Deploymenr of VB.NET on Customer machine

We have developed an commercial application using VB.NET (2005). For deployment we need to package dotnet_fx20.exe as part of the deployment package.

(dotnet_fx20.exe is the .NET framework needed on client machine to run .NET applications)

The issue we have is the size of the .NET framework exe to be installed on client machine, its around 25MB and the application is less then 1/2MB. So the total deployment package is coming to around 25.5MB.

Does the complete .NET framework has to be installed on client machine ? Is there any other option requiring less then a 1MB of installation file(s) on client machine ?

We are now thinking if we made the right choice by using VB.NET or if we should have used another development tool.

As we have seen other small commercial applications in the range of 1MB or so, but not sure what development tool is normally used for such development.

Will appreciate any thoughts/ideas/suggestions

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Originally Posted by summer

We are now thinking if we made the right choice by using VB.NET or if we should have used another development tool.

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Well, no offense, but you probably should have researched what the deployment strategies of your development tool(s) were going to be before you got into your project full swing.

That being said, the .NET framework is required to run any .NET application. So yes, the framework must be part of your installation, or have it as a prerequisite for the client to obtain themselves.

By any chance do you know what are the alternative development tools not requiring such huge run time installations on client machines.

VB6 only uses a small runtime. Or you could write your app in C++ in Visual Studio 6 and the runtime is built intop all versions of Windows. But it's a retrograde step, .NET is the way of the future, and sooner or later all machines are going to have to have the .NET Framework installed. You may well find that many of the client machines have it already.

Even if you supply the redistributable with your app, 25MB is nothing these days anyway.