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UPX with autoupdate capability for Firefox Portable and Thunderbird Portable 1.0

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Bahamut
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UPX with autoupdate capability for Firefox Portable and Thunderbird Portable 1.0

Updated for beta 3.

It can be found in the same place.
http://www.sourceforge.net/projects/upxau
https://sourceforge.net/project/showfiles.php?group_id=208704
I apologize in advance if packages are missing; everything will be there when I announce beta 3.

I've done some more rearranging and there will be two packages:
upxau_script-1.0xn - This contains only the script itself, the license, and the changelog. Anyone updating should download this
upxau_full-1.0xn - This contains the binaries of the programs as well as the script. First time users should download this.
The sources are available via separate tarballs in their own section on the download page.

Changes planned for the next release (I am also taking requests, BTW):
More PAF compliant; the release archives will reflect the new structure
There are two new directories: \UPXAU\Data and UPXAU\Other
License and help/readme files will be in \UPXAU\Other
Sums files and temporary directories/files will be in \UPXAU\Data
Locations will not be compatible with earlier versions; I will give specific directions for moving files to conform to the new arrangement
Sums files for the original Firefox and Thunderbird binaries will be included
It will verify the integrity of your Fx/TB binaries against the included list the first time the script is run and whenever the backup command is used
UPX developer László Molnár has confirmed that the stripped information will be the same regardless of compression options, so the first run will always use -1, possibly speeding up the process significantly.
Invocation will be easier (details later)
Some integration with CommandPromptPortable (maybe)

Very important: as of beta 3, all programs (including jacksum.jar) are assumed to be in App\upxau (PAF). You should still run the script from FirefoxPortable\App\firefox (or FirefoxPortable\App\thunderbird)!

BuddhaChu
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bandwidth exceeded

Sign up for a Sourceforge account my man! Wink

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Help control the rugrat population -- have yourself spayed or neutered!

Bahamut
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I knew the bandwidth used

I knew the bandwidth used was high, but I didn't realize it was exceeded yet. I was planning to get a SourceForge account anyway. Well, the link is invalid until next month. SF link will up as soon as I get an account and upload (which won't be until at least tomorrow since a real person has to approve it).

update: registration complete, waiting for approval.

Vintage!

BuddhaChu
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me2

I submitted for a SF acct on Sunday...still hasn't been approved/disapproved yet. They're low on humans this week I guess.

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Help control the rugrat population -- have yourself spayed or neutered!

TStodden
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Used MediaFire as a Stop-gap

You can upload the file to MediaFire ( www.mediafire.com ) & have people download it from there. The only limit they have is a 100 MB/file (like most Portable Apps here ever hit that), but they don't limit downloads.

I use MediaFire a lot to host files that are too large to e-mail to friends as well as host some files that I share.

No registration is required, but it's highly suggested for maximum control over your uploaded files. Pardon if it sounds like I'm spamming, but it one of the few great file servers online.

~TStodden
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Lurking_Biohazard
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Account vs No Account

Get a Goowy(GUI) account. (Part of Box.net)

Or if you don't need the extras just get a Box.net account.
or try
electronicfiles.net (There are a ton of sites out there.)

I agree that not having an account can be nice. On the other hand having a backup or mirror is very handy in these kind of situations.

~Lurk~

Zach Thibeau
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Well

Send it to me via email to thibeaz[at]g m a i l[dot]com, I'll host it until your sf hosting gets approved

your friendly neighbourhood moderator Zach Thibeau

Bahamut
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Major update

The SF page is up:
http://sourceforge.net/projects/upxau
The next major release will support PAF, but if it is not in PAF, the user will need to manually adjust the path (I'll be using a variable for ease-of-use). There will also be a couple other things I mention in the todo section.

Files are up:
https://sourceforge.net/project/showfiles.php?group_id=208704

Vintage!

Bahamut
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Because I was unable to test

Because I was unable to test it thoroughly, I didn't catch that xcopy isn't working the way I thought it would. copy works, though. In the :prepare section, replace

xcopy "%%a" ..\bak /L /Y

with

copy "%%a" ..\bak\%%a /Y

and

xcopy uninstall\helper.exe ..\bak\uninstall /L /Y

with

copy uninstall\helper.exe ..\bak\uninstall\helper.exe /Y

and in :applypatches, replace

for %%b in (..\likenew\*,..\likenew\components\*,..\likenew\uninstall\helper.exe) do xcopy %%b . /Y /E /L

with

for %%b in (*.exe,*.dll,components\*.dll,uninstall\helper.exe) do copy ..\likenew\%%b %%b /Y

This will be fixed in the next release. Due to some difficulties I've decided to release beta 2 without all the new features I wanted (verbosity and optional compression of xdelta patches). beta 2 will be thoroughly tested before release.

Also, I'd like the thread trimmed (delete the tangent on hosting). kthxbye.

Vintage!

Bahamut
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beta 2 is out.

You can find it in the usual place:
http://sourceforge.net/project/showfiles.php?group_id=208704

I've tested it, and everything seems to be working.
Major changes:
-> PAF structure (install instructions included)
-> More (quantity) explanatory messages
-> The xcopy mess is taken care of
A detailed changelog is in the archive.

I've done some rearranging on the download page, so read the release notes!

Have fun with this release. I'm looking forward to your feedback, so go test it already!

Vintage!

Bahamut
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beta 3

I had hoped to release beta 3 before Xmas, but I haven't had a chance to work on it for the past few weeks. Should be out in the next few days.
This release has a lot of changes and a few big features added. After I get some feedback on it, I'll work on the final beta.

John, would you consider adding it to the apps hosted here when I make a final release? I'd really like to spark some interest in this project.

update: debugging is taking longer than expected. It will be out this month, hopefully within a week or two.

Vintage!

Bahamut
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beta 3 is out.

It's finally done. There are a lot new features and improvements, including optional archiving of the patches. It's in the usual place (link in the OP). I'd really like some feedback, so don't hesitate to make a comment.

Vintage!

Bahamut
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There's a big bug that

There's a big bug that surprisingly didn't present itself when I was testing it. Must've been a last-minute change I screwed up. Anyway, the archive feature doesn't work with make-patches (7zG returns "Incorrect command line"). I was going to fix it right away, but decided to postpone release and make a few other changes. If you absolutely can't wait, simply change the line

set hash=sha1

to

set hash=sha1
set archname=xdpatches

It's at the beginning (line 32).

Vintage!

Bahamut
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Development suspended

I don't have access to a Windows box, so I cannot continue development right now. I'm saving up some money for a very nice laptop, and I will continue development once I have things set up, so it will be at least another month before anything new is out. Of course, if you would really like to expedite the process, you could make a donation ;).

Vintage!

Stevoisiak
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Better description

Can you describe what this is a little bit better?

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ZachHudock
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UPX firefox without breaking

UPX firefox without breaking autoupdate. At first (before mozilla broke the portability of the auto-updater) this was a good idea, but now that auto update doesn't work right, there isn't much point

The developer formerly known as ZGitRDun8705

Stevoisiak
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Wait a sec,

So do we UPX the official firefox now? Plus, breaking the updater may be good for when someone axidentally updates using the updater.

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BuddhaChu
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"Accidentally updates using

"Accidentally updates using the updater"

Uhhh...what!?

Anyways...Read the description of the this app on it's sourceforge page linked to in the first post. It explains what it's intended use is.

Cancer Survivors -- Remember the fight, celebrate the victory!
Help control the rugrat population -- have yourself spayed or neutered!

Stevoisiak
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broken autoupdate

The autoupdate is broken, as it will modify the local install of firefox, which means that keeping the update feature is useless, and the official app should be UPXed. Plus, if the update is broken, if somebody axidentally updates firefox using the built in updater, it will not work, and settings will not be changed on the local install.

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ZachHudock
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No, we don't UPX firefox.

No, we don't UPX firefox. This is so users can compress it themselves if they wish

The developer formerly known as ZGitRDun8705

Stevoisiak
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Why not?

Why don't we UPX Firefox? We UPX nearly everything else.

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ZachHudock
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Same reason we can't disable

Same reason we can't disable the auto-update.

Mozilla, while creating open source applications, has trademarked names and logos. In order for us to keep the Firefox name and logo attached to our portable version, John has a special agreement with Mozilla.

The developer formerly known as ZGitRDun8705

Stevoisiak
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Why is this ok?

Then doesn't this break the agreement?

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ZachHudock
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Each user is doing it for

Each user is doing it for his/her self, it is not being redistributed, so it's fine

The developer formerly known as ZGitRDun8705

Stevoisiak
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Ok.

That seems fine. Now, if I upxed my beta firefox, would it still work?

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Bahamut
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ZachHudock: The basic premise

ZachHudock:
The basic premise to allow one to compress the binaries without breaking autoupdating with partial update packages (they just patch the existing files), since the updater will refuse to use the smaller packages and download a "full update" if the files do not match the checksum (i.e. have been modified). UPX's --exact switch does not work with w32 binaries, meaning it will not restore the original files upon decompression. See the SF page and the readme file in the latest release for more info.

Stevoisiak:
The autoupdater doesn't work anymore in FxP? when did this happen?
Oh, and UPX shouldn't cause any problems for any programs that don't need to write to the file on disk (Firefox 3 should be just fine).

Vintage!

Stevoisiak
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well,

It'l work, but it'l overite locale settings. Here is the bug in the firefox support forum. It's stickied. https://portableapps.com/node/10338

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BuddhaChu
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That bug doesn't apply to this thread or code

That bug has nothing to do with these scripts. That's like saying Wraithdu shouldn't help you get 50% better gas millage on your car because there aren't any tires on it. Who cares if there aren't any tires? He's solving an entirely different issue. When you do finally get tires and the car is drivable, his work will be in place to help you get 50% better gas millage.

Translation: when the whole local -vs- portable profile thing is sorted out, these scripts will enable you to compress PFF and save space then be able to decompress it when you want to autoupdate. He doesn't "care" that the PFF autoupdate function doesn't work correctly ATM. That's a separate issue and it's not solvable by him.

Cancer Survivors -- Remember the fight, celebrate the victory!
Help control the rugrat population -- have yourself spayed or neutered!

Bahamut
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It's still suitable for

It's still suitable for testing, IMO, though. And I don't think the post was a jab at my code, but rather how useful it is at present.

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Bahamut
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Thanks for the heads up. I'll

Thanks for the heads up. I'll make a note of it in the next release (which will be a beta) if it isn't resolved with Fx 3. I don't think I'll make a final release until the issue is resolved.

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Bahamut
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Development will continue soon.

I will begin developing in a week or two. Beta 4 should be out late mid to late July.
Note: I am running Vista now and not XP (this shouldn't matter, though). Also, I will not make a final release if Bug 406335 is present in Fx 3 until it has been fixed. All releases will include a mention in the readme.

Vintage!

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