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bkelly
By
Flexera Alumni

UPDATE: This is an older article outlining MSIX support and plans, for an updated list of features and a video click here.

MSIX is an exciting topic in the world of repackaging, so I get a lot of questions about it. In response we’ve been providing more information and webinars on MSIX as well as adding incremental support for MSIX over the last few releases of AdminStudio.

So why didn’t we introduce full MSIX support right away? As it turns out, even as we enter Q2 of 2019 (about a year after the announcement of MSIX) very few people are doing more than kicking the tires. First of all, it is an evolving technology not quite ready for prime time. There are a lot of questions and we don’t have answers to them all.

Not only is it a developing technology you don’t see being leveraged in production yet, we’ve also got some very impactful features and enhancements that we want to bring to market. While AdminStudio will ensure it maintains its position as the leading repackaging solution, it is so much more than that. Looking at our last several releases (and some key features we have planned) in the figure below, you’ll see a focus on ensuring AdminStudio provides more and more value to workflows that do not involve repackaging at all. Wrapping, testing, reporting, suggesting command lines and automating tasks are the primary capabilities that are driving AdminStudio from a tool you crack open when you have a Windows migration project, into a solution you rely upon day to day to help quickly address your regular need for new packages (including all functional and security related updates and patches).

The fact is, you don’t need to repackage much today. That could soon change thanks to MSIX, and for that we’ll have you covered. But there is a daily need for new application deployments and AdminStudio is an increasingly logical starting point for all such application activities. Many of our customers appreciate the value here and start all application efforts in AdminStudio; this value will continue to become increasingly clear as AdminStudio helps you to quickly take advantage of vendor setups and even wrap and prepare such for deployment in your systems management solution of choice. Need patches as well as packages? We’ll have you covered there too by the end of the year-- keep an eye on AdminStudio for some groundbreaking new capabilities in the months ahead!

MSIX features delivered alongside valuable new capabilities in AdminStudio; future dates are tentative.MSIX features delivered alongside valuable new capabilities in AdminStudio; future dates are tentative.

(7) Comments
bhatiaviresh
By
Level 3
For a tech that's not show-time ready and for people who keep kicking the tires, this is a surprising post: https://visualstudiomagazine.com/articles/2019/04/16/installaware.aspx?m=1 Your article above honestly reads like a poor excuse attempted primarily to explain away why you have lost leadership in this space.
bkelly
By
Flexera Alumni
Looking at the items in the Key Features column you'll find a strong list of impactful capabilities not offered by any of our competitors. If you cannot appreciate the iterative approach being taken, you must be a developer authoring packages for the Microsoft Store? Despite the claim in the linked article you'll find that InstallShield 2019 now offers full native project support for MSIX in its IDE. I don't believe anyone attempting to prepare applications for enterprise deployment (the AdminStudio use case) with MSIX today would describe it as production ready. Even the article you reference speaks of deficiencies; it is maturing but remains an evolving technology still undergoing regular changes and enhancements. Changes we'll be ready to roll with in order to have provided a solution so soon in its lifecycle. Are you deploying MSIX packages in your environment? I'd love to understand how you are looking to take advantage of MSIX and what features you find important to help you more easily adopt it.
bhatiaviresh
By
Level 3

Thank you very much for your update. Notwithstanding your courtesy, the claim that your key features are unique doesn't reflect the actual situation on the ground - you may need to do some catching up on some of your competitors that I shall not name here. We're using MSIX primarily for the Windows Store at this time, but we're excited that it may replace MSI all-out in the near future. Any MSIX deficiencies referred to in the article I linked are deficiencies by design. In other words, its not because MSIX is not production ready. Its simply because MSIX is a sandbox that it will never be able to do things that MSI can, no matter how "complete" or "mature" it gets. I do get the iterative process and I believe that is exactly what Microsoft - and some of their partners - are getting right here.  I have also evaluated your MSIX features and found your stability and scalability lacking substantially. This may simply be my bad luck, but it simply appears that there's just too many bugs, too many unsupported features. Just my two cents, your own mileage clearly has varied. An iterative approach shouldn't mean an incomplete, buggy, or otherwise unworkable product - so long after the technology launch.

bkelly
By
Flexera Alumni

Looking pretty closely and frequently at the competition, I see the suggesting of command lines to support silent vendor setups, providing reports on what packages have Java dependencies, integrated PS and EXE package wrapping, building WSUS patches for a local SCUP catalog, etc. are simply not features found elsewhere. Hence my confident claim we are innovating on features unique to the market. However, if these and/or our MSIX capabilities don't work as expected, we can completely agree that such is not acceptable. Looking across thousands of customers, there isn't much that would raise concerns around stability or scalability. Therefore I encourage you to please open new threads here with any issues or observations you can share (or open a support ticket for hands-on support). The team supporting AdminStudio is 100% aligned on quality alongside innovation and discussions around areas that can be improved upon is always a conversation in which we will thankfully engage. 

You may appreciate some insights on MSIX to be shared in this afternoon's webinar featuring MSIX Trainer Tim Mangan (or via a recording at the same link if you can't make it): https://info.flexerasoftware.com/AR-WBNR-MSIX-Future-of-Software-Packaging

bhatiaviresh
By
Level 3

Thank you again for your prompt update. Alas, if you are convinced that only your solution is able to wrap EXE packages, you have already lost me there. Literally every other installer is capable of EXE package wrapping. I will not attempt to address your other claims as this one counter-example is the most glaring and obvious one for any setup builder to agree upon!

bkelly
By
Flexera Alumni

On the surface, yes you can build a self extracting executable to wrap or bootstrap a setup with many tools, but if you take a closer look at what we are doing here, you'll see it goes far beyond such a simple capability. Keep in mind that these are enterprise use cases for operations and not are unlikely to carry the same value from the perspective of a developer. 

bhatiaviresh
By
Level 3

It seems like exactly what I do with my current tool, except WiseScript is a bit limited and outdated by today's standards, to say the least. When did you folks acquire this IP from Symantec, then?