[MLton] mingwows

[skaller]

On Thu, 2005-11-10 at 21:38 -0800, Stephen Weeks wrote:
> > > This is all beyond me.  The MLton MinGW package is just a tgz.  There
> > > is no install script.
> > 
> > But you can make one easily:
> > 
> > http://www.advancedinstaller.com
> 
> I'll look into this.  Can you concisely describe the advantages that
> having a package (built by Advanced Installer) instead of a binary tgz
> will have for the type of user I have in mind?

(a) it looks cute (you get a nice wizard thing .. :)

(b) the binaries *automatically* go where they should go

(c) it handles uninstall automatically

(d) it is supported by control panel add/remove programs

(e) You get to use real Windows properties, for example
you can stamp executable with version number, vendor,
URL for support, etc etc.

(f) Automatically updates environment variables, etc.
[And the uninstall correctly undoes this I think!]

(g) Automatically creates a registry entry

(h) The format is MSI which is THE Windows package
format now -- its built into Windows OS.

So basically, it does basic 'Windowsy' stuff that
makes it fit into a windows system more seamlessly
than doing it by hand -- especially if, like me,
you don't know anything much about that stuff :)

BTW: I would just try to make one and put it on
the web .. don't suddenly stop providing the tgz
at this time.

-- 
John Skaller <skaller at users dot sf dot net>
Felix, successor to C++: http://felix.sf.net