From: Peter M. <pe...@an...> - 2003-05-21 23:48:33
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Thanks heaps - I guess I'll use the pascal setup utility for a self extracting win32 install and then just learn how to create a few of the popular linux packages. I'll look into mac-osx a little more carefully later then - when I've at least got a test system (need to upgrade from mac-os9 first). For those of you interested I'm currently testing my own program installations on: windows 98, windows NT, red hat linux, yellow dog linux (I also have mac-os9). As I'm not doing anything out of the ordinary I suspect that's enough to expect other versions of windows and linux to install correctly. On Wed, 21 May 2003 06:48:25 -0400 Earnie Boyd <ear...@ya...> wrote: > Peter Mcleod wrote: > >Hi all, > > > >When it comes to installation programs, a preference I > have > >always had is for a friendly self-extracting > (compressed) > >executable that automatically copies its contents to a > temp > >directory and then starts up an install program (this is > >often helpful as there are still many computer users out > >there who are not so literate). The MinGW and MSYS > >binaries themselves are provided in such a download > format. > > > > Thanks, I agree. > > > > >My questions are: > > > >1. Ideally, I would like to package my cross-os > >programs/utilities like this - is there anything in the > >minGW/gcc world for setting up something similar so that > it > >produces a win32 and a unix installer? How did they > >achieve it with the MinGW installer? What was used for > the > >GUI - surely not GTK without a runtime? --It may help > to > >know I always keep my source code 100% compatible > between > >win32 and unix - that is, no macros, no using os > specific > > function/run-time libraries. I don't even write to the > >windows registery but expect that the installer would > have > >to - for the windows "add/remove programs" utility. > > > > I use an open source utility named INNO Setup which you > can find at http://www.jrsoftware.org/isinfo.php and a > bit of bash scripting. The drawback is that the source > is Borland Pascal. INNO Setup uses a script to control > what is included and has pre and post install controls. > It doesn't have to write to registry at all but will if > you choose to include uninstall procedures only for the > "add/remove programs" utility. > > >2. My previous experience with install programs are all > >win32 related - I understand the various linux > >distributions have their own package managers (I've used > >RPM quite a bit but that's all). How does the linux > world > >co-ordinate installations (if at all)? I wouldn't want > to > >lock out anybody from using any of my programs/utilities > >because they don't install anything that doesn't go > through > >their package manager but at the same time I don't want > to > >create and maintain heaps and heaps of install packages? > > > > > What a delima, I would hope that package distributors > using RPM and DEBIAN dpkg have some nice utilities to > help that delima. I don't know if you can get the INNO > Setup to build for linux, I doubt it, it's mostly Win32 > oriented. I do know that there are ports of some style > of both RPM and DPKG for win32, there is even a > debian-win32 list at debian.org. > > >Whatever info you have, recommendations or sites that > you > >can point me to would be appreciated? If I have to pay > for > >a utility (that supports win32 and linux) and it saves > me > >the bother of too much maintenance, I would be glad to. > > > > > Well, let me know what you come up with. I certainly > don't have an answer for something Linux. INNO Setup > works well for Win32. > > >I have yet another question (which I hope won't detract > >anybody from the above and more important to me) - and > that > >is, how much like linux/unix is mac-osx - do we have a > gcc > >compiler available for it - the standard compiler? If I > >write a plain ansi c program in linux and compile it > will > >it run on linux - or do I need to recompile it on that > os? > > > > IIRC, gcc does exist for OSX. You will need to recompile > and link your binaries unless emulation libraries are > provided, such as WINE or LINE. > > HTH, > Earnie. > == Download ringtones, logos and picture messages at Ananzi Mobile Fun. http://www.ananzi.co.za/cgi-bin/goto.pl?mobile |