Guess on a different runtime need:

I had this VW Launcher for my own play in 2003 - 2004... �on windows

Similar needs, but different implementation:

* Contained a base VW image with all mostly used base code loaded saved
* The vwnt.exe
* Through the inno setup configured this to be invoked when clicking *.pcl files in windows

Usage:

* Download a *.pcl file that is a complete application ( with config for prereq pcls if required )
* Open the vwnt.exe with the pcl as the input param to load first and run a predefined startUp method.

Thereafter once I delivered the base package, found it easier to deliver upgrade bits.. either as cumulative or delta (.pcl for vw ) ..�


********************************

This would be nice for Pharo too from an end user perspective of a delivered app. Deliver a few KB to few 100 KB fuel code package/ mcz file and it automatically links and opens with the pharo.exe in dev / runtime mode ( without dev tools) as configured..

But as I realized over few years for above...

a) Like in Java, will have to deal with version issues...for the launcher package
b) Identifying basic packages, optimizing startup time is a bit of challenge
c) Duplicate , package version issues.. would come up eventually...

But despite this all, I feel for the runtime deliverable experience, simplified I have this mcz, click and run experience would be nice to get school kids interested.. if not many others in IT cos too.

From a web Pharo Marketplace for instance if we have several apps ( just mcz files.. ) that are download, click and run on a pharo runtime.. without having any other overheads but few to 100's of KBs could be nicer..






On Wed, Apr 24, 2013 at 4:00 PM, Camillo Bruni <camillobruni@gmail.com> wrote:

On 2013-04-24, at 09:01, Damien Cassou <damien.cassou@gmail.com> wrote:

> On Wed, Apr 24, 2013 at 8:53 AM, Serge Stinckwich
> <serge.stinckwich@gmail.com> wrote:
>> Nice initiative ! There was already something similar done by
>> a korean guy: HwaJong Oh (https://twitter.com/Daliot )
>> called Pharo Launcher that works only for mac os x.
>
>
> yes, there has been many initiatives around that. But I think we
> should make something more powerful and cross-platform. I want people
> to click the 'Pharo' icon and get the full power. People should stop
> thinking about the vm + the image + the changes + the sources...
> That's too much

Exactly! .sources and .changes will be gone pretty soon anyway ;)
But yeah, providing premade images (as services) is a necessity!

Most people here have scripts to download the latest image and install
their presets, that clearly shows that a launcher with template images,
much as templates in any other software, really is the way to go!