InstallShield Editor 12 SP1 for AdminStudio?

[dem3tre]

When we originally bought the AdminStudio product we were told it includes the same InstallShield editor you could license seperately. Since our purchase, we have yet to see any interim patches, hotfixes, updates, etc to the AdminStudio product other than the interim .5 releases.

So here's my question, if AdminStudio 8 is using InstallShield Editor 12, why are updates released for IS12 not applicable to the version installed with AdminStudio 8?

One of our installation designers is telling us we need to be using SP1 for IS12 if we want support from him for his packages.

It seems the only response from macrovision support to any issues posed to them is "that problem should be fixed in the next release". For a company that sells software update tools it makes us wonder why they don't seem to use the same tech for their own products. Or is this another case of a company only providing this kind of support to clients that bought their top-tier support contract?

Sorry for the rant.

[Christopher_Pai]

I've ranted about this subject for years. From a product line development perspective, InstallShield 12 is both an asset and a product. The Installshield 12 product consumes the InstallShield 12 asset and then later the AdminStudio product consumes the InstallShield asset.

For whatever internal reasons ( I don't know them since I don't work there ) it typically takes Macrovision 6 months to include the (then) latest version of InstallShield into the (soon to be ) latest version of AdminStudio.

As a software release engineer I can understand this, as a customer it infuriates me since I pay MORE money for AdminStudio then InstallShield and after I spend a certain period of time in AdminStudio repackaging a product I spend the vast majority of time in InstallShield working on the MSI project.

I really only have a couple simple suggestions.

1) Does your site use SMS? There is an SMS edition of AdminStudio ( don't know what version it's on these days ) that gives you the repackager capabilities. You could then just save money and buy InstallShield instead.

2) Talk to your sales rep ( I usally talk with Robert Neff ) and inquire about what can be negotiated in terms of InstallShield licenses to go with your AdminStudio licenses.

The last time this issue bugged me was a couple of years ago when I worked at Continental Airlines. I made a big stink about it ( I try to be nicer these days ) and I think I beat up on Bob Corrigan and Robert Neff a little too much on this issue. I recall an AdminStudio VP1 was soon released that shut me up for awhile.

Also ask your setup developer exactly what in SP1 is critical to them. There are a couple important things like ISscript hanging on Vista with dual-core processors and XML Changes fixes that are actually available as hotfixes pre-SP1 that you should be able to install ontop of AdminStudio and be OK.

[dem3tre]

I agree whole heartedly. This is something that really needs to change.

For a product as complex as all the tools included in AdminStudio it is a very sad state of affairs when the company only provides external updates and fixes once or twice a year, and then when they do its a "major" upgrade.

I have requests in with the setup engineer to find out specifically why he is taking the stance that he is on SP1. Just a hunch but I'm guessing its because he's authoring his builds to work on Vista and he does a bunch of XML file updates (the whole UTF8 vs. UTF16 deal).

[Neeru]

The Editor version shipped with AdminStudio is the professional edition of InstallShied 12, however it is slightly modified for AdminStudio from what I understand. If you open InstallShield Editor, you will notice that it does not allow you to create InstallScript or InstallScript-MSI projects, only supports msi project types. Since it is a customized edition of InstallShield 12, the regular update to InstallShield 12 does not apply to it.

[dem3tre]

Neeru wrote:
If you open InstallShield Editor, you will notice that it does not allow you to create InstallScript or InstallScript-MSI projects, only supports msi project types.

You are right in that the editor in AdminStudio lacks support for these project types. This is another gripe we expressed earlier with our sales rep since when they made their pitch for the product it was heavily stressed how the editor component was the same editor you could purchase seperately (which as you just reminded me it is not); we didn't discover the missing project types until after making our purchase since mostly we deal with strait MSI based installs created elsewhere - it was only later that my group began to create our own inhouse.

That all said, it is sufficiently close enough in functionality to the full editor that I still don't understand why it takes them soooo fooken long to patch.

[Christopher_Pai]

Are you sure? I had that capabilities back in AS6. You had to go into Tools |options and tell it to show all project types.

[dem3tre]

You're right, we missed it in the options menu. That would explain the blank stares from our sales rep, he must have been thinking "your an idiot..." when we harassed him last 😞

[raymondo9]

This is gonna sound like a dopey question, but what is the difference in the 2? I can not find anything that compares them on the macrovision site. I have used almost all of the IS versions since 6 and been reasonablky satisfied with the results, but what do I need (if anythign) AS for ?

Repackaging ?

[Christopher_Pai]

InstallShield is primarily the MSI Editing tool. AdminStudio includes this and a bunch of other tools that are primarily of interest to people working in a repackaging role for an enterprise engineering group.

AdminStudio is good, but personally I'd go and buy SMS 2003, get the SMS edition of AdminStudio for free ( the main tools except for the Editor ) and then go purchase a copy of InstallShield Professional 2008.

If you are just an ISV shop, I'd purchase InstallShield Professional 2008 or Premiere if you need a stand alone build environment.