I'm looking for a free cross-platform installer generator that is fully Java-driven (meaning workflow and plugins are written in Java). Ideally the installer should download the JRE on-demand instead of bundling it directly into the installer. Does something like this already exist?
Please note that InstallAnywhere no longer offers a free edition.
I've been using this: http://bitrock.com , they allow you to use it for both open and closed software
Here is a list: Open Source Installers Generators in Java
Update: For cross-platform builds there is an IzPack plugin for Maven.
If you're using Maven 1 or 2 for your builds, there is the NSIS plugin (for Windows only).
- plugin for Maven 1
- plugin for Maven 2
Both wrap the NSIS command line installer script compiler to generate a windows installer exe from a setup.nsi script.
openInstaller from the Glassfish project may be worth looking at as well.