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JDeploy – Deploy desktop Java apps as native bundles on Mac, Linux, and Windows

jdeploy.com

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Re: JDeploy – Deploy desktop Java apps as native bundles on Mac, Linux, and Windows

#41

Post by whartung »

I downloaded the Ensemble app for the Mac.

I got a tar file, which, when expanded, gave me an app. I launched the app (who's name I do not recall), which proceeded to download a JRE...somewhere, and gave me (I think) another app.

I launched that app, it, too, downloaded another JRE (so it said), and then launched the Ensemble app.

The Ensemble app worked fine, but none of the source code from the samples was visible. I don't know if that's a packaging issue or not.

Where did it install the JREs?

Re: JDeploy – Deploy desktop Java apps as native bundles on Mac, Linux, and Windows

#42

Post by BeefWellington »

shannah78 wrote: post #36
LoveGracePeace wrote: post #34

I appreciate the effort, Desktop Java is a viable platform. I however, am not interested in using it due to the NPM aspect. Get ready, this won't be popular but it feels like if my toe were on fire an I dowsed it with gasoline to put out the fire.

> I however, am not interested in using it due to the NPM aspect Some people (here and elsewhere) have expressed similar sentiments about NPM. What would be your preferred alternative? Self hosted? Github releases? Originally I built it to be self hosted, but NPM was just so darned easy to work with and made the process smoother, so I focused on that. NPM is really just a CDN in this context.

Speaking for myself, I could see this being useful to me if you targeted any kind of S3 target, along with something like Github Releases. Even just outputting the results to a filesystem location would be simple and appease a good chunk of the HN crowd I suspect.

Similar to GP I wouldn't be trusting NPM with this kind of thing. For the convenience factor of it though, you should definitely leave that in place.

Re: JDeploy – Deploy desktop Java apps as native bundles on Mac, Linux, and Windows

#43

Post by shannah78 »

whartung wrote: post #41

I downloaded the Ensemble app for the Mac. I got a tar file, which, when expanded, gave me an app. I launched the app (who's name I do not recall), which proceeded to download a JRE...somewhere, and gave me (I think) another app. I launched that app, it, too, downloaded another JRE (so it said), and then launched the Ensemble app. The Ensemble app worked fine, but none of the source code from the samples was visible.…

All files related to it are kept in $HOME/.jdeploy

The observation that it downloaded 2 JREs (one for the installer and the other for the app) is a rough edge that will be fixed in an upcoming release. The reason is that the installer itself is an app that was bundled by jDeploy. It required a JRE, but didn't require JavaFX. When you, then launched the actual app, which was installed, it needed JavaFX, so couldn't use the JRE that was installed for the installer app, so it downloaded a JRE with JavaFX.

I will be optimizing this so that the "installer app" will try to use a JRE that meets both the installer requirements and app requirements so it only needs to download one JRE.

Hope that makes sense.

Re: JDeploy – Deploy desktop Java apps as native bundles on Mac, Linux, and Windows

#44

Post by WoodenChair »

shannah78 wrote: post #2

This is a passion project of mine to make it easier to deploy Java desktop apps. I'm very happy with the result, as IMO, the process is orders of magnitudes simpler than what we had before. Some features include: - Native installers for Mac, Windows, and Linux - Build native bundles for all platforms from any platform (e.g. You don't need Mac to make a Mac app. You don't need Windows to make a Windows app, etc..) - A…

Nice work and good explanatory website. I would like an easier process for deploying Java desktop apps, but the solution I use would need to also make it easier for me to deploy to the app stores (aka Mac App Store, Microsoft Store on Windows). Basically I would need a code signed app that I could submit to Apple.

Re: JDeploy – Deploy desktop Java apps as native bundles on Mac, Linux, and Windows

#45

Post by fire »

shannah78 wrote: post #36
LoveGracePeace wrote: post #34

I appreciate the effort, Desktop Java is a viable platform. I however, am not interested in using it due to the NPM aspect. Get ready, this won't be popular but it feels like if my toe were on fire an I dowsed it with gasoline to put out the fire.

> I however, am not interested in using it due to the NPM aspect Some people (here and elsewhere) have expressed similar sentiments about NPM. What would be your preferred alternative? Self hosted? Github releases? Originally I built it to be self hosted, but NPM was just so darned easy to work with and made the process smoother, so I focused on that. NPM is really just a CDN in this context.

I don't have a horse in this race, but being able to specify a generic target and then having a documented manifest format sounds nice to me?

Then you'd be able to do the ol' "specify base url" and as long as that host answers appropriately it should Just Work ( also doesn't stop you from then having npm configured as the default ); source freedom without blowing up configuration complexity

Publishing on the other hand I don't have easy recs for that don't eventually result in a lot of special-casing; That said, npm, git-compatible, s3-compatible, and ftp-compatible would cover most use cases, I think? Beyond those deployment types, custom deployment needs may well be better suited to pay you for a support contract anyway? )

Re: JDeploy – Deploy desktop Java apps as native bundles on Mac, Linux, and Windows

#46

Post by shannah78 »

WoodenChair wrote: post #44
shannah78 wrote: post #2

This is a passion project of mine to make it easier to deploy Java desktop apps. I'm very happy with the result, as IMO, the process is orders of magnitudes simpler than what we had before. Some features include: - Native installers for Mac, Windows, and Linux - Build native bundles for all platforms from any platform (e.g. You don't need Mac to make a Mac app. You don't need Windows to make a Windows app, etc..) - A…

Nice work and good explanatory website. I would like an easier process for deploying Java desktop apps, but the solution I use would need to also make it easier for me to deploy to the app stores (aka Mac App Store, Microsoft Store on Windows). Basically I would need a code signed app that I could submit to Apple.

jDeploy can be configured to produce an app like this, where everything is bundled together. It will even automate the codesign and notarize process. However, to do this requires a Mac, and you still need to jump through all Apple's crap for certificates etc... I haven't documented this process officially because I didn't want to confuse the primary message.

For app store builds, jpackage is probably the way to go.

Re: JDeploy – Deploy desktop Java apps as native bundles on Mac, Linux, and Windows

#47

Post by shannah78 »

BeefWellington wrote: post #42
shannah78 wrote: post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I however, am not interested in using it due to the NPM aspect Some people (here and elsewhere) have expressed similar sentiments about NPM. What would be your preferred alternative? Self hosted? Github releases? Originally I built it to be self hosted, but NPM was just so darned easy to work with and made the process smoother, so I focused on that. NPM is really just a CDN in this context.

Speaking for myself, I could see this being useful to me if you targeted any kind of S3 target, along with something like Github Releases. Even just outputting the results to a filesystem location would be simple and appease a good chunk of the HN crowd I suspect. Similar to GP I wouldn't be trusting NPM with this kind of thing. For the convenience factor of it though, you should definitely leave that in place.

> Similar to GP I wouldn't be trusting NPM with this kind of thing

Have there been some events that cast doubt on the trustworthiness of NPM? vs, say Github?

Re: JDeploy – Deploy desktop Java apps as native bundles on Mac, Linux, and Windows

#48

Post by TeaVMFan »

This looks very impressive.

"You must have a Mac to make a Mac binary" has always been an annoying shortcoming of jpackage, especially for smaller or independent developers.

Congrats, and thanks. This is going to be very useful for many developers.

Re: JDeploy – Deploy desktop Java apps as native bundles on Mac, Linux, and Windows

#49

Post by shannah78 »

fire wrote: post #45
shannah78 wrote: post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I however, am not interested in using it due to the NPM aspect Some people (here and elsewhere) have expressed similar sentiments about NPM. What would be your preferred alternative? Self hosted? Github releases? Originally I built it to be self hosted, but NPM was just so darned easy to work with and made the process smoother, so I focused on that. NPM is really just a CDN in this context.

I don't have a horse in this race, but being able to specify a generic target and then having a documented manifest format sounds nice to me? Then you'd be able to do the ol' "specify base url" and as long as that host answers appropriately it should Just Work ( also doesn't stop you from then having npm configured as the default ); source freedom without blowing up configuration complexity Publishing on the other ha…

> specify a generic target and then having a documented manifest format sounds nice to me?

It worked this way in an earlier iteration. I just wanted to make it simpler. I'll probably circle back and re-enable some of the more custom setups.

It does allow to you generate the apps and installers locally, but they are still "connected" to the cloud (NPM) for downloading the actual jar files and performing updates.

Re: JDeploy – Deploy desktop Java apps as native bundles on Mac, Linux, and Windows

#50

Post by shannah78 »

TeaVMFan wrote: post #48

This looks very impressive. "You must have a Mac to make a Mac binary" has always been an annoying shortcoming of jpackage, especially for smaller or independent developers. Congrats, and thanks. This is going to be very useful for many developers.

Thanks for the kind words. Looking forward to seeing how devs will use it.
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