Is there something like install shield that I can use for free?
WiX works well for us. We like it because it's XML driven and can be easily integrated into our build environment.
Scott Saad
2008-09-26 04:01:31
I've dumped InstallShield in favor of WiX just because it became such a hassle to modify installs through a GUI. It is so much easier to open a text file (even though it's in XML) and just make the changes I need.
Ferruccio
2008-09-26 10:07:20
+1
A:
I googled for "free installer" and found Advanced Installer, which I recall that I have used successfully in the past.
Greg Hewgill
2008-09-26 03:49:11
A:
There's the open source Nullsoft Installer which began with WinAmp, if I'm not mistaken.
For .NET development you may want to take a look at WiX, which Microsoft also open sourced. IT's good for those with continuous integration setups.
cruizer
2008-09-26 03:49:31
A:
NSIS (nullsoft scriptable installer system) will do the job. It's open source.
mopoke
2008-09-26 03:49:44
A:
The nullsoft scriptable install system is an open source solution that provides a very powerful and professional install system.
Joe Skora
2008-09-26 03:49:51
A:
Nullsoft Installer is the way to go. It has a bit of a steep learning curve but once you've worked out the scripting you'll have a decent installer in no time. Check out the Eclipse plugin too, it is a great addition.
Scott Bennett-McLeish
2008-09-26 03:50:29
wow ... seven other people added NSIS in the time it took me to add my post!
Scott Bennett-McLeish
2008-09-26 03:51:27
It's not too steep if you want just a basic installer, it's when you want to add customisations that you start getting to grips with how it works.
Sam Hasler
2008-09-26 03:53:34
+16
A:
I have been using Inno Setup for several years now. It's mature enough that it has a lot of plug-ins. I've found that the forums/newsgroups are very good at answering all the questions I've had so far.
hectorsosajr
2008-09-26 03:55:40
expect to read the doc first, there's no quick-start or explanation of the model, but once you see how it works it is pretty good
Steven A. Lowe
2008-09-26 03:58:06
A:
We use MakeMSI here to construct Windows installers. Very steep learning curve, but it's guaranteed to work on any Windows system.
We've had problems with Nullsoft installers in the past, as silent, automated installs (the kind done all the time in managed environments) aren't supported by default.
Merus
2008-09-26 04:06:54
+45
A:
- Very powerful and flexible.
- Can produce MSI packages (Microsoft deployment format of choice)
- Almost no documentation
- Very steep learning curve.
- XML-based.
- Recommended for very complex installators.
- Cannot produce MSI packages.
- Based on INI files (less powerful but very low learning curve)
- Possible to inject Pascal procedures for extra flexibility.
- Cannot produce MSI packages.
- Fully scripted, very powerful but at cost of high learning curve.
- Recommened if WiX is too much and InnoSetup not enough.
- Basic version is free.
- Can produce MSI packages.
- Very good user-interface, almost no learning curve to get things done.
- XML-based (but schema is not very user-friendly, doesn't really matter as you would use GUI editor anyway)
- The best option if you have only basic installer requirements and don't have time to learn something new.
lubos hasko
2008-09-26 04:09:51
I must take a look at WiX; I've used Inno Setup quite a bit, but lamented its lack of MSI support. Then again, I haven't done much development-for-client-side-deployment in a while.
Rob
2009-02-06 18:38:06
+1
A:
Inno Setup has worked very well as the Zeus installer for many years.
jussij
2008-09-26 06:25:03
+2
A:
I would consider dotNetInstaller as well.
It's pretty easy to setup installation with prerequisites, has a nice wizard and an editor that let manage the xml scripting from a form.
Zen
2009-01-30 10:47:09
A:
+1 for Inno. I was not a fan of NSIS/Nullsoft.
EDIT
the reason I did not like NSIS was the hoops I had to jump trough just to get the version information in the installer title/script. Basically you have to preprocess the scripts or run the install generator twice. Maybe they fixed it, maybe not. But what a hassle.
I also found that the versions of the plugins and the versions of the main component were brittle. For example, things didn't work well when mixed and matched/upgraded.
We had to keep a specific version of NSIS and the plugins we used in a repository to ensure we had them.
Tim
2009-02-06 18:36:20
A:
I was looking for a similar solution and found the new kid on the block to be InstallJammer. Open source, extremely friendly and powerful-looking (I say looking because I never actually finished using it on a project), able to produce installers for multiple platforms.
Actions in particular seemed very easy to set up.
If it were to live up to it's goals, it would easily give the other install solutions a run for their money.
My question is this: has anybody used it recently for a real project?
Binary Phile
2009-03-19 20:59:09