I'm trying to figure out the best way to install my Java app on client computers. The main guideline here is that these clients are computer illiterates - so the less fuss the better.
I was thinking of using a model that would launch a Java Web Start app which would both take care of the registration and installation processes at once.
I want these clients (real estate agents, mostly) to be able to go to a link on the main page, there presented by a nice Web Start screen (or even embedded Java applet) where they have a single form to fill out and hit Install and the latest version of the program gets installed on their computer.
The guidelines here are:
- The installed program should be fully executable (various JavaW weirdness should be avoided).
- The installed program should run on startup.
Additionally/Optionally:
- The Web Start/applet program that installs should be able to scan the computer for the existence of a previous version of the installed program and respond accordingly - meaning that if it's already installed, it only updates the JARs of the installed program if needed (shuts it down, updates and restarts). This way I can call the JNLP from within the installed program as an autoupdate method.
I'd love some pointers on this - are there such systems already available?
