Hi All,

It seems to me that although everybody on the newsgroup are very
competent developers, we all have issues with the client install.

I think it all revolves around the following. A typical app with us is:
- VDF Runtime
- VDF client registration code
- SQL Connectivity kit
- SQL Connectivity kit code
- SQL Client (DB2 client)
- SQL Client connection settings to host
- Own application
- RDC runtime
- Several Active X components
- Active X registrations

If these are done the only by DAW legally allowed way (that is not pack
into one setup.exe), it takes even the fastest LAN Operation support guy
10 minutes per PC!!!. if there are 20 PC's that is almost half a days
work... For a client self install... you just wouldn't let them...

Then there are upgrades;
- Check if VDF version x is installed, if not, install it,
- Check if ......

All in all, for a LAN Operations Guy, his/her worst nightmare. So what
they do is create setup.exe's without realizing that this violates the
licence. When they then stuff up, it is not their fault, nope, we are
the ones they come to and complain it does not work (and don't tell us
that they packed it in one, and that was the cause...)

Anyway, where am I going with this...

I really would like to be able to have a smooth install of all of the
above with one interface.

My dream is the following:
In the studio we have a 'Build installer' option. Page 1 of the wizard
would show a checkbox list of projects with the current one selected. In
Page 2, a checkbox list of additional components would be shown (from a
global list we can maintain), with entries like 'DB2 CK 4.1', 'RDC
Runtime' etc. Page 3, would check the projects code for embedded Active
X objects. It would show the list and ask for including them. Then Page
4 would be the registration codes. It would be great if we can link an
(encrypted) file, that as a command parameter to the registration
program (or whatever) would complete the registration process. A list of
such (prepared) files would be shown (Product name, Serial# and
Registration name) and again tickboxes for adding them to the install.
Then Page 5 would be finish and a directory would be created with all
stuff in it and one setup.exe.

I don't know where the technical issues of my dream become an issue, but
something close to that would be sooooo cool.

I can imagine an XML file that the setup.exe reads with all the details.
A vertical market app, would only need new Licence files and perhaps an
altered XML file.

If DAW is afraid that the licence file are going to live a separate
life, you could make sure that the Studio's serial# is tied into the
licence file. The install then would check that the VDFApp.exe is
compiled with the serial# in the licence file, otherwise will not
automatically register.

Hope this is constructive to a proper solution to the issue.

Cheers,
Marco







Feel free to complete the list but the ones that I can come up with are:
- Unable to have one install of the runtime, the CK's the pac