As part of the massive WebbIE re-write into .Net, I now have online new versions of PDF Reader and BBC iPlayer Radio. These are pretty much the same as the existing programs, of course. PDF Reader uses a different third-party tool to convert PDFs into text, but otherwise they are the same.
It’s taken me longer than I hoped, not because the programs themselves were too tricky to write, but because I had to change installer mechanism again. I had hoped that ClickOnce would give me what I needed: a simple per-user installation mechanism with built-in update mechanism. Most technical queries I get are resolved by updating to the latest version. But ClickOnce does not allow for handling file extensions (except for a narrow and unhelpful scenario) nor registering as the default browser. That means I had to rewrite the installer for WebbIE, again (it must be able to make itself the default web browser) and use the same techniques for PDF Reader.
So, making progress: RSS News Reader and Podcatcher next since they share so much code. I may have to pause and make per-program installers from the existing single-installer MSI, so that people can still get programs I haven’t moved to .Net if they really want them.
Updates to WebbIE too: you can make WebbIE the default web browser, and password inputs no longer show the passport (just the customary asterices.) Thanks to everyone for their feedback.