Installer for Java Application

Question

I would like to know what packages exist that you can use to create installers for distributing applications.

The target application is written in Java. The installer should be able to:

• compiled using ant script
• Linux (and Windows) will be compiled
• works on windows and linux
• detect / process previously installed versions of the application

We are currently using IzPack because it does all of the above except the last: it cannot easily detect a previously installed version of the software, and this is a deal violation for us.

Are there any other packages that match the account?

Thanks!

Answer 1

I think you might miss the izPack CheckedHelloPanel , which (according to online docs) checks the registry to see if another version has been installed, and asks if you want to install the second version.

OTOH ... if you mean that the installer should be able to upgrade to the previous version in place, this is a very difficult problem, and I still have to meet the installer installer, who even tries to solve the problem.

EDIT On platforms other than Windows, there is a fundamental problem. If the application can be installed in a non-standard place, it is impossible to say with 100% certainty if a copy (of the same or another version) was previously installed. And this may be the reason that CheckedHelloPanel only supports detection of an old version in Windows.

As said, izPack is open source, so if you can find a methodology for discovering a previous version on Linux, you can change the CheckedHelloPanel to implement it. And maybe izPack will accept the patch. In any case, I recommend that you first look at this approach before switching the tool that you are otherwise happy with. (Especially if what you want to do simply cannot be done on Linux.)

Answer 2

install4j can handle all your requirements.

Answer 3

Give InstallJammer . It is free, open source and should do exactly what you want. In particular, he not only detects a previous installation, but actually has some complex features for detecting several previous versions and collecting the necessary information from them.

Download it and try, and if you have any questions, go to the forums and ask. I usually answer everyone pretty quickly and completely. 0 -]

Answer 4

Try our tool, BitRock InstallBuilder meets all your requirements

Answer 5

InstallAnywhere can do it all, and ISMP (InstallShield Muli-Platform) did it all when Flexera was still selling it, but it's commercial software. I do not know about the free equivalent that does all this.