Packaging and installation process

You need to consider the running code, translated textual data, and installation documents when packaging applications. Here are some suggestions for simplifying the packaging and installation of your application.

• Store the running code and textual data separately.
• Package the textual data so that customers receive only the textual data in the languages that are ordered. (If the textual data for all languages is sent to all customers, it will waste system resources and lead to maintenance problems.)
• Provide comprehensive installation documents (translated to the language of the person installing the product) to avoid unnecessary operator-related problems and also to avoid the wrong impression right at the beginning that the application is not reliable.

  Installation documentation should cover the following topics:

  • What is needed to install and run the application, such as hardware and software requirements.
  • How to install the application, and how to recover when things go wrong.
  • What changes need to be made regarding:
    • Subsystem definitions
    • Device descriptions
    • User profiles
    • System values
    • Library lists
  • What are the application limitations?