the product/application from the Web. 
I have a sort of minimalist-case app that is 2MB uncompressed but which 
Stuffs to 784K. Another app that weighs in at 3.7MB as a standalone 
stuffs down to 1MB. Even at 56K, a 1MB file isn't onerous as a download.

It's important to note, too, that when you build a standalone (I'm sure 
you already know this, but some others here might not) you want to 
strip out all of the inclusions that you don't need. You do this on the 
final panel of the distribution builder interface at the Inclusions 
tab. This can have a relatively significant (300-500K) impact on 
application size.

Incidentally, Stuffing for OS X produces files that are slightly 
smaller than Zipping for Windows, but it appears to me to be only about 
10% or so.

HTH

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dan Shafer, Revolutionary
Author of forthcoming 3-book set,
"Revolution: Programming at the Speed of Thought"
http://www.revolutionpros.com for More Info