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September 6, 2011 - 12:44pm
#1
xdhmoore
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.NET Support

Any updates on (unofficial) .NET support? Windows 7 seems to be spreading somewhat, depending on where you are, I suppose. (I'm at a university.)

Another couple clarifying questions:
How does .NET differ from Java for portablizing applications? Aren't there a few portable apps like FirefoxPortable that have to use the host's JVM, or am I totally off? Is the only difference for these applications that the JVM is more widespread on XP than .NET? Does this mean that .NET applications could be supported officially when XP becomes less dominant?

Thanks for you guys' work. I love PortableApps.com.:)

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September 6, 2011 - 12:57pm
John T. Haller
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Policy

Our policy reads: *.NET Apps: PortableApps.com does not yet list .NET apps in our directory. .NET-based apps will not work on most public PCs (net cafe, hotel business center, library, etc) as these PCs generally run Windows XP and do not have .NET installed. Unlike Java, .NET can not be legally portablized. So, .NET apps won't work unless the PC has the proper .NET library, which you can't determine until you try to run the app. To avoid confusing most end-users, .NET apps will be listed in a special section of the PA.c Directory with an explanation of this issue shortly.

In short, Windows XP is still over 50% of all Windows installs. XP has no .NET installed by default and it can only be installed by an administrator. When you try and run a .NET app on Windows without .NET, it won't run. And you can't tell ahead of time if .NET will be available.

Unlike .NET, Java can be easily portablized legally (see jPortable in our directory) and is not tied to the operating system, meaning you can take a 32-bit JVM with you and it'll work on every version of Windows you come across with your portable Java apps.

Sometimes, the impossible can become possible, if you're awesome!

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September 13, 2011 - 9:22pm
(Reply to #2)
xdhmoore
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I see.

Great. Thanks for the fast reply!
Thanks again for your outstanding work!

And after I had thought of it,
I said, "I will, then, be a toad."

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September 13, 2011 - 9:53pm
(Reply to #3)
Ken Herbert
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John, if by "ahead of time",

John, if by "ahead of time", you mean at the time of running the app (and not before you actually get to the computer), there are clearly defined ways in numerous languages to determine whether .NET is installed (and what version).

Basically any language that can access the registry can determine the installed versions of the .NET Framework, including NSIS. I posted something about it a while ago (but targeted it towards Chris since he has more to do with the Launcher) but forgot he was overseas at the time so it must have slipped by him.

Also, one of the projects I am working on is a small app written in C++ which will list the currently installed version of the framework, with future potential to take a command line argument for version and service pack, run silently, and return true/false. C++ is not one of my strengths, however, so work is progressing very slowly.

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September 16, 2011 - 10:34am
(Reply to #4)
romel
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Alternative

Can NSIS execute an external "command"?
with the REG utility (It exist in Windows XP, Vista, Windows 7). Can I execute it (REG query "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\.NETFramework"), then capture the ouput, proccess output and check if .NET Framework is installed?

Can MONO be "PORTABLE"?... but, the same problem exist - Compatibility with the MS .NET functions / assemblies versions required by the Software to be Portable. or EVEN WORST... how to publish MONO to the system to be able run .NET software.

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September 19, 2011 - 1:30am
(Reply to #5)
RaggieSoft
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NSIS seeing the .NET Framework

I haven't played with NSIS in general in a while (getting kind of bummed that 2.46 is the latest - but that's a different story), but I'm sure it's possible to, for example have a setting in an INI file like:

(in this example, let's say .NET Framework 4.0)


[dotNETFramework]
Required=true
Version=4
ServicePack=0

Yes, I know that .NET 4 doesn't have a Service Pack yet, so here's an example for 3.5 SP1:


[dotNETFramework]
Required=true
Version=35
ServicePack=1

Take those and use the standard Registry functions of NSIS and there you go: easy .NET checks using the app's launcher.

Feel free to take my idea and run with it Smile

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