CGoban3 Offline Installation

    Keywords: Online Go, Software

Table of contents

Official installation of CGoban3

The official installation method of CGoban3 is to use the [ext] KGS download page and to click on the [ext] CGoban3 with Java Web Start link displayed there or, optionally, the [ext] no file-association version. This will install the client on your computer, and it will take care of updates, which is something handy for KGS and for you. It's easy and works for all systems, Windows, MacOSX and Linux.

Please DO NOT send any question to admins about the methods described in the remaining part of this page or about problems you can have with those.

Macintosh, or Windows XP or earlier version of Windows

  1. Download the file [ext] http://files.gokgs.com/javaBin/cgoban.jar
  2. Double-click on the downloaded file to start cgoban

Linux

  1. Download the file [ext] http://files.gokgs.com/javaBin/cgoban.jar
  2. Open a terminal
  3. Go to the directory containing the downloaded file
  4. Type the command line java -jar cgoban.jar to start cgoban

Windows Vista, method 1

  • Do not have any CGoban installed.
  • Have Windows Vista 32b installed.
  • Have JRE 6_1 installed and JAR files being associated with Java.
  • Allow <Java-program-path>\javaw.exe to connect to the KGS servers and ports (optionally: to the internet in general).
  • Have cgoban.jar version 3.3.17 or later. You can get it from [ext] http://files.gokgs.com/javaBin/cgoban.jar.
  • Create a directory for CGoban. Here we assume that it is X:\CGoban .
  • Copy cgoban.jar to that directory.
  • Create a desktop link to cgoban.jar in that directory.
  • In the context menu of the desktop symbol, edit the destination and make it: "X:\Program Files\<Java-directory>\bin\javaw.exe" -jar X:\CGoban\CGoban.jar
  • Optional: Create and assign a different desktop symbol.
  • Optional: Coldstart Windows.
  • Usage: Run the program by clicking on the desktop symbol.

Remarks

  • This method prevents the association of SGF files with CGoban3, and thus prevents CGoban3 from trying to make the association each time it is run.
  • Insert your parameters X: and <Java-directory>. Don't forget the " " brackets around a program path including empty spaces!
  • You might want to login Vista as a regular user and create a desktop link also there.

Deinstallation

  • Delete cgoban.jar from that directory.
  • Delete the directory.

Windows Vista, method 2

  • Do not have any CGoban installed.
  • Have Windows Vista 32b installed.
  • Have JRE 6_1 installed and JAR files being associated with Java.
  • Allow %SystemRoot?%\System32\javaw.exe to connect to the KGS servers and ports (optionally: to the internet in general).
  • Have cgoban.exe version 2.6.12 or later.
  • Have cgoban.jar version 3.3.17 or later. You can get it from [ext] http://files.gokgs.com/javaBin/cgoban.jar.
  • Create a directory for CGoban.
  • Copy cgoban.exe and cgoban.jar to that directory.
  • Optional: Create a desktop link to cgoban.exe in that directory.
  • Optional: Coldstart Windows.
  • Usage: Run cgoban.exe.

Remarks

  • Some security experts think that having java-executables in the Windows directory is a security risk.
  • This method prevents the association of SGF files with CGoban3, and thus prevents CGoban3 from trying to make the association each time it is run. This can also be achieved by using the official "no file association" install listed above.
  • In the above, for %SystemRoot?% insert your actual system root directory. Typically this is C:\Windows
  • You might want to login Vista as a regular user and create a desktop link also there.
  • Currently there are no plans of KGS of providing a cgoban.exe online or allowing its uploading elsewhere. Therefore you need to have already saved an old version or otherwise resort to another method.

Deinstallation

  • Delete cgoban.exe and cgoban.jar from that directory.
  • Delete the directory.

Windows Vista, method 3

  • Do not have any CGoban installed.
  • Have Windows Vista 32b installed.
  • Have JRE 6_1 installed and JAR files being associated with Java.
  • Login to Vista as administrator.
  • Allow %SystemRoot?%\System32\java.exe to connect to the KGS servers and ports (optionally: to the internet in general).
  • Have cgoban.jar version 3.3.17 or later. You can get it from [ext] http://files.gokgs.com/javaBin/cgoban.jar
  • Verify that %SystemRoot?%\System32\cgoban.jar does not exist yet.
  • Copy cgoban.jar to %SystemRoot?%\System32\ . Confirm this action and then Vista's UAC question.
  • Create a desktop link to cgoban.jar in that directory.
  • In context menu | properties | destination of that desktop link, write: %SystemRoot?%\System32\java.exe -jar cgoban.jar
  • Coldstart Windows.
  • Login Vista as administrator.
  • Usage: Run the desktop link.

Remarks

  • Some security experts think that having java-executables in the Windows directory is a security risk.
  • This installation method does not need cgoban.exe.
  • In the above, for %SystemRoot?% insert your actual system root directory. Typically this is C:\Windows
  • Note that this installation method requires java.exe rather than javaw.exe, both in your firewall settings and in the destination. (You may block javaw.exe in your firewall.)
  • The desktop icon has a Java symbol instead of a CGoban symbol. You might want to create your own symbol and set it in context menu | properties | other symbol of that desktop link.
  • Running has the side effect that also the cmd window is opened.
  • You might want to login Vista as a regular user, create a desktop link also there (using the analoguous procedure for that), and later run the program as that user.
  • Again, no association is made between SGF files and CGoban3.

Deinstallation

  • Login Vista as administrator.
  • Delete the desktop link. Confirm this, if necessary.
  • Delete cgoban.jar from %SystemRoot?%\System32\ . Be extremely careful to delete this file and not accidentally some other file instead. Confirm this action and then Vista's UAC question.
  • Optionally: Block %SystemRoot?%\System32\java.exe in your firewall.
  • Coldstart Windows.

Remarks

  • A setting of your firewall is not specified. As an unofficial commentary, it is recommended though to set some conditions suitable for Java.

Discussion

xela: I haven't used Vista yet, but does it really have to be this complicated? Isn't it enough to download [ext] cgoban.jar and then double-click on the downloaded file to start the application? I'm pretty sure it works that way for earlier versions of windows and for macintosh. (On linux you need to use the command line -- java -jar cgoban.jar -- to start the application.)

RobertJasiek: Simply double-clicking the jar file (even if it is in the system32 directory) under Vista opens the program due to the jar file association but leads to errors for every internet connection attempt. Maybe there are settings for Windows or in JRE so that execution by double-clicking the jar file becomes possible under Vista, but I could not find any so far. - Of course, it is possible to simplify method 3 a bit if one does not care for one's outbound security in a firewall, e.g., if one uses Windows' own firewall with its default settings to allow all programs (i.e., also each trojan) outbound access. However, such carelessness would be stupid; these days no one should be so naive any longer when connecting to the internet. Similarly one could disable Windows' UAC, but this is actually one of Vista's best features. If one does not care for security, then why already use Vista instead of XP? - I strongly suspect though for method 3 that there must be a way to use the jar file in one's program directory instead of putting it into the system32 directory, but I could not find out how yet. Does any Vista expert know it? - You could further simplify the procedure by not coldstarting Windows, but such simplification is risky because Windows wants to know what has been happening to its system directories and Windows' preferred method to become aware of it is still contained in the processes run during the Windows start procedure. Not coldstarting after some installation of an application increases the risk that Windows will suck some time sooner rather than later. - You might also always login to Vista as administrator and thus ignore the method's advice to login as administrator, but why use a pretty secure operating system at all if one does not take advantage of its security features, i.e., does not create any user for ordinary Vista usage that is not the administrator account?


This is a copy of the living page "CGoban3 Offline Installation" at Sensei's Library.
(OC) 2008 the Authors, published under the OpenContent License V1.0.
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