Installers
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I know this has been asked before...but what do you guys think is the best installation software? We're looking at InstallShield, Wise, and InstallAnywhere.
When I can talk about 64 bit processors and attract girls with my computer not my car, I'll come out of the closet. Until that time...I'm like "What's the ENTER key?" -Hockey on being a geek
We started with Inno, dropped it when we started getting big and needed more sophisticated setup capability (setup scripts for more precise control over where things went, handling network setups properly etc) and compatibility with Windows Installer, I think Inno has added that so it's a good bet to try it again and see if it suits you. We switched to InstallShield (most basic edition whatever it's called) found it too limited and upgraded to InstallShield Developer (we probably were one of the first companies to get it) and to be honest it's a pretty crappy program, very badly supported and the company is obviously money-hungry because they release updates that you have to pay for at an alarming rate. They do have some bug fix / free updates but often something major goes unfixed for quite a while and it's like pulling teeth to find out about it. We've just switched to .net for all our apps and have sucessfully tested no-touch deployment and will very likely be dropping any kind of installer (thankfully) very soon. To be fair to InstallShield I think a lot of their difficulties arose more from Windows Installer support than anything else but their response is pretty bad. There is only one right answer to this question, you need to try them all with a real world example that is as complex as you need it to be in reality. There is really no other substitute here and they all offer a trial version so it's not an economic hardship. There are so many factors to consider, no one here with their particular requirements are going to meet yours and you might hit upon something really major to you that none of us even required.
I support two teams: the Canucks and whoever is playing the Leafs! -
JoeSox wrote: just voted Jim's a 5, not realizing he didn't provide any links It happens, even to the best of us;) JoeSox wrote: Good Job Why thank you:-D
// Steve McLenithan
Cluelessnes:
There are no stupid questions, but there are a lot of inquisitive idiots.Steve McLenithan wrote: Why thank you No. Thank YOU.:-D Later, JoeSox "That sounds exactly like the thinking of a machine to me." -- Morpheus, The Matrix Reloaded joeswammi.com ↔ humanaiproject.org ↔ joeswammi.com/sinfest
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That's a good point. All the apps I write are XCOPY-able. So I wonder why the boss-man wants to buy an installer package... :~
When I can talk about 64 bit processors and attract girls with my computer not my car, I'll come out of the closet. Until that time...I'm like "What's the ENTER key?" -Hockey on being a geek
'cause it just ain't a Real App until your users must spend 5min staring at Install Shield prior to using it. :rolleyes:
Shog9 ---
You'd better turn back, before the frost sets in. These desert nights are for weathered men, The ones who've already given in...
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What is the advantage of using NSIS over InnoSetup? if you don't mind me asking, besides being open sores :) I never tried NSIS out:sigh: Later, JoeSox "That sounds exactly like the thinking of a machine to me." -- Morpheus, The Matrix Reloaded joeswammi.com ↔ humanaiproject.org ↔ joeswammi.com/sinfest
Extremely tiny overhead. Easy to create/use plug-ins to add features. It was originally written by Justin Frankel (of WinAmp fame) and is now maintained by a number of volunteers who do an excellent job including supporting it via the NullSoft forums. Script based (VERY flexible). All I've ever wanted was an honest week's pay for an honest day's work.