• The Javapedia's entry on JavaClientDeployment
• JavaWebStart
• Java.net article on packaging http://today.java.net/pub/a/today/2004/01/05/swing.html
• Windows EXE builders
  • JExePack is an inexpensive commercial program to generate standalone exes for Java programs.
  • Bootstrap native launcher for JNLP applications.
  • JSmooth Java Executable Wrapper that creates a standard Windows executable binary (.exe) from a jar file.
  • exe4j Creates EXEs from your java applications, whether they are service, GUI or command line applications. Very nice.

• Installers
  • IzPack opensource and cross-platform, also comes with a native launcher that can assist in installing a JRE
  • http://www.advancedinstaller.com/
  • Install Anywhere builds complete installation packages with/without bundled JVM (free eval version)
  • Install4j not free but a very good alternative to InstallAnywhere and great features
  • GlassWorks is a powerful install builder tool that provides a user friendly system for deploying applications on multiple platforms. Integration is supported on Windows, Macintosh OSX and Linux systems.

• Other
  • MAC OS
    • Jar Bundler
  • Orangevolt Ant tasks provides 17 custom tasks for the famous Apache Jakarta Ant targeting java application deployment for Unix/Linux/windows and macosx. It is licensed under LGPL
  • Java community forum threads discussing this area
    • "Does java have a deployment problem?" - for distributing cross-platform offline applications where JVM presence cannot be assumed
      • http://forum.java.sun.com/thread.jsp?thread=409892&forum=31&message=2210098
    • Arguing for a JDK tool for generating native stubs http://forum.java.sun.com/thread.jsp?forum=481&thread=458257&tstart=45&trange=15

-- JoshuaMarinacci - 11 May 2004

-- TimoWiedenmann - 05 Dec 2006