25 replies to this topic

[ispy]

Hi All ,

I was wondering would there be any mileage in trying to make Dotnet framework portable? Many hate Dotnet framework, it goes without saying but whether we hate it or not it is part of the software scenery!

Questions arise?

Dotnet framework like the programs that are propelled by it has undertaken various stages of evolution & has been incorporated within successive editions of M$ servive packs so the question at what point of entry do you enter the portable world. Having said that some people have not necessarily installed any further service packs albeit, my guess-ter-mit would be that they would be few and far between. However this would be a factor especially when file-sets & registry entries would need recording. I wonder also whether the internal structure of existing files are altered in the updating process?

Would be interested in feedback on this as so many programs are geared towards to Dotnet Framework these days so if dot net could be recorded in the installation process it could possibly be a candidate for portability.

I have briefly searched the net and the nearest topic I could find was centered around dicussions in respect Nlite and a version of Dotnetframework that had been "thinstalled or Thinapped" Sorry about the terminology but I think the majority will catch my drift???

Any thoughts or observations negative or positive woud be welcomed!

Regards & Best wishes,

ispy (This message is being beamed to you from sunny florida vacation time Yippee!)

P.S. All the very best to all Boot-land members at this Christmas festive time & remember don't forget about the real meaning of Christmas. For God so the World.... (That means each & every one of us as individuals)

addendum - Kewl new web site Nuno!!!

[Brito]

Hi ispy!

Long time no see, I was tempted to start a new thread at the community forum to see if anyone knew what happened to you.

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Regarding portability, you should really take a look on maxrealqnx's work with the dot net app script for vistaPE.

It can almost certainly be used a the guide line for creating a portable app since it will mimic the install of the dot net on the target windows OS.

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One other way to use his work would be creating a wb project that would install and uninstall these app scripts at the running windows on the fly but it will certainly be something easier said than done.

In either case, the app script is a good place to find references to registry keys and needed files since Max has already done a good work at debugging dot net support for Windows PE which is extremely restrictive as you certainly know.


Hope you get lots of sun, it's rather cold around in Europe these days..

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btw: why don't you start the honors and create the boot land merry christmas topic?

(just an idea..)

[ispy]

Hi Nuno ,

No worries I am still here! I am touched by your concerns but briefly to explain. I have passed this message to other Boot-land members by private PM.

Absence due to personal problems!

Thanks for the info will look into the information you have posted, there is also a compact version of dot net also which could provide some clues. I f you want me to remove the paragraph above I will duly comply!

Regards & repect,

ispy

[Brito]

Say no more. In Portugal there is a saying: "Enquanto há vida, há esperança."

This roughly translates to "While there is life, there is hope." and I truly wish the best for your nephew and family to have a safe recovery and not lose hope while there is a chance to try everything possible.

[sanbarrow]

Hi Ispy
first of all : best wishes to your nephew

About the portable dotnet ...
It maybe not exactly what you want but if you look at MOA you will notice that it has a "portable dotnet" implemented.
Maybe prtable is not quite the right term - but in MOA you can load dotnet on demand - you don't need to add anything at build-time ...

Ulli

[ispy]

Hi Sanbarrow/Nuno ,

Many thanks for the replies will investigate further & approach both MaxReal & maybe discuss at further length with Peter aka psc.

btw: why don't you start the honors and create the boot land merry christmas topic?

(just an idea..)

I will put some bits & pieces together for tonight!
Regards & Respect,

ispy

[ispy]

Hi all ,

Its looking extremely doubtful on making dotnet framework portable so for any program writers who are contemplating writing portable software avoid VB net, shame but there you go!

So in the interests of making this post remotely useful here is a link to a little gizmo that users may prove useful, tis called framework detect v1.0. It will tell you version of Dotnet framework you have installed on your PC. Here is a screeney when used on my PC. It is portable & simple to use, that which is marked in red is not installed & that which is illustrated in green is installed.


& here is the link to obtain:
http://www.softpedia...-Detector.shtml
N-JOY!

Regards & Best Wishes,

ispy

[was_jaclaz]

I seem to remember that also Sanbarrow installs it on-the-fly in his MOA.

jaclaz

[ispy]

Hi Jaclaz ,

Ummm I will get in touch with Sanbarrow via PM & see if it could be ported to a full xp scenario moa presumeably is a project put together by Peter if I am not mistaken?

Regards & Respect,

ispy

[was_jaclaz]

Hi Jaclaz ,

Ummm I will get in touch with Sanbarrow via PM & see if it could be ported to a full xp scenario moa presumeably is a project put together by Peter if I am not mistaken?

Regards & Respect,

ispy

Is your google broken?
http://www.boot-land...?showtopic=4298

MOA is a project by Sanbarrow (Ulli).
http://sanbarrow.com/

nativeEx_moa-lite is the project by psc (Peter)
http://www.boot-land...?showtopic=3439

jaclaz

[ispy]

Hi Jaclaz ,

OOooop's
Appologies to Sanbarrow.
Appologies to Peter.

I was thinking in terms of Peter's Moa project sorry! Why do they both use the same word Moa is it short hand for something?

Many Thanks Jaclaz!

R&R,

ispy

[ispy]

Hi all ,

This seems quite interesting:
open source .net
http://dotgnu.org/pnet.html

R&R,

ispy

[was_jaclaz]

Choose one:
http://acronyms.thef...tionary.com/moa

Then FORGET about them and get the right one:
http://sanbarrow.com/moa.html

Multi
Operating system
Administration / Addicts

Look, really, I can fix/repair your google, I usually ask for impossibly high hourly rates, but for a friend like you, I could do it for just a few bucks....

jaclaz

[sanbarrow]

Hi Ispy

MOA is an old project of mine - first "release" was about 5 years ago.
It basically is a set of BartPE plugins that create something like a monolithic PE-core system following the "enough is beautiful" approach.
Enough means: run VMware-apps and install most other stuff on the fly.

Back to the question:
I doubt that the way I load dotnet in MOA can be called "portable dotnet framework"
I prefer "load on demand" dotnet framework.
It boils downn to NOT adding anything at build-time - and speed-install everything on the fly.
That works pretty well in MOA - if you use a PE with a reasonable layout it should be possible to translate it

Ulli

[amalux]

Hi all ,

This seems quite interesting:
open source .net
http://dotgnu.org/pnet.html

R&R,

ispy

Hi ispy, looks interesting but the Windows installer link is broken; do you know of another source? If not I'll just try later... Thanks

[sanbarrow]

By the way - the MOA implementation seems to be pretty stable - I haven't seen a single dotnet crash.
It works so good that I tell MOA users when they ask how do I add app XY simply "just do it"

[ispy]

Hi Jaclaz ,

Are you really trying to say the problem is "Google" if you remove the improbable what are you left with LOL?
The Operator or lack of maybe, don't be polite say it as it is

A Few bucks are you "Joking" I'm Skint after Christmas, pass the hat around next stop skid row!

I have been to Sanbarrow 's web site seems very impressive project, seems to use VMware in a detailed way, being entirely superficial as I am, I liked the "pink" song on his site very profound, although (Lyrics) I would estimate that the president of the USA works quite hard, the crown wears heavy so to speak!
Wonder if Peter's acronym for his project is the same as Sanbarrow's?

R&R,

ispy

[sanbarrow]

Wonder if Peter's acronym for his project is the same as Sanbarrow's?

Peter and me tried to port my MOA-stuff - or better some parts of it into a new winbuilder-project - the result was a VMware-workstation-script Peter created and it was named MOA-lite

[ispy]

Hi Sanbarrow ,

Many thanks for the reply!

Do you think it is feasible & practical knowing what you do about Dot Net Framework whether it would be possible to create a portable version that would work on a full XP system or is it fraught with many hurdles and difficulties?

Could you PM me if you would prefer?

R&R,

ispy

[sanbarrow]

Sorry - I completely missunderstood - you are not asking for PE.
IMHO thinking about a portable .NET for real XP makes no sense - .Net writes tons of lines to registry - you would never be able to really clean up after use.
In PE you don't need to clean up and you have a much more uniformed start condition than in real XP - thats why the "load on demand" works in PE - it would fail horribly on real XP I guess

[ispy]

Hi Sanbarrow ,

Matey, best not to go there with this then, much oblighed!

R&R,

ispy

[sanbarrow]

Yeah - forget it

that will make you sleep much better

[joakim]

A little addition to an old thread.

Wouldn't portable dotnet be possible if ThinApp'ed?

For working around the need for ntfs formatted X when junctioning.

And no need for clean-ups if used on a non-pe system.


Joakim

[Michael McStarfighter]

I just found a how-to in a blog of VMware about thinapping NET Framework 3.5 ...

http://blogs.vmware....by-step-in.html

[Arjun]

Cool. I was also thinking of such a solution to port dotnet framework. very useful tutorial.