InstallAnywhere Now! Read Me
version 2.1.1 - August 7, 1998

About InstallAnywhere Now!

InstallAnywhere Now! is a lightweight version of Zero G Software's industry-standard InstallAnywhere installation technology, designed to meet the essential needs of anyone looking to deploy Java software (or any kind of software at all) to multiple platforms.  Creating installers that run via CD-ROM or over the Web, making native launchers for Java applications, setting the CLASSPATH, and specifying custom application icons are all a snap with InstallAnywhere Now!.  Its easy-to-use Project Wizard lets you build installers for just about any platform in six simple steps.  And as your needs grow, you'll be able to upgrade to the more sophisticated editions of the InstallAnywhere family of products:  InstallAnywhere Express and InstallAnywhere Standard Edition.

System Requirements

InstallAnywhere Now! can run on any system that supports Java 1.1. Due to differences in Java implementations, we recommend Java 1.1.5 or later. Java is available from the following sources:

InstallAnywhere Now! Web Site

Visit http://www.InstallAnywhere.com/ianow to:

The InstallAnywhere 2 Family of Products

If you find you have more sophisticated installation requirements, there are two other products in the family of InstallAnywhere installation tools, each targeted to a different set of developer requirements.  InstallAnywhere Now! projects are fully upward-compatible with the other two editions of InstallAnywhere.  Visit http://www.ZeroG.com for additional information.

InstallAnywhere 2 Standard Edition

The perfect installation tool for mid-range commercial Java deployment:

InstallAnywhere 2 Express

The tool for lightweight Java installation needs:

Features found in the Standard Edition but not included in Express:

See Zero G Software's web site at http://www.InstallAnywhere.com/ianow for the latest information on pricing and availability.

InstallAnywhere Now! Licensing

InstallAnywhere Now! is fully licensed. However, you do need to register InstallAnywhere Now! to receive technical support, updates to the latest version, and special upgrade offers. You can register at the InstallAnywhere Now! web site at http://www.InstallAnywhere.com/ianow. Please see the InstallAnywhere Now! license agreement for more details.

InstallAnywhere Now! Known Issues

General issues

- InstallAnywhere Now! always builds installers and LaunchAnywhere application launchers with the System.out and System.err output turned off. If you install a "console" application (such as "Hello World") you will not see anything happen when you run your application, even though it did run. You can run your application with a console window if you want. On Windows, hold down the Ctrl or Shift keys when you run your application. On Mac OS, hold down the Ctrl key when you run your application. On UNIX, set the environment variable "LAX_DEBUG" to "true" before running your application.

- Java does not correctly handle platform specific characters in folder and file names. If you install a file with a special character, or install into a folder with a special character (such as the TM character), it will usually, but not always, work. You should also avoid folders or files with characters such as ! / : ; \ . ? ' " in them.

- InstallAnywhere Now! keeps track of project files based on absolute paths. Don't move your source files around between builds.

Windows issues when running installers under Microsoft's Java VM

- There are several known issues with Microsoft's Java VMs prior to build 2750. The VM installed with IE 4.0 (build 2252), IE 4.01 (build 2339), IE 4.01 SP 1 (build 2405), and Visual J++ 6.0 Preview 1 (build 2613) can crash with random "StackOverflowErrors." For this reason, InstallAnywhere Now! will only on Microsoft VM build 2750 or later. We recommend build 2829 which is part of SDK 3.0.

- A console window will occasionally flash on the screen if you are installing with Microsoft VM build 2752 or earlier. Microsoft has fixed this issue in build 2829.

Mac OS issues

- Performance on Mac OS while building an installer is less than optimal due to MRJ's poor support for JFC (Swing). This will not affect end-users, however, as installers use AWT and will have significantly better performance. (This is an MRJ issue that we're working very closely with Apple to improve.)

- The file view in the Wizard uses JFC's Mac OS-like disclosure triangles. Sometimes they do not "appear" to work. Actually, the user has to click in the leftmost column for a given row to expand or collapse. In fact, the triangles are supposed to appear aligned on the left (just like the Mac OS Finder), but due to a JFC bug, they aren't. You can click where the triangles are supposed to be, or simply double click a folder to expand it. Also, the icons sometime change or go black. This is a JFC bug too.

- InstallAnywhere Now! only installs the data fork of files. This is usually fine, since Java can only read the data fork anyway, and will not affect most files, including Java class files, text files, html files, or data files. In the future, you will be able to install any kind of Mac file (such as extensions or control panels). File "types" and "creators" are set based on Internet Config settings automatically.

OS/2 issues, and issues on platforms where you run Pure Java installers

- In the installer, when the user clicks "Choose" to select an Install Folder, a dialog appears where the user can select a folder. If the user types in the path of a folder instead of selecting it with the mouse, the folder may not actually be selected. The user can type desired path in the corresponding under the label "Where would you like to install?" instead.

 

Zero G Software, InstallAnywhere, and LaunchAnywhere are trademarks of Zero G Software, Inc. Java is a trademark of Sun Microsystems, Inc. Copyright 1998 Zero G Software.