Microsoft .NET Redistributable Package - Too big for me.

[Raven]

Hi.

1. in order for a computer to be able to run a C# .NET app, it __has__ to
have a redistibutable runtime package installed, right?
2. I saw that the size of the package for download ("dotnetredist.exe") is
around 20 MB :-/. This is a big download in fact. Especially for modem users
it is actually TOO big.
3. So here comes my question (very important to me): is there any way to:
redistribute my C# .NET programs wihout forcing users to download such a
huge redist package? The possible options that come to my mind are:
3.1. There are other versions of the package available; Possibly the many
various components are split into SEPARATE, smaller downloads.
3.2. There is a way to "statically" link executable code from the runtime
libraries into the final executable. That would remove the need for
downloading any (or some?) redistributable packages.
3.3. ... ?

Anybody has any information or ideas or useful links?

TIA

 

[Jon Skeet [C# MVP]]

1. in order for a computer to be able to run a C# .NET app, it __has__ to
have a redistibutable runtime package installed, right?

In some form or other, yes.

2. I saw that the size of the package for download ("dotnetredist.exe") is
around 20 MB :-/. This is a big download in fact. Especially for modem users
it is actually TOO big.

There are alternatives. .NET is available on Windows Update, and many
people may well have downloaded it that way. I think it's been on
magazine CDs, too.

3. So here comes my question (very important to me): is there any way to:
redistribute my C# .NET programs wihout forcing users to download such a
huge redist package? The possible options that come to my mind are:
3.1. There are other versions of the package available; Possibly the many
various components are split into SEPARATE, smaller downloads.
3.2. There is a way to "statically" link executable code from the runtime
libraries into the final executable. That would remove the need for
downloading any (or some?) redistributable packages.
3.3. ... ?

Anybody has any information or ideas or useful links?

There's the Salamander linker (http://www.remotesoft.com/linker/), but
I've never used it myself. By the time a user has downloaded a few
applications using that, they might as well have downloaded the full
framework in the first place.

 

[Steve McLellan]

Hi,

RemoteSoft (think it's just remotesoft.com) have a product that will analyse
which bits you need and link against them, there are other similar products
floating around. It's worth bearing in mind that .NET is part of Windows
Update (if people choose to get it). But the host computer will need the
framework (as a Java app needs the JRE).

Steve