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leiger |
13 Jul 2010 04:34. Edited 4 times. (Edit, Permalink) I'm looking into the possibility of stopping the JAR distribution of STE and instead distributing multiple files to download (you would select the right one, depending on which operating system you are using). The benefits of distributing STE as an executable are many, although it's not without some negative side effects. Compiling to native code means:
Negatives:
There is some other software called GCJ which apparently supports Mac OS X and therefore that is good for Mac owners. Unfortuantely, GCJ isn't as up-to-date with the Java libraries as Excelsior JET is and therefore some things may not work (in particular, anything that results in launching the default browser will most likely not work). There are some Mac users here that download STE and provide invaluable feedback - and the last thing I want to do is to suddenly cut you out and make STE incompatible with Mac OS X. So, what is your opinion on this? I am yet to look into GCJ in much detail as I'm still researching Excelsior JET (have just finished downloading a 90-day trial for it). When I get a chance I'll provide an installer for Mac so that you guys can test out STE and let me know if anything is broken. If some of the major features (e.g. API access) fail to work, I'll have to try to find a workaround for the problem. Included page "inc:signature" does not exist (create it now) |
bcammo |
13 Jul 2010 05:17. Edited 0 times. (Edit, Permalink) Here's a screenshot of STE running as a native app… I still haven't got it to associate with .ste files so they open STE when double clicked - but I'm working on it! This may not be an option for you Shane because Jar Bundler only works on a mac, but I thought it was worth mentioning. Cheers, Included page "inc:signature" does not exist (create it now) |
leiger |
13 Jul 2010 06:13. Edited 3 times. (Edit, Permalink) Negative:
Positives:
I think I can only create the Linux executable on Linux, so I'm going to download the trial version of Excelsior tomorrow on Linux and try to do the same thing over there. For anyone that wants to test the Windows executable of STE on Windows (I'm particularly interested in testers that are using the ancient 10-year-old Windows XP, or that have never installed the JRE as it's meant to work without it) … I'm going to upload it now. Links:
Included page "inc:signature" does not exist (create it now) |
tsangk |
13 Jul 2010 06:33. Edited 0 times. (Edit, Permalink) Included page "inc:signature" does not exist (create it now) |
leiger |
13 Jul 2010 06:34. Edited 1 times. (Edit, Permalink)
For maximum performance, the un-compressed file size would be about 60 MB. I didn't try compressing that one though so I don't have any figures for that. Included page "inc:signature" does not exist (create it now) |
leiger |
13 Jul 2010 06:37. Edited 1 times. (Edit, Permalink) I have a Win 2008 Server without Java. I can test that out. Well even with the JRE it will work - I just wanted to make sure it was doing what it says it would, and work without needing to install the JRE first. I'm going to upload the smaller, slightly slower version that I just made. It should still be faster than running as a JAR though, as it's running using code that is native to the OS. Anything that interacts with the API depends on your Internet speed and the speed at which Wikidot can compute and return the request… so I haven't noticed any improvements there. It's mainly at start-up that you see a difference. Included page "inc:signature" does not exist (create it now) |
leiger |
13 Jul 2010 07:00. Edited 0 times. (Edit, Permalink) I just tried using the 11 MB one and it takes ages to load the first thing you try - whether it be a menu, the about dialog, the settings dialog or checking for updates. I'm literally sitting there for 5 seconds waiting for a menu to open. That's unacceptable, so I'm going to upload the 20 MB version instead which doesn't show such terrible performance problems. Included page "inc:signature" does not exist (create it now) |
leiger |
13 Jul 2010 08:10. Edited 0 times. (Edit, Permalink) I managed to get the size down from 21.6 MB to 18.5 MB — and will upload that shortly. And I'm fairly certain that for future versions I can create patches that only include the changes — so you'd download a tiny patch for v2.02 and add it to your v2.01 folder. I haven't tested that feature yet though. Included page "inc:signature" does not exist (create it now) |
tsangk |
13 Jul 2010 08:43. Edited 0 times. (Edit, Permalink) Included page "inc:signature" does not exist (create it now) |
leiger |
13 Jul 2010 08:53. Edited 0 times. (Edit, Permalink) The easiest way for me is to just keep the 2.01 full version and make new users install a series of patches, but that is seriously bad for the user experience. I'd have to instead offer a full version and a patch for every release, so that new users just download the full version and existing users download the patch… How did your test go with STE running on XP etc (without the JRE installed)? Did you notice any speed improvements (or slow down) ? Included page "inc:signature" does not exist (create it now) |
Franknarf |
13 Jul 2010 18:18. Edited 0 times. (Edit, Permalink) I like the preview feature! Maybe there could be an option to open each preview in the same window (instead of a new window each time I ask for a preview)? Included page "inc:signature" does not exist (create it now) |
leiger |
13 Jul 2010 22:31. Edited 0 times. (Edit, Permalink)
I was considering doing it that way when I added the feature. Both methods have their advantages. The way you are suggesting is useful for manually updating the preview as you type, whereas the way it is set up now allows you to preview one page, close it, then preview another — and compare them side-by-side. Included page "inc:signature" does not exist (create it now) |
bcammo |
17 Jul 2010 12:08. Edited 0 times. (Edit, Permalink) Bryce Included page "inc:signature" does not exist (create it now) |
leiger |
18 Jul 2010 05:13. Edited 0 times. (Edit, Permalink) Included page "inc:signature" does not exist (create it now) |
jnesselr |
27 Jul 2010 19:10. Edited 0 times. (Edit, Permalink) Included page "inc:signature" does not exist (create it now) |
leiger |
11 Oct 2010 22:45. Edited 1 times. (Edit, Permalink) I won't be using native installers any more, didn't get the free upgrade that I was hoping for. Can't afford to buy the software. Included page "inc:signature" does not exist (create it now) |