Make Rocbkbox Utility available as .exe not as .zip

[tomers]

rbutilqt-v1.0.6.zip    3.13 MB (3,288,494 bytes)
rbutilqt.exe             3.17 MB (3,331,072 bytes)

Diff:                       41.6 KB (42578 bytes)

There is no reason to have the utility be downloaded as an archive file.
Having to extract a compressed archive with just a single file is just another burden for the user, and can be considered as an annoyance.

It is better if users will be able to click the link on Rockbox's web site, then choose 'Open', and just run the utility.

[bluebrother]

There is a reason why to provide Rockbox Utility as a zip file, even if it's not obvious to you: zip automatically calculates a checksum of the files. If your download is corrupted there is a bigger chance to detect this before running the program.

Besides, we had the translation files in the zip archive in previous versions (now they are bundled in the resources of the binary), and that time an archive was needed.

[tomers]

> zip automatically calculates a checksum of the files

That's a good reason for doing so.
Maybe we can have is in an NSIS executable, which also calculates checksum? It doesn't require the user to handle zip file extraction, as it is a sort of 'self-extracting archive'.

Also (this is a discussion which should be in a separate thread) we can create a full-blown installer, which puts the utility in a proper locatation (%PROGRAMFILES%) and can create Start Menu shortcuts, etc.

I guess this was already thought of, and I would appreciate if you could give me an insight about it.

Thanks

[Chronon]

I don't think we should assume about the "proper" location for the program.  For instance, I would find it troublesome to find it installed at some default "Program Files" directory if I intend to keep it on my player (a logical place for it, IMO).

[GodEater]

Also I'd just like to point out that while that difference may seem insignificant to you, the user, since you're only downloading it once - it makes a crap load of difference to our server and our bandwidth usage - it all adds up!

[Llorean]

I'd also suggest that rbutil may include more files in the future (plugins, or who knows what) and having it always be a .zip means the documentation will never have to change back and forth between "run it" and "extract it, then run it"

[tomers]

Please let me know what you think about the following suggestion:

The Rockbox utility will be packed as an NSIS installer.

* It will have redundancy check built-in.
* It will be compressed.
* It might include any other files.
* It will be an executable, which is easier to use once downloaded.

When run, the installer prompts the user with the following:

    How do you want to use Rockbox Utility?

    * Onetime run
       (Rockbox utility will be extracted to the temporary folder, and run from there)

    * Installed to the digital player device
       (The user will be prompt for the drive letter of the device)

    * Installed to host machine
       (Rockbox utility will be installed as a 'normal' application, and the user might be prompted to target location, defaulted to Program Files, whether we want to have shortcuts, etc.

On the last screen, after the utility was extracted to the location the user have specified, he will be asked whether he would like to run the utility.

The implementation for what I described should be easy to implement in NSIS.

[GodEater]

NSIS is also platform specific though - so we'd have one solution for Windows, and a completely different one for other platforums. A lot of extra work for us for very little gain as far as I can see.

[Llorean]

As it works right now, "installation" is the same for all OSes. "Download the archive for your OS, unzip it where you want to put it, and run the included binary."

What, exactly, is the problem with .zip files?

[gevaerts]

* It will be an executable, which is easier to use once downloaded.

That's only true if you don't have to answer seventeen questions before you can run it

[ZincAlloy]

There is no reason to have the utility be downloaded as an archive file.
Having to extract a compressed archive with just a single file is just another burden for the user, and can be considered as an annoyance.

If the user considers .zip files as a burdon he or she will consider Rockbox as being too complicated, anyway.

[LambdaCalculus]

That's only true if you don't have to answer seventeen questions before you can run it

Besides, there may also be users who prefer to keep RButil on their DAPs as a matter of convenience, especially with the Windows version.

[tomers]

> Besides, there may also be users who prefer to keep RButil on their DAPs as a matter of convenience

As I suggested, the installer would copy it to your DAP if you chose to.

> If the user considers .zip files as a burdon he or she will consider Rockbox as being too complicated, anyway.

The question is do we want to have as many users as possible? Do we want to be an alternative to all OFs Rockbox have been ported to?
If the answer is positive, we should do a simple 'browse to -> click download -> install' process for this crowd. I can guess that far more than 80% of DAP owner are Windows users, and would consider Rockbox if that process was available for them. They expect (and deserve) a 'no-brainer', 100% automatic way to have Rockbox for their DAP.

[Llorean]

So, you posit that "unzip" is too difficult for them to manage, but using the Rockbox software itself isn't?

[LambdaCalculus]

They expect (and deserve) a 'no-brainer', 100% automatic way to have Rockbox for their DAP.

And that is exactly what Rockbox Utility is already.