NSIS support for Linux and Solaris

Question

Does NSIS support Linux and Solaris? I read somewhere that we can compile nsis script on Linux but cant execute the .exe generated on any other platforms but Windows. Can somebody put more light in this?

Tymothy

Answer 1

No.

See the NSIS feature list for more information ...

Portable Compiler

The NSIS compiler can be compiled for POSIX platforms like Linux and *BSD. Generated installer will still run on Windows only, but this way they can be generated without Windows or WINE.

Timaru

Note that there are differences using makensis on Ubuntu using the nsis package from apt creates Windows installers. However, I haven't been able to get certain features such as the uninstaller to work. When running the uninstaller Windows says the exe is incompatible. Building the same nsi on Windows does work. – Problematic

Answer 2

You can compile installers on POSIX and Windows systems, but it always produces a Win32 PE file that only runs on Windows (And maybe under WINE on *nix)

Check the NSIS manual for more info

Averir

Answer 3

The installer systems for Windows and Linux are completely different.

Whereas Windows' only contribution to a software management system is one registry entry pointing to the uninstaller, Linux has a full working software management system. There are apt, yum, pacman and many more out there, which are supporting many more features and possibilities including automatic execution of scripts and pulling in/installing dependencies. If you have a cross platform application you wanna share, you're either stuck with creating a tar-ball, or you learn how to build deb/rpm etc. packages.

Guillemette

Actually Windows does have a software management system, MSI, but is of an entirely different beast than Linux's, it's a nightmare, and that's why NSIS doesn't use it :) – Allcot

Answer 4

Linux and Windows are not binary compatible, so you can't do that.

But, most of the windows binary installer could able to install at WINE

Producer