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A5 Runtime application setup file size - Yikes!

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    #16
    RE: A5 Runtime application setup file size - Yikes

    Yes, your are right. But as one SA$$ to another 8-) sometimes we do things to gain experience in the use of new tools and my goal here was to show that A5 could be used as a viable platform to develop shareware apps. I will still go ahead with my A5 plans. Clearly the initiative will fail or succeeed depending on the number of people who decide to try my application and whether they can live with the baggage that it carries. I am certainly considering other alternatives and your suggestions look really good.

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      #17
      RE: A5 Runtime application setup file size - Yikes

      Thanks, Joe. I'll certainly look at this option.

      Comment


        #18
        RE: A5 Runtime application setup file size - Yikes

        we have not come up with a list of the files that are essential to shipping with the runtime, but there are a lot of files that we distribute with the runtime that are not essential.

        at a minimum, the .aex files are needed. their compressed size is about 3 mb.

        the core a5 .dll files (typically they start with "a5") are about 3mb.

        so the minimum runtime download will be about 6mb. there are a few other non a5 dlls (some essential, such as the smartheap dll (sh32*) and some only required if you are using pdf, html, or rich text printing, or the zip features.

        but you don't need stylesheets, help files etc.

        so, you can probably get it down to about 6.5mb.

        remember that all products have a runtime. so, a vb .exe file might look small, but there is the vb runtime, and then all of the data access dlls (from MDAC) that have to be installed - a huge nightmare. then you have to worry about installing all of the activeX controls that you might have used -- excepting that the license for most activeX controls would preclude you from using them in a shareware product anyway.

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          #19
          RE: A5 Runtime application setup file size - Yikes

          Brett

          Use 7-zip. The size should shrink up to 20%

          http://www.7-zip.org/

          Comment


            #20
            RE: A5 Runtime application setup file size - Yikes

            Hi Guys,

            I am not quite sure if we should keep on working by the rules of the past century speaking about shareware.
            Things evolve, our product wishes increase (we want browses, mousecontrol, etc. etc.)and by that the size of our products increases as well. So do connection speeds and the size of storage media.
            I do not see any harm in exceeding 50MB for a download.
            When you have a fast connection that is very acceptable.
            We don't develop applications for monochrome monitors and 20MB harddisks either anymore.
            To finish this comment, let it be said that of course there is nothing against it in my opinion to search for the best way to produce the app as small as possible.
            But should it be more then 50MB, then so be it.
            I have some freeware products on the internet that exceed the 50MB limit.

            Kind regards,

            Marcel

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              #21
              RE: A5 Runtime application setup file size - Yikes

              Something else you might consider...
              offer a separate, smaller download to folks who already have the runtime or full version of A5.

              just my $.02

              Bob

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                #22
                RE: A5 Runtime application setup file size - Yikes

                I am not quite sure if we should keep on working by the rules of the past century speaking about shareware.
                Things evolve, our product wishes increase (we want browses, mousecontrol, etc. etc.)and by that the size of our products increases as well. So do connection speeds and the size of storage media. I do not see any harm in exceeding 50MB for a download. When you have a fast connection that is very acceptable. We don't develop applications for monochrome monitors and 20MB harddisks either anymore.

                Usually, the name of the game in shareware is lots of downloads (and lots of perks for registering, but that's a separate issue).

                And in any software development (or performance art, for that matter) it's also "know your audience".

                If I'm putting up a serious game demo--50, 100, even 250MB--all okay, though the larger the file gets, the smaller the audience I'll have.

                If I'm putting up a recipe manager, I better get my download near the 2MB-8MB range. (Substantially more if I'm going to include the USRDA tables, however.)

                If I'm putting up a text editor, under 1MB is probably my best bet. Not much more than 2MB, for sure.

                The recipe-type program (and many, many other consumer database type apps) make a good template for A5 apps. So if, as Selwyn says (and he oughtta know) it can be got down to the 6-7MB range, I'd say that's the right ballpark.

                (Last time I did a database utility like it compressed down to 632K, but I forgot to compress it. :-)

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