Include the Java Runtime Environment (JRE) with Your Program
What if someone wants to run your Java program but doesn’t have the required Java Runtime Environment (JRE) installed on his computer? You could tell him where to download Java so he could install it, but chances are that he would instead just not use your program. This would greatly reduce sales of your program. …
The Minimum Java Runtime Environment (JRE) for Your Program
Your program development may go easier and faster when you use the latest Java technology. However, that means users of your program must have the same version of the Java Runtime Environment (JRE), or newer, in order to run your program. How do you make sure your program’s user has an appropriate version of the …
How To Distribute Java External Jar Files
You can save a lot of time and effort by using java code that others have already written. Such code is usually available as external jar files. But how do you distribute that code with your program? Check the License Agreement Before you decide to use code that someone that else wrote, check the license …
Create a File Type Association
Double clicking a .doc file will usually start Microsoft Office. Double clicking a .pdf file will usually start Adobe Acrobat Reader. By assigning a default program to a file extension you create a file type association. Any program, even programs you wrote, can be assigned as the default program for any file extension. Creating a …
Protect Your Program Code – Obfuscate It
It’s depressing to read online just how easy it is for someone to decompile Java class file byte code, to turn it back into the original Java source code. You can’t prevent someone from decompiling your code, but you can make the decompiled code more difficult to understand. You can rename objects, variables, and method …
Create a Readme.txt File
A readme.txt file is important. If someone has problems installing your program, he will likely look for your readme.txt file for answers. Examining a readme.txt file is also the easiest way for someone to determine the purpose of a program without starting the program itself. What Should You Include in a Readme.txt File? Include any …
Create a Software License Agreement
You’ve seen all sorts of license agreements. They appear when you install other people’s software. You may have hated them. You may not have bothered to read them. But now that you are selling your own software, it is time to realize that the license agreement is very important, and that you need one too. …
Should You Create a Windows .EXE Wrapper for Java Programs?
To make your program market ready, users should be able to start your program by double clicking a file. Support for this is not automatically provided for Java programs. Even double clicking an executable jar file will not start your program if the user’s computer isn’t set up correctly, Why Not Just Use an Executable …
Integrated Help and a User’s Guide for Your Programs
One of the most important areas of consideration for making a program more marketable is to make it more usable. A key aspect of making a program more usable is the inclusion of online help and a user’s guide. The JavaHelp System may be used to create a very good, easy to use, user’s guide …
Should You Ignore the “Publisher Could Not be Verified” Warning?
If a publisher could not be verified, is that program harmful? Not necessarily. If the publisher could be verified, is that program safe? You cannot assume that either. Why does the warning appear? How can you stop the warning from appearing? The publisher could not be verified warning was intended to make computer users more …
Step-by-Step Tutorial
Many of the tips, techniques, and tools discussed in this blog are demonstrated in a detailed step-by-step tutorial in the book, This Little Program Went to Market, by Annette Godtland.
The book takes a computer program through the entire process of creating, deploying and distributing a program, then selling and marketing it (or any other product) on the Internet. Read more.
Programs at Market
Take a look at some of the programs I've created at Godtland Software Corporation. I created, deployed, distributed, sold, and marketed these programs using the techniques mentioned in this blog and detailed in the book. Read more.