Packaging Application Metadata

[Danno Ferrin]

Hare to be a WORA basher, but you shouldn't be building and deploying
packages on platforms you don't have one to test on.  So I don't see the
requirement of packaging on the platform you are testing on to be an
impediment.  As it stands, you must build iOS apps on a Mac and there are
some deeply embedded code signing reasons why that won't ever be (legally)
overcome.  Mac apps a little less so, unless you want to put it on the Mac
App Store.  (Same with Win 8, Ubuntu and RasPi seem to be the outliers,
although making a deb on a non Unix platform is a trip).   The vendor lock
in is not in the packaging but the store.

Coloring my view is the fact that I have also become a huge advocate of
bring your own runtime, because the update releases are not all bug
compatible.  And to bring your own runtime cross-compilation is often more
difficult than firing up the build script on three different (virtual)
machines.

On Thu, Apr 11, 2013 at 8:40 AM, Mark Fortner <phidias51 at gmail.com> wrote:

> Creating installers is not really the issue. Izpack will let you do that as
> part of a maven build. The real issue is creating an artifact that is
> runnable regardless of the platform. Either a native artifact, or a
> universal artifact. If it's a native artifact we need to be able to build
> it even though we don't have the target platform installed. Something which
> currently seems to be beyond our reach.
>
> Mark
> On Apr 11, 2013 4:51 AM, "Pedro Duque Vieira" <pedro.duquevieira at gmail.com
> >
> wrote:
>
> > Yeah.. I forgot to mention. I can generate all this installers (Mac OS,
> > Windows and Linux) from my windows machine.
> >
> > Cheers,
> >  On Apr 11, 2013 6:07 AM, "Mark Howe" <mark.howe at oracle.com> wrote:
> >
> > > Thanks for the info, just curious does it matter which platform you are
> > > on, i.e. can you do all 3 from any of the 3 platforms?
> > >
> > > On Apr 10, 2013, at 2:30 PM, Pedro Duque Vieira wrote:
> > >
> > > > Hi Daniel,
> > > >
> > > > It generates dmg for Mac OS, ".sh" for unix and exe installers for
> > > windows.
> > > > In this tool you can generate Mac OS and windows installers that are
> > self
> > > > contained regarding the jre, i.e. no explicit installation of java is
> > > > required by the user, it is packaged with the installation file and
> > > > installed automatically. Only the Linux installers are incapable of
> > being
> > > > self contained.
> > > >
> > > > I don't know how they do it, all I can say is that it works.
> > > > They've been kind enough to offer me a free license for my free
> > software.
> > > > It's available for download in the download section of the site:
> > > > http://modellus.co/ if you want to check them out.
> > > >
> > > > The mac version seems to be a little buggy (have to see if I can get
> > more
> > > > time to fix it) but I guess that is related to problems with the Mac
> OS
> > > JRE
> > > > rather than with the install4j tool.
> > > >
> > > > Cheers,
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > On Wed, Apr 10, 2013 at 1:18 AM, Daniel Zwolenski <zonski at gmail.com>
> > > wrote:
> > > >
> > > >> How do they legally manage to do this and if they are doing it, why
> > > won't
> > > >> Oracle?
> > > >>
> > > >>
> > > >>
> > >
> >
> http://resources.ej-technologies.com/install4j/help/doc/indexRedirect.html?http&&&resources.ej-technologies.com/install4j/help/doc/jreDownload.html
> > > >>
> > > >> (this note is suspicious: Note: JRE bundles are not supported on Mac
> > OS
> > > X
> > > >> for both technical and legal reasons.)
> > > >>
> > > >>
> > > >>
> > > >>
> > > >> On Tue, Apr 9, 2013 at 8:09 PM, Daniel Zwolenski <zonski at gmail.com>
> > > wrote:
> > > >>
> > > >>> Using install4j you are able to produce all the deployment bundles
> > > (msi,
> > > >>> rpgs, etc) for all the various platforms (windows, mac, etc) on one
> > > >>> development platform (e.g. on windows or on mac)?
> > > >>>
> > > >>> If so I'd be keen to look at what they are doing and how they are
> > doing
> > > >>> it.
> > > >>>
> > > >>>
> > > >>>
> > > >>> On Tue, Apr 9, 2013 at 5:23 PM, Pedro Duque Vieira <
> > > >>> pedro.duquevieira at gmail.com> wrote:
> > > >>>
> > > >>>> I use install4j to great effect for deploying to Linux, Mac and
> > > Windows.
> > > >>>>
> > > >>>> I find it is a nice tool to use with a GUI to select through the
> > > several
> > > >>>> options you want like icons, jar dependencies, jre, download jre
> on
> > > >>>> demand
> > > >>>> or having the jre inside the instalation file, splash screen,
> etc..
> > > >>>>
> > > >>>> The only issue is that it is a proprietary payed tool, perhaps
> > Oracle
> > > >>>> could
> > > >>>> create something like this.
> > > >>>>
> > > >>>> My 2 cents, cheers,
> > > >>>>
> > > >>>>
> > > >>>>
> > > >>>> --
> > > >>>> Pedro Duque Vieira
> > > >>>>
> > > >>>
> > > >>>
> > > >>
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > --
> > > > Pedro Duque Vieira
> > >
> > >
> >
>



-- 
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