Language-neutral and language-specific installation packages for software setup

• US 20060136907A1
• Filed: 12/20/2004
• Published: 06/22/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 12/20/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Hughes, Aidan T., Bennett, James A., Kurtzeborn, Scott E., Barr, Paul C., James, Jeffrey M., Cheff-Goldade, Terri V.
• Application Number:
  US11/019,082
• Publication Number:
  US 20060136907A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 717/174
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/61 Installation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/454 Multi-language systems; Localisation; Internationalisation

Abstract

A first installation package for a first group of files is created for a program. The first group of files include language-neutral files for the program but no language-specific files for the program. A second installation package for a second group of files is also created for the program. The second group of files includes language-specific files for the program.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

creating, for a program, a first installation package for a first group of files, the first group of files including language-neutral files for the program but no language-specific files for the program; and

creating, for the program, a second installation package for a second group of files, the second group of files including language-specific files for the program.

2. A method as recited in claim 1, further comprising creating, for the program, a plurality of additional installation packages for a plurality of additional groups of files, each of the plurality of additional groups of files including additional language-specific files for the program.

3. A method as recited in claim 2, wherein the files in the second installation package localize the program to one language, and the files in each of the plurality of additional installation packages localize the program to one of a plurality of different languages.

4. A method as recited in claim 1, further comprising storing the first installation package and the second installation package on a single distribution medium.

5. A method as recited in claim 4, further comprising:

creating, for the program, a third installation package for a third group of files, the third group of files including additional localized files for the program that localize the program to a different language than the second group of files; and

storing the third installation package on a second distribution medium.

6. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein creating the first installation package comprises creating the first installation package for a suite of multiple programs that includes the program, the first group of files including language-neutral files for each program in the suite of multiple programs but no language-specific files for any of the programs in the suite of multiple programs.

7. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein none of the second group of files need be localized to the English language.

8. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein creating the first installation package comprises including the first group of files in the first installation package, and creating the second installation package comprises including the second group of files in the second installation package.

9. One or more computer readable media having stored thereon a plurality of instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of a computer, causes the one or more processors to:

associate only language-neutral files for a program with a first installation package;

associate a first collection of language-specific files for the program with a second installation package;

associate a second collection of language-specific files for the program with a third installation package; and

save, on one or more distribution media, the first installation package and one or both of the second installation package and the third installation package.

10. One or more computer readable media as recited in claim 9, wherein the plurality of instructions further cause the one or more processors to:

save the language-neutral files as a first compressed file in a same folder on the one or more distribution media as the first installation package;

save the first collection of language-specific files as a second compressed file in a same folder on the one or more distribution media as the second installation package; and

save the second collection of language-specific files as a third compressed file in a same folder on the one or more distribution media as the third installation package.

11. One or more computer readable media as recited in claim 9, wherein the program is part of a suite of programs, the plurality of instructions further causing the one or more processors to:

associate, for a second program that is part of the suite of programs, only language-neutral files for the second program with a fourth installation package; and

associate, for the second program, a collection of language-specific files for the second program with a fifth installation package.

12. One or more computer readable media as recited in claim 9, wherein the program is part of a suite of multiple programs, the plurality of instructions further causing the one or more processors to associate only the language-neutral files for the program and the language-neutral files for any other of the multiple programs with the first installation package.

13. One or more computer readable media as recited in claim 9, wherein the plurality of instructions further cause the one or more processors to:

include, in the first installation package, the language-neutral files for the program;

include, in the second installation package, the first collection of language-21 specific files; and

include, in the third installation package, the second collection of language-23 specific files.

14. A computer readable medium, the computer readable medium having stored thereon:

a collection of language-neutral files, but no language-specific files, for a program;

a first installation package associated with the collection of language-neutral files and generated based at least in part on how the files in the collection of language-neutral files are to be installed on a target computer;

a collection of language-specific files for the program; and

a second installation package associated with the collection of language-specific files and generated based at least in part on how the files in the collection of language-specific files are to be installed on the target computer.

15. A computer readable medium as recited in claim 14, the collection of language-neutral files being stored as a first file on the computer readable medium, and the collection of language-specific files being stored as a second file on the computer readable medium.

16. A computer readable medium as recited in claim 14, wherein the collection of language-neutral files are included in the first installation package.

17. A computer readable medium as recited in claim 14, further comprising:

a plurality of additional collections of language-specific files for the program; and

a plurality of additional installation packages, each associated with one of the plurality of additional collections of language-specific files and generated based at least in part on how the files in the one of the plurality of additional collections of language-specific files are to be installed on the target computer.

18. A computer readable medium as recited in claim 17, wherein each collection of language-specific files localizes the program to a different language.

19. A computer readable medium as recited in claim 14, wherein the program is part of a suite of programs, and further comprising:

a collection of language-neutral files, but no language-specific files, for a second program that is part of the suite of programs;

a third installation package associated with the collection of language-neutral files for the second program and generated based at least in part on how the files in the collection of language-neutral files for the second program are to be installed on the target computer;

a collection of language-specific files for the second program; and

a fourth installation package associated with the collection of language-specific files for the second program and generated based at least in part on how the files in the collection of language-specific files for the second program are to

20. A computer readable medium as recited in claim 14, wherein the collection of language-neutral files is saved as a first compressed file in a same folder on the computer readable medium as the first installation package, and wherein the collection of language-specific files is saved as a second compressed file in a same folder on the computer readable medium as the second installation package.