[LWN Logo]


Date: Tue, 26 Oct 1999 10:36:36 -0700
Subject: Zero G * Paving the way for Java Software on Linux
From: "Colin Sanford" 
To: lwn@lwn.net

What is something Java on Linux software developers really need?  They need
a tool that helps them ensure their products run consistently across
operating systems.  On Tuesday October 26th, Zero G Software will announce
the availability of their new InstallAnywhere Enterprise Edition, providing
Java software developers a robust tool that ensures the proper delivery,
installation and configuration of their software on virtually any
Java-enabled system.  The following press release details the announcement,
in brief:

* The InstallAnywhere graphical design environment runs on Linux and builds
installers that will install Java-based or "native" software onto Linux
machines.

* InstallAnywhere handles all the platform specific details, acting as  an
ambassador for Java software and translating system requirements and
properly configuring a system to easily run multi-platform, Java-based
software. 

* InstallAnywhere Enterprise Edition is Web-enabled allowing software
developers to distribute their applications from any Java-enabled Web
browser. To see it in action visit:
http://beta1.adobe.com/acr_viewer/Faultline_Installers/install.htm

* InstallAnywhere Enterprise Edition makes the vision of "write once, run
anywhere" a reality by allowing developers to build a single installer that
can deploy any type of software (Java and native included) to any
Java-enabled platform (Mac and Linux included).

* InstallAnywhere creates LaunchAnywhere(tm) application executables making
it easier for the end-user to run Java software.  On Mac OS machines, for
example, it allows an end-user  to create "aliases" for easily launching
applications from the desktop with a "double-click."

>>>>>>>PRESS RELEASE<<<<<<<

Press Contact:
Colin Sanford
Zero G Software, Inc.
(415) 512-7771 x309
colin.sanford@ZeroG.com

Hold For Release

ZERO G SOFTWARE SHIPS ENTERPRISE CLASS DEPLOYMENT SOLUTION FOR
MULTI-PLATFORM SOFTWARE 

InstallAnywhere(R) Enterprise Edition Paves The Way for Java-Based Software
Providing Developers Advanced Customization Features For Deploying
Applications Across Multiple Platforms

SAN FRANCISCO, October 26, 1999 -- Zero G Software, the leading developer of
multi-platform software deployment solutions, today announced the
availability of InstallAnywhere(R) Enterprise Edition.  The latest addition
to Zero G Software's award-winning family of Java(tm)-based deployment
products, InstallAnywhere Enterprise Edition gives commercial and enterprise
software developers the power to create highly customized solutions for the
complex task of installing and configuring software across multiple
platforms. 

At the heart of InstallAnywhere Enterprise Edition is a powerful Open
Application Programming Interface (API).  This new Open API increases
developers' ability to customize installations and makes Enterprise Edition
an ideal solution for deploying software in all of the dominant enterprise
application models: rich client-server, thin client-server, and standalone
applications.  The product's multi-platform capabilities also provide
developers the ability to detect pre-installed software (such as Web or
application servers and/or databases), making it a perfect choice for
configuring heterogeneous clusters of servers running Windows NT, Solaris,
Linux, AIX, HP-UX and virtually any other Java-compliant server and client
operating system. 

 "Today's client and server environments are difficult to configure and
require extremely sophisticated deployment solutions," said Greg Maletic,
executive vice-president of Zero G Software, Inc.  "In speaking with
enterprise developers, we found that what they want is a single deployment
solution that runs on multiple platforms, can install Java or native
software and is extremely flexible.  InstallAnywhere Enterprise Edition
replaces the array of tools typically required to perform complicated,
multi-system deployments and gives software developers a single solution
that can handle the complexity of deploying software cross-platform." 

Customize Any Deployment 
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InstallAnywhere Enterprise Edition combines the power of its Open API with a
rich set of installer actions that enable developers to create installers
flexible enough to meet the demands of diverse computing environments and
smart enough to understand the global systems on which they are deployed. 
Despite the complexity of multi-platform deployment, InstallAnywhere
Enterprise Edition can make even the most complex software easy to deploy
with one-click installation via traditional media like CD-ROMs or through
Web browsers like Netscape Communicator or Microsoft's Internet Explorer. 
Some of the key features in InstallAnywhere Enterprise Edition include:

* InstallAnywhere's Open API, allowing for the addition of custom user
interface panels or custom code actions for performing virtually any
function before, during and after an installation

* Flexible serial number and password protection allowing users to activate
install sets, bundles, or control the installation of files and folders  

* The ability to search for existing files or folders on an end-user's
system, allowing for upgrade-type installs over previously installed
applications

* Extraction of archives from a variety of formats (zip, jar, StuffIt,
MacBinary, etc.) during an installation 

* Options for setting permanent system variables (inside the autoexec.bat
file on Windows 95 and 98, the registry on Windows NT or 2000, or .cshrc,
.login, or .profile on Unix) 

* Panels for user input allowing them to make custom choices, fill in
fields, or make selections 

* InstallAnywhere "variables" for tying information about the installation
and user choices to more than one action

* Flexible "magic folders" for determining dynamic installation destinations
and folders at installation time 

* Plus 15 NEW pre-built custom rules and actions!

Build Locally, Deploy Globally
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InstallAnywhere Enterprise Edition's support for 29 different languages
makes it the most powerful tool available for building localized installers.
 With support for both single and double byte characters, creating global
deployment solutions has never been easier.  InstallAnywhere's localization
features are integrated directly into the product's existing architecture,
allowing developers to simply check the locales they want to support.  The
Enterprise Edition's localization features allow you to:

* Build one installer for multiple language

* Tie graphics to certain languages

* Build localized uninstallers

* Edit for further localization

Supported languages include: Basque, Catalan, Chinese (simplified), Chinese
(traditional), Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Finnish, French, French
(Canadian), German, Greek, Hungarian, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Korean,
Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese (Iberian), Portuguese (Brazilian), Russian,
Slovak, Slovenian, Swedish, Thai, Turkish, and Spanish.

About the InstallAnywhere Family of Products
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Written entirely in Java, the InstallAnywhere family-of-products contain
powerful solutions for building professional, multi-platform installers that
are capable of installing and configuring software on virtually any client
or server platform.  Every installer created by InstallAnywhere recognizes
the platform under which it is operating and tailors its installation to the
user's system, whether creating shortcuts in the Windows Start Menu or
setting custom icons on the Mac OS.  This unique approach saves developers
the expense of building installers for each platform and ensures that the
end-user experience is a positive one.

The industry's leading commercial and enterprise software developers are
using InstallAnywhere to simplify the process of deploying Java-based
software to multiple platforms and rely on the product's ability to:

* Create a single, universal installer that can deploy software to multiple
platforms via the Internet or CD-ROM

* Build installers for more platforms than any other solution, including:
Windows 95, 98, 2000 and NT, Mac OS, Solaris, Linux, AIX, HP-UX, IRIX,
Tru64, OS/2, and virtually any other Java-enabled platform

* Install a Java virtual machine (VM) as part of an application=B9s install,
ensuring that the target system has the best VM for the application being
installed

* Automatically detect a project=B9s "main" class and classpath and switch to
=8CAdvanced Designer=B9 mode to make sophisticated customizations at any time

* Create significantly smaller and faster installations with revolutionary
SpeedFolders(tm) technology

* Automatically build HTML-based Web Installers for easily deploying
software via Intranets and the Internet

* Support and install Java virtual machines (VM), including: Sun's Java 2
and Hot Spot, IBM's VM, Microsoft's SDK for Java, Symantec's Visual Caf=E9
JIT, Inprise's JBuilder Java VM, Apple's MRJ 2.1.1, and Java 1.1.7 from
other operating system vendors

Pricing and Availability
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InstallAnywhere Enterprise Edition is licensed on a per-developer,
per-system basis, allowing for the creation of an unlimited number of
installers.  InstallAnywhere Enterprise Edition is currently available
direct from Zero G Software for USD $1, 995.  Special pricing is available
for existing InstallAnywhere customers and members of the new Zero G
Software Developer Network.  For more information please contact Zero G
Software's sales team at (415) 512-7771 x4.

Zero G Software Developer Network
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The Zero G Software Developer Network (DevNet) is an annual, subscription
based program designed to provide InstallAnywhere customers the highest
level of support and aid them in the development of their multi-platform
deployment solutions.  Membership includes:

* Unlimited e-mail and phone support

* Access to a password-protected Web site with customer discussion groups,
downloadable custom code actions, case studies and third-party software 

The DevNet is designed to complement the InstallAnywhere product line and is
sold separately on a per developer basis for USD $995 per year.  

About Zero G Software, Inc. 
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A privately held company, Zero G Software, Inc. is the leading developer of
multi-platform software deployment solutions.  InstallAnywhere, Zero G=B9s
award-winning flagship product, has become the de facto standard for
multi-platform deployment and installation, creating professional installers
for all Java-enabled operating systems.  Some of the company=B9s customers
include Adobe, AT&T, FedEx, IBM, Intel, Novell, and Sun Microsystems.  Zero
G Software is headquartered in San Francisco, California and can also be
found on the Internet at http://www.ZeroG.com.  

###

=A91999 Zero G Software, Inc. Zero G Software, the ZeroG logo,
InstallAnywhere, LaunchAnywhere and SpeedFolders are trademarks or
registered trademarks of Zero G Software, Inc.  All other trademarks and
registered trademarks are the property of their respective holders.