Capable Pocket PC Installer from Spb Software House

[Andy Sjostrom]

<a href="http://www.spbsoftwarehouse.com/products/airsetup/index.html">http://www.spbsoftwarehouse.com/products/airsetup/index.html</a><br /><br />Spb Software House has come up with a very cool solution to a problem that is becoming more and more common among developers and end users. Pocket PC application installations generally depend on a desktop PC connection and ActiveSync. The Pocket PC has all the support built-in to really be a first class citizen on the network, so the PC dependencies are really not technically nescessary. Sure, you can use so called CAB files to install applications without ActiveSunc but CAB files are large, don't give the user the choice on where to install the application, and can't pop up an end-user license agreement when installing the application. The problem is the same regardless of whether the Pocket PC is connected to the Internet using wire or wireless, but the fact that CAB files are large do present more of an obstacle in wireless scenarios which are more expensive and usually deliver lower bandwidth.<br /><br />The solution to the problems is called Spb AirSetup which addresses all of these issues: <!><br /><br />"... AirSetup provides effective compression of CAB files, drastically cutting down on the file size and the time required to download the file. In internal testing, CAB file sizes shrunk anywhere from 24% to 47% in size, and further savings are possible depending on the nature of the CAB install. Smaller file sizes mean faster downloads, less chance of error, and less cost to the customer. This, in turn, results in more trial downloads, and more potential customers. Spb AirSetup allows the developer to specify the location of the application install, or to give the user an option of internal RAM or any system storage card. If your application only works in main system RAM, you can mandate the install location. Giving potential customers a choice of where to install an application greatly enhances the odds that they'll keep it installed for the length of your trial period rather than uninstalling it when they run short of system RAM. The final feature of Spb AirSetup is to provide an integrated EULA and HTML-based Read Me file. This allows developers to present a trial install guide, help file, or any other support materials. The inclusion of the EULA allows an install procedure that protects the developer from potential legal liabilities if something were to go wrong with the install procedure. Although rare, occurrences such as these are not unheard of, and using Spb AirSetup will allow developers to protect themselves. By including rich Read Me files, developers can point out important application features that will enhance the user's experience."<br /><br />The following image illustrates where Spb AirSetup comes into the picture!<br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/spb_01.gif" /><br /><br />Spb AirSetup is targeted to developers and costs $99.95. There's a free demo version available. Read more in the <a href="http://www.spbsoftwarehouse.com/press/pressreleases/2003/mar31.html">press release</a>!

[wocket]

This sounds very good news for wireless users. There is nothing as bad as downloading an app to your pocketpc and finding you can only install it via an active sick(not a mistake). Cab files also have the nasty habbit of deleting themselves after you do an install. Install on demand is the way to go.

[sfjlittel]

I would really like to see a "more" link for this news article. My whole screen is filled with it so I can only see this article. Usually there is a more button on such a large piece of text (look at Jason's reports lately)

[Venturello]

I was waiting for some developer to release something like this. What would be great is that online software retailers adopt a system like this, or it becomes the standard used on the net, so that when browsing from a pocket pc you could try out software without need of booting up a pc.

[Venturello]

Eh, will this need to install something from the pocket pc or we could take a barebones pocket pc, start IE and begin installing apps? Gonna go to website and find out...

-edit-

http://www.spbsoftwarehouse.com/products/airsetup/sample.html

Seems they are self-contained and doesnt need to preinstall anything on the pocketpc... right?

Will try later @ home, no wireless at work.

[Peter Foot]

Seems they are self-contained and doesnt need to preinstall anything on the pocketpc... right?

Yes a single self contained file which does the whole setup process - very neat!

[Tom W.M.]

I have never installed a PPC app with a CAB file, but do so regularly on an old CE 2.11 device. I am always given a choice about where I want to install an app. Is what Andy said true?

[ExtremeSIMS]

I hope that developers DO use this. It's acutally reasonably priced, too.

This will be a boon to Mac OS users with PocketPCs. Sure, I can extract CABs and install them manually, but as the article mentions, I can not choose installation destination. That means moving things by hand to the SD card, hacking the registry, and fixing links. It's a pain.

Good luck, spb!

[Andy Sjostrom]

I would really like to see a "more" link for this news article. My whole screen is filled with it so I can only see this article. Usually there is a more button on such a large piece of text (look at Jason's reports lately)

Sure, no problem! It's done! :)

[powder2000]

It's called cabinstall, works great for me, let's me install where I want to. Usually you can tell if a developer has been thinking ahead by the fact that he/she has a .cab or .exe download available. :roll:

[sfjlittel]

I would really like to see a "more" link for this news article. My whole screen is filled with it so I can only see this article. Usually there is a more button on such a large piece of text (look at Jason's reports lately)

Sure, no problem! It's done! :)

:D Thank you :D

That is what i call service! :clap: :sunny: :werenotworthy:

[Jason Dunn]

What would be great is that online software retailers adopt a system like this, or it becomes the standard used on the net, so that when browsing from a pocket pc you could try out software without need of booting up a pc.

That's exactly our goal, and we're working closely with Handango to make it happen. It's nice to know that I'm not the only one to be excited about this. :D

Jason Dunn
VP of Marketing
Spb Software House

[Jason Dunn]

Eh, will this need to install something from the pocket pc or we could take a barebones pocket pc, start IE and begin installing apps? Gonna go to website and find out...

The exe's are Pocket PC compatible - you don't need any special software to install the apps. If you did, we would have failed in our primary goal for this application: making wireless software installations faster and easier for end users. We've seen up to 47% compression savings, so I think developers who DON'T use AirSetup are going to get hassled by their customers. :wink: :lol:

Jason Dunn
VP of Marketing
Spb Software House

[Jason Dunn]

I have never installed a PPC app with a CAB file, but do so regularly on an old CE 2.11 device. I am always given a choice about where I want to install an app. Is what Andy said true?

Pocket PCs automatically install CAB files into main memory, there's no option to show a EULA or readme file (or instructions), and CAB files are not compressed.

[Fitch]

I have a very unusual busted 36XX iPAQ that can't connect to a computer. I've become very dilligent at installing apps directly (with ezyUnZIP (http://www.cnetx.com/ezyUnZIP/) and CabInstl (http://www.freewareppc.com/utilities/cabinstl.shtml), which lets you choose your installation directory) Pocket PC is a pocket computer, for Jason's sake, and if MS wants to push that paradigm, they have to make it a "first class citizen"

...and if you have any idea why my ipaq won't sync on any computer, when other ipaqs and ppc's work fine, let me know by PM :wink:

[Jason Dunn]

It's called cabinstall, works great for me, let's me install where I want to. Usually you can tell if a developer has been thinking ahead by the fact that he/she has a .cab or .exe download available. :roll:

True, cabinstall is a solution, but what makes more sense:

1) Having a developer change their distribution packages on their Web site

or

2) Expecting that every end-user will have a certain piece of 3rd party software installed?

I think most of us can agree that #1 is a more reasonable approach. :D

[Jason Dunn]

I should also add that this is our 1.0 release, so if anyone has suggestions about how we can continue to evolve the product, we're listening!

Jason Dunn
VP of Marketing
Spb Software House

[VanHlebar]

Jason,
What about a "lite" version for us budding/hobbiest developers? I really like the idea of being able to offer a direct to ppc install from a website and am often irked at developers that won't or can't offer this. However, even $100 is a bit steep for someone either making software avaiable for free or for a nominal fee.

Just curious, but I love the idea and hope that most "major" developers will take advantage of this tool.

-Eric

[Gerard]

I've often been in communication with developers about issues related to these expressed here. One of the most common complaints I hear is that CAB files are so limited in potential, in control. EULA, first-time Help view or ReadMe view, install location.... these are all mentioned repeatedly.
But while I acknowledge that CAB files are, in their most basic form, somewhat limiting, this is not mandated entirely by the file format. Look to GigaBar or Dashboard for fine examples which contradict these preconceptions. With GigaBar, there is an immediate presentation of an extensive ReadMe, with links to accessory pages. This appears on completion of unpacking of the CAB file, whether or not the CAB was delivered via an Activesync installation or by direct tapping on the PPC. And in this case, as with Dashboard, the 'installer' is really a ZIP file full of CABs and other files. One need only unzip that and extract the appropriate CAB for the device. If Gene offered a CAB download, it'd make PC-free installation a breeze. (And as with all startup programs, it should be installed to main memory anyway, to avoid a forced hard reset or other problems.)
Dashboard is even more comprehensive, offering a pop-up on tapping the CAB which asks if you want to install it, then another asking if you want to register it as a Today plugin. Both are provided with Yes and No options. Same could apply to an EULA, if Chris felt like doing that there.
A third example is Pocket TV, where the installer is actually a ZIP file. Though the EULA does no appear during the CAB installation, it does appear with Yes and No buttons on first launch, effectively protecting the developer legally, I believe. Of course, to more thoroughly protect oneself, it may be advisable to bump this to the beginning of a CAB installation, which Dashboard proves is possible, indirectly.
As for CAB files self-deleting on tapping, that's only if they are not marke Read Only. Any PPC 2000 device has access to file properties checkboxes via a SIP keyboard Ctl+P command, while any file is highlighted. In PPC 2002, Microsoft for reasons beyond imagining removed this simple necessity, but it is available via any decent third-party explorer. So just mark your CAB files Read Only and forget about that problem forever afterwards. Easy stuff, but surprisingly little known even now.
Now on to the installation path. Another member here has mentioned CabInstl, and I echo this. I now use CabInstl almost exclusively, resorting to Activesync mostly to unpack CAB files, then moving them to a card for a better-directed installation via CabInstl. Activesync chooses only root folders for unpacking, with no custome directories allowed. There are a few notable exceptions, like TextMaker for instance which allows the exact installation path to be written by the user. And TextMaker, and the Stowaway keyboard, these are two rare birds in that CAB installations are not viable. One has no single CAB, the other will not register properly if a CAB is used. But these things said, I fully understand that asking users to have one or more extra programs installed prior to unpacking the CAB files is not very reasonable. Too awkward for most to want to bother, I agree. But not difficult, at all.
Lastly, the compression thing. Any ZIP program set to maximum compression will deliver up to 60% reduction in CAB file size, varying depending on the nature of the CAB. I typically see about 48%, when compressing large numbers of CAB files into a single ZIP file using Resco's Explorer 2003, at maximum compression.
Free unzip utilities are available, and one or two of these allow for password protection and for statements to be viewed before extraction. Resco's also allows for these, alongside adding in such features as comments and passwords to new or existing ZIP files.
I now keep about 45 or more CAB files in a small MMC card, as a sort of backup installer kit. Outside the main ZIP are CabInstl and Resco's CAB, along with a TXT file full of registration codes, and a few other setup information documents to speed recovery in case a backup/restore thing fails and a manual rebuild is necessary. Having all my regularly used programs' CABs copied in one location, with a fresh backup alongside for all the user databases and files, this makes for very near PC-independence.
Now admittedly this does not directly apply to this offering from Spb, and I mean not at all to comment negatively upon this development! I just wanted to help clarify a few things which seem to have been muddied a bit. CAB installation, using compressed CABs, is not some arcane thing for power users only. It is really quite easy, and more and more sites are offering CAB files lately to further prove the point. If developers would get off their derriere's and release CEF files as well, there'd be an end to all the nonsense about processor type too. But only a handful over did...
All in all, I am happy to read here that further tools enabling freedom from Activestink are coming into being. Great news!

[kennyg]

Actually MS is doing something in this vein itself. Beginning with the Smartphone CAB files ARE compressed. And a developer CAN change the setup of the application to display a EULA if they so desire, we just don't at this time because over the air install is still a very RARE occurance and we can't tell if the user already saw it on the PC installer side.

CityTime has .CAB versions available, but they are rarely used or requested, but I make them available since it is something I'd like to see more of. The biggest problem is user education because most people don't understand that PCs and PPCs have difference CPUs or that that does actually mean something so picking the right EXE file is a challenge for them.

Also, e-PocketSetup is adding this feature into it's installation building software which builds the PC, CAB files and PPC installer, a much bigger task.

[Jason Dunn]

I really like the idea of being able to offer a direct to ppc install from a website and am often irked at developers that won't or can't offer this. However, even $100 is a bit steep for someone either making software avaiable for free or for a nominal fee.

It's something we'll consider, but it's important to understand that by developing software only for developers, we're developing for a small niche market and that means it's "niche pricing" not "mass market pricing". And considering that it's $99 for unlimited use, no restrictions, I think it's a fair price. But I do hear what you're saying, so if there's a way for us to reduce the price without losing the investment we've put into the development, we will. :)

Jason Dunn
VP Marketing
Spb Software House

[Tom W.M.]

This is a bit off-topic, but for a long time I had all of my CAB files on my CF card in case of a hard reset. A while ago I had a strange set of storage card errors, which deleted almost every folder on the root of the card (the folders themselves, not the files in them), and messed up the names of the files in them. By manualy reassigning extentions to the files I was able to recover most of my data, except the CAB files, which were in a folder called Cabs. Whenever I renamed a file that must be a CAB, WinCE would report that it was "Not a valid installation file." anymore. This happened for so many files (I had something like 40 CABs) that it couldn't have been coincidince. Any ideas why?

[Gerard]

With PPC 2000 I rarely heard of card corruption. It seems it is almost epidemic with PPC 2002, regardless of the particular model, though certainly a few models seem more prone to this than others. I've had a few SD card curruptions, all on the same SanDisk 64MB SD, but have never lost all data on it. At worst it was about 20 files becoming 'strange', with filenames supposedly impossible according to Windows naming convertions (characters like ? and / and the like being common one time), and file sizes reported in excess of 1GB for several of these files. I used Storage Tools to repair the card, and in the end it would seem I actually lost only some JPG files. I had backups elsewhere.
I think that's the key to data security in general; backup. Never trust all your data to one card or device, or even to one format of backup. I do Sprite Pocket Backup routines twice a day, and every week or so use that to backup my main SD to an external hard drive. But as reliable as Pocket Backup has been, it would be reckless if that were the only system of data backup I used. So I do wholesale folder copies regularly besides, with Resco's Explorer being an excellent tool for speeding this along. It seems to be more efficient by about 50% than the buggy MS File Explorer (which frequently locks up the device, or has a solo heart attack, when I try to copy larger files to external media).
Likewise with my set of CAB files I feel it would be a waste of the effort to have merely one copy on a Kodak MMC card. So I have copies of this installer set on a partition of the Accurite HD, and also on an old SanDisk 64MB CF card which has never in two and a half years had a single error. I also enjoy the ZIP file integrity verification feature of the new Resco Explorer. It's reassuring to see it run it's course on every zipp modification, like PKZip does on my PC.
Kenny; CAB files are a bit of a problem to download in Pocket IE, and I suspect that is at least a part of the reason you see so little demand for them. Ignorance of course plays a role, but the fact is that because of certain obscure server configurations, CAB files most often download in Pocket IE as raw text code. This usually aborts before a CAB is entirely downloaded to the \Windows\Temporary Internet Files folders, giving a 'page cannot be found' error. Sometimes my attempts to grab CABs from developer sites seem to complete, but most of those give 'not a valid WindowsCE setup file' errors when tapped. Very rarely, perhaps 3 times, has a CAB actually made it intact to my Casio or iPAQ via this sort of text-based download. There have been a few times also where tapping a CAB link actually triggers the PPC 2002 download dialogue, and these work perfectly well, but my ISP tech support guy advises that this infrequent happy result is a matter largely of fluke. Something to do with MIME type server configuration, some mumbo jumbo like that. He couldn't really explain in words I could follow how to mend it, which really disappointed me, as I'd love to be able to forward such information to developers.
So, I always download the PC-based installer for CityTime versions, using Pocket IE, since I am always doing web stuff on this iPAQ. Then I initiate the installation on the PC, click through all the required steps, then cut and paste the CABs I want to my Accurite. Then I delete the stuff left behind. Since I rarely connect to the PC via Activesync, I don't often have to Ctrl+Alt+Del to kill the inevitable appearance of the CEMgr install dialogue. It's something I'd like to be able to cancel, but it would seem not possible. The PC registry tells no tales.... So at least this one faithful CityTime user is skewing your CAB download stats. And as I've found that this CAB download behavior is common with a number of PPC models, I suspect that no one else really sees the need to download a CAB to their PC, since the PC-installer version is right there anyway.

[MikeB]

I should also add that this is our 1.0 release, so if anyone has suggestions about how we can continue to evolve the product, we're listening!


How about a graphical user interface :D

Works great though; I'll be using this for all our .cab file distributions.

Mike B.

[Jason Dunn]

How about a graphical user interface :D

Good feedback. :wink: