Which Access version to use for shareware?

[brooks]

I've written an Access application that I wish to distribute as
shareware. I own Access 97, 2000 and 2003. I have the ADT only for
97. The app is written in 97 but can easily be ported.

I know that the 97 ADT has flaws in it that can mess up end users
machines, especially if they have other versions of Access installed.

What is the smart, cost effective decision here?

Should I stay in 97 but find a different installer? (the app is pretty
simple, no OCX or DLLs)

Should I buy the runtime kit for 2000 or 2003? Are these kits safe for
end user machines?

Thanks,

Brooks

 

[Albert D. Kallal]

I don't think any version of ms-access is suitable for a easy shareware
type product.


a97 clocks in at about 14 megs + your application

a2000 clocks in at up to 150 megs in size, and often required a re-boot
during installing.

a2003 is about 34 megs in size + your application.

Looking at the above list, we can certainly rule out a2000.

I know that the 97 ADT has flaws in it that can mess up end users
machines, especially if they have other versions of Access installed.

Nothing changed in the above concept. The runtime system is a full version
of ms-access. That is a LARGE complex install, and certainly not something
orientated towards a small shareware download type product (you got the
wrong tool, wrong product, wrong concept).

For a shareware, I would suggest vb, c++, or delpi.

For database, Clarion sounds like a good bet.

Should I stay in 97 but find a different installer? (the app is pretty
simple, no OCX or DLLs)

You need a robust installer. I don't know if sagekey still makes a a97
intsaller, but, I would check with them....

www.sagekey.com

Should I buy the runtime kit for 2000 or 2003? Are these kits safe for
end user machines?

Well, safe is a relative term. If you install a version of ms-access on a
machine, you usually create problems if a version is already installed. As I
said, the runtime is a version of ms-access, and thus this rule still holds
(there is LITTLE if any difference in the mess you create by installing a
full version of access, or the runtime. After all, they are the SAME..and
therefore the problems are the SAME.

The sagekey install scripts do fix most problems here...

I suppose you could use sagekey, and the a97 runtime.

Realistically, for a simple small shareware download, ms-access is not a
ideal tool here. However, size wise, a97 + sagekey would be a possible
considering here.

 

[aaron.kempf]

MS killed Access by making the runtime such a pain in the ass

sorry

you should move to PHP / mySql and sell people a logon to your app.

Microsoft isn't in the desktop market any longer; they've surrendered
because of this little chickenshit company named Sun


-Aaron

 

[Brendan Reynolds]

You'll need to consider the issue of support. A shareware author is unlikely
to have the resources to be able to offer one-on-one tech support with
installation issues. With that in mind, I could not recommend deploying any
of the runtimes under these circumstances. I'd simply market the shareware
app as an Access app that requires Access 97 or later on the target PC.
Develop it in Access 97, and create an Access 2000 version as well. The
Access 2000 version should work in Access 2002 and Access 2003, so you'll
have four versions covered. (The Access 2000 version may well work in Access
2007 too, but I haven't done enough work with Access 2007 yet to be able to
offer any advice on that score).

 

[Tony Toews]

I don't think any version of ms-access is suitable for a easy shareware
type product.


a97 clocks in at about 14 megs + your application

a2000 clocks in at up to 150 megs in size, and often required a re-boot
during installing.

a2003 is about 34 megs in size + your application.

Looking at the above list, we can certainly rule out a2000.

Not necessarily. A2003 will only run on Win 2000 SP3, Win 2k and
newer. So it all depends on the original posters requirements. Now
it's very likely that A2000 is not suitable but ...

Tony
--
Tony Toews, Microsoft Access MVP
Please respond only in the newsgroups so that others can
read the entire thread of messages.
Microsoft Access Links, Hints, Tips & Accounting Systems at
http://www.granite.ab.ca/accsmstr.htm

 

[aaron.kempf]

Tony

there are no other operating systems, dude.. there haven't been ever
since the first 5 minutes I spent with NT Workstation back in '96

-Aaron

 

[brooks]

Albert,

Thanks for writing.

Any idea why the A2k distribution is SO much larger than A97 or A2003?

Would it be any smaller if you used a 3rd party setup program like
Installer2Go?

Brooks

Albert D. Kallal wrote:
....

a97 clocks in at about 14 megs + your application

a2000 clocks in at up to 150 megs in size, and often required a re-boot
during installing.

a2003 is about 34 megs in size + your application.

Looking at the above list, we can certainly rule out a2000.

....

 

[aaron.kempf]

MICROSOFT PURPOSEFULLY CRIPPLED THE ACCESS FAMILY THROUGH BLOAT AND
POOR MARKETING

That is why.

They should have killed off MDB and focused on ADP.

But as it is; ADP is superior.. so who gives a crap.
Use 2002 / 2003 dipshit; SQL 2000 doesn't even WORK with Access 2000

-Aaron

 

[brooks]

Aaron,

So exactly what bad things have happened in your past that you feel the
need to treat other people so poorly?

Brooks

 

[aaron.kempf]

mother fucking most powerful company in the world killed the worlds
most popular programming language

 

[Albert D. Kallal]

Albert,

Thanks for writing.

Any idea why the A2k distribution is SO much larger than A97 or A2003?

It included a update to internet explorer. I believe a update reduced the
total size to somtng similar in the range of a a2003 install.

the other issue was that a new installer for windows was required, and I
believe it also included that. The sagkey scripts apparently gets rid of all
of the additional junk for a2000 (thus reducing the size as mentioned to
something more reasonable and similar to a2003).

Would it be any smaller if you used a 3rd party setup program like
Installer2Go?

No, not that I know of. You are after installing a large program called
ms-access. As mentioned, the runtime is the SAME as the full version with
the exception of a few abilities (like design mode).

 

[brooks]

Brendan,

Thanks for the post.

I'm trying to avoid the 'installation issues' !

 

[brooks]

Well, I didn't have anything to do with that.

I would guess you have very few friends.

 

[Brendan Reynolds]

I know. My point is that, using the Microsoft-supplied tools alone, there
will be some installation issues, regardless of what version of the Access
run-time you choose to install. Third-party tools such as the SageKey tools
can significantly reduce the number of installation issues you will
encounter, but in my experience even such third-party tools can not
completely eliminate them.

 

[aaron.kempf]

you should just use the AccessRT.msi on the office 2003 pro disk; you
don't need to 'buy anything else' or buy any other licenses

plug and play

**** this company; they make things too complex and they are just a
bunch of fucking idiots

-Aaron