Re: This may be a crazy idea but...


"Chris Brooksbank" <NoSpamPlease@Somewhere> wrote in message
news:425508fb$1@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

> You can definitely do this of you want. There are tools which link the
> required pieces of the dotnet runtime into your exe, also any other custom
> dotnet assemblys can be linked into the exe. Dunno how big the exe is tho
!
>
>

I had looked for tools for this in the past and couldn't find any, but it
does seem that they are now starting to appear, and I have to say they look
attractive, suggesting file sizes of ~6MB for a typical GUI application.
The one that looked interesting was "ThInstall",
http://www.thinstall.com/help/?linking_netframework.htm (although no prices
are quoted, so I'm guessing at expensive). Their marketing information
looks mighty impressive and certainly looks worth investigating. Has anyone
here used it ?

>From their site :

1. The .NET Framework adds more that 20MB to your application download. How
many users are you losing because of the extra 1-3 hours of modem download
time?

Thinstall creates a stand-alone application that runs without the .NET
Framework in as small as 2.7MB for a simple Hello World, and ~6MB for a
typical GUI application.

2. The installed size of the .NET Framework is more than 100MB. How many
users will decide to uninstall your application because it takes up too much
space?

Thinstall runs .NET EXEs without decompressing any files to disk, so the
download size and install are exactly the same. i.e. 2.7MB versus 100MB, or
3700% less space.

3. Users are afraid of installing the .NET Framework.

Users have a short attention span, don't waste time trying to convince them
they need to install 2 things to run your application.
When you have the user's attention, sell them on your application, not on
why they need the .NET Framework.
Thinstall combines your program with the required portions of the .NET
Framework to form a single EXE that runs without installation.
No files are extracted/installed to the hard drive, the application can be
run directly from CDROM or Internet download link.

4. The .NET Framework install requires registry write access and is not
possible for Guest accounts on 2k/xp.

Guest accounts are very common in large corporate and educational
institutions.
Guest users cannot evaluate your software for purchase without contacting
the IT department, which leads to lost sales.
Thinstall allows .NET applications to run without registry permissions on
all windows Accounts.

5. The .NET Framework install fails on more than 1% of computers because the
user's computer is "broken" from previous installers or viruses.

Is is not your job to trouble shoot why the .NET Framework installer isn't
working!
With zero installation, Thinstall runs .NET applications on PCs with
corrupted registries, missing DLLs, broken MSI, etc.

6. Your application may not be compatible with newer or older versions of
..NET Framework.

Don't waste your time tracking down bugs that aren't your fault.
Thinstall links a specific version of the .NET Framework with your
application, so it runs exactly the same every time.




.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: Stand Alone EXE
    ... presently they may have to download the .Net Framework up to 3 times ... Thinstall apps are still a lot larger than a simple exe output from .Net. ...
    (microsoft.public.dotnet.general)
  • Re: Compiler/shrinker?
    ... > EXE, ie. ready to be handed to users who don't have the .Net framework ... I don't think that the tools mentioned above are must-haves. ... The simplest and best way is to install the complete ...
    (microsoft.public.dotnet.languages.vb)
  • Re: Making an exe that doesnt need .NET framework
    ... > install .NET, ... > way to make an exe of a C# program that doesn't need .NET to be ... The only .NET language that doesn't need the .NET Framework to execute is C++ .NET. ...
    (microsoft.public.dotnet.languages.csharp)
  • Re: Install with no Framework??
    ... >> I noticed a Free ware CDBurnerXP Pro 3 that boasts ... >> downloaded the 15MB install file. ... >> uninstalled my .Net Framework. ... >I think Thinstall might be useful in some very special situations, ...
    (microsoft.public.dotnet.languages.vb)
  • Re: how to run an exe created in C#
    ... what version did you install on the client computer? ... > that computer should have .net framework installed on it to run the exe. ... > "Application terminated, click ok to terminate the application and cancel ...
    (microsoft.public.dotnet.languages.csharp)