my apologies the link is here. http://johnmcfadyen.spaces.live.com/
Wheeler, Blaine (DSHS/DCS) wrote: > > I'd like to read your notes but unfortunately this link doesn't work for > me. http://john.mcfadyen.spaces.live.com > > I concur with your views on Windows Installer and count myself very > lucky to build installs in a closed environment where we control the OS, > the installer on has to know 1 language and we don't build or show > dialogs because we don't give users choices during install. > > > -----Original Message----- > From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of jmcfadyen > Sent: Wednesday, May 14, 2008 11:51 PM > To: wix-users@lists.sourceforge.net > Subject: Re: [WiX-users] yep - back to being 100% frustrated > > > It seems to me reading this from a link via Christopher Painter that you > guys > are all missing a few vital points. > > It looks to me like most of you looking at this as Dev's which is where > you > are going wrong. I agree these items should be trivial to fix but there > is a > vast number of regions outside of the development sphere which are the > reason it is not. I feel some of you need to take your blinkers off and > see > what is really the big picture here. > > Windows Installer is complex it is difficult to get decent information > on > but there are very valid reasons why its so difficult and most of them > extend outside the realm of the developer developing a piece of software > for > his single little machine. > > Windows Installer caters for a massive array of issues problems > operating > systems, and integrates the entire setup not only for your little > application but is designed to integrate hundred/thousands of > applications > developed by hundreds/thousands of developers onto multiple platforms. > There > is a much bigger picture at work here. > > I think the guys at MS have done a great job. I could say vbscript is a > great programming language and that C# or F# is crap when the reality is > my > understanding of them may not be as good as some of you guys here. Most > of > you would look at me like I was mental or something but the reality is > many > of you are looking at this with the same mentality. > > I have been using windows installer since its inception and these days I > find little that it cant do with a tiny bit of brute force. Don't blame > the > tools as there are plenty of people out there using these tools and > making > them work seemlessly and quickly on a day to day basis. > > Each day I integrate around 1,000,000 lines of code into multiple msi's > within minutes using WiX. (I couldnt care less what its written in, if > you > know how to use it as it was designed it works like a charm). > > If anyone would like some assistance understanding the finer intricacies > of > windows installer I have some heavy detail on most of the undocumented > features here. > > http://john.mcfadyen.spaces.live.com > > No offence intended to anyone on these boards, this post is not aimed at > being nasty and I hope my blog can aid with some of your troubles. > > > > > > > > > > > > Scott Palmer-3 wrote: >> >> On Tue, May 13, 2008 at 1:26 PM, Josh Rowe <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >> wrote: >> >>> <snip> >>> >>> The moral of the story is that deployment procedures really are part > of >>> the source code for an application. They are also risky, so > implement >>> them >>> first to minimize risk. >>> >> >> This is the problem. Deployment SHOULD be trivial. That it is a > "risky" >> part is outrageous. Shouldn't the hard part be in your application's >> algorithms rather than how to install it? (Your statement also > ignores >> the >> fact that there is risk in other parts of the development - should > those >> parts also be done first to minimize risk? :-) ) >> >> Saying it's risky is fine to justify the point that installers should > be >> dealt with sooner in the development process - Given the current state > of >> installer technology I must sadly agree. But it belittles the fact > that >> the >> installer technology sucks so bad and is the root problem that needs >> fixing. Am I the only one that thinks it is somewhat pathetic to not >> consider a certain technology for the development of my application >> because >> I wont' be able to write the installer? Doesn't that just say that A: > the >> technology to be installed (e.g. COM+), and B: the installer > technology >> itself (e.g. MSI) both suck? >> >> On a Mac you would just drag and drop the application icon. The very >> existence of an installer is frowned upon for most things. Why > doesn't >> Microsoft rip-off that instead of the desktop eye-candy? :-) >> >> Isn't the goal of WiX to make creating MSI easier without giving up > any of >> it's raw abilities? Should we really have to worry at the WiX level > about >> naming icon Ids with extensions that match what shortcuts that use > them >> point to? That is just plain dumb and WiX should deal with that > behind >> the >> scenes for us. Just like it deals with the insane requirement for > 8.3 >> filenames (WiX V3). Should I have to hack the component keys when I > want >> to >> use shortcuts in a simple install for ALL_USERS? No, WiX should handle >> that >> too. >> >> Regards, >> >> Scott >> >> > ------------------------------------------------------------------------ > - >> This SF.net email is sponsored by: Microsoft >> Defy all challenges. Microsoft(R) Visual Studio 2008. >> http://clk.atdmt.com/MRT/go/vse0120000070mrt/direct/01/ >> _______________________________________________ >> WiX-users mailing list >> WiX-users@lists.sourceforge.net >> https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/wix-users >> >> > > -- > View this message in context: > http://www.nabble.com/yep---back-to-being-100--frustrated-tp17181242p172 > 47075.html > Sent from the wix-users mailing list archive at Nabble.com. > > > ------------------------------------------------------------------------ > - > This SF.net email is sponsored by: Microsoft > Defy all challenges. Microsoft(R) Visual Studio 2008. > http://clk.atdmt.com/MRT/go/vse0120000070mrt/direct/01/ > _______________________________________________ > WiX-users mailing list > WiX-users@lists.sourceforge.net > https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/wix-users > > > > ------------------------------------------------------------------------- > This SF.net email is sponsored by: Microsoft > Defy all challenges. Microsoft(R) Visual Studio 2008. > http://clk.atdmt.com/MRT/go/vse0120000070mrt/direct/01/ > _______________________________________________ > WiX-users mailing list > WiX-users@lists.sourceforge.net > https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/wix-users > > -- View this message in context: http://www.nabble.com/yep---back-to-being-100--frustrated-tp17181242p17266382.html Sent from the wix-users mailing list archive at Nabble.com. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- This SF.net email is sponsored by: Microsoft Defy all challenges. Microsoft(R) Visual Studio 2008. http://clk.atdmt.com/MRT/go/vse0120000070mrt/direct/01/ _______________________________________________ WiX-users mailing list WiX-users@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/wix-users
