Stillwater Systems, Inc. is excited to announce a new file format for handling your software distribution needs. It's better than ZIP, even better than self-extracting ZIP. Soon you can be creating and distributing WinIntelligentPackages! Yes, we're talking about WIP files.
What's a WIP file? Well, it utilizes the great compression capabilities of the ZIP algorithm plus it adds some much needed intelligence to the compressed file. The intelligence includes a destination path specification for each file in the WIP file, version number or date/time checking to handle file conflicts during the distribution process and more!
Now you can control where each file in your package is placed on your customer's PC. You can specify full paths or you can even point to any .INI file entry for the destination path specification. Isn't that cool? You can also create a package where the recipient selects the destination for some of the files while you control the placement of others. At distribution time, all necessary paths are created for the recipient. This basically lets you create self-extracting type files for your customers. No longer will you have to provide a README or INSTALL instruction file with your distribution packages. Your customers will be ecstatic when they see a .WIP file. All they have to do is double-click the .WIP file from File Manager and they'll be ready to rock-n-roll!
Yes, your customers will require the recipient module that handles the unpacking and distribution of WIP files (WIPDistributor). Good news though; we are giving that program away for free! We want every PC user that utilizes bulletin board or online services to have a copy of our recipient module. This program is a full Windows application that handles not only the unpacking and distribution of WIP files, but also can handle the quick unzip of any .ZIP file using the logic we introduced in our QZip program. The WIPDistributor module also has a distribution preview feature included. If you need to add icons to your customer's desktop, we can handle that too. And INI file edits, no problem. You can even add new file type associations to the registration database with a WIP file.
As a developer or systems administrator, you will use our WIPackage File Builder program to construct WIP-compliant files. WIPBuilder is priced at $45. The unregistered copy of WIPBuilder will limit the number of files you can put into a WIP file to 10. Also, the version number option for handling file conflicts will not be available. Once you register WIPBuilder these limitations will be removed.
You can register WIPBuilder through CompuServe's online Shareware Registration facility. Simply GO SWREG. The product ID for WIPBuilder is #5095. You may also register WIPBuilder by sending a check for US$45.00 to the address above. To register by credit card, please the PsL at 1-800-242-4775 and register product number 14047.
Be sure to explore the WIPBuilder help file for lots more information about WIPBuilder and WIPDistributor. Also, read on to learn how to best distribute your first WIP file to your customers.
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WHERE TO FIND THESE UTILITIES
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We have put this announcement in a number of CompuServe forums including WINSHARE, WINUTIL, MSACCESS, MSBASIC and VBPJ. The programs are in the WINSHARE and MSBASIC forums.
GO WINSHARE and search for these files (keyword WIP):
To obtain a copy of just the WIPDistributor, download the file name SETUPWIP.EXE.
To obtain an unregistered copy of WIPBuilder, download the file WIPBLDR.WIP.
SETUPWIP.EXE is a Windows self-extracting file. No need to use PKUNZIP or any other ZIP utility to unpack these files. WIPBLDR.WIP is of course a WIP file so you'll need to have already downloaded and executed SETUPWIP.EXE. VBRUN300.DLL required for both.
Please EMail us with any comments and suggestions.
Thanks,
Stillwater Systems, Inc.
CompuServe Address: 72643,604
Revision History
WIPBuilder 1.0b Fixed problem where some Windows system returned lowercase in the
GetWindowsDirectory API call which didn't match the upper-case path
of a source file, so the $WIN code wasn't set as the destination path.
1.0c Fixed error that occurred the first time you tried to create a WIP file
and a message was display 'Path not found'.
1.1 Added imroved Comment dialog box and About box, added ability to convert
a WIP file into a ZIP file, added ability to put message to WIP recipients within the
