Software Deployment

How long do you think it would take a WPS user to become at least competent in the joys of AdminStudioHalf a day, maybe a day. The basic concept is the same, all you really need to do is work your way around the UI. I've always found AS to be particularly scruffy, UI-wise, with certain items in (to me) totally illogical places.

Download the trial version, install it on a VM and play.

Thanks for the feedback VBScab, I think I'll put reading the monster 2000 page manual on the back burner and just have a play with the evaluation on a VM. The UI does look very different to WPS, but hopefully my WPS experience should help with the learning curve a bit. Time to take the plunge!

Only thing you really need it the direct table editor [;)]
Seriously though, you should be able to get underway with InstallShield in pretty short term, like Ian said. I made the same move a number of years ago and have not regretted it at all. I actually appreciate InstallShield's 'cleaner' interface (might be personal bias, but that's my opinion).

In the end MSI is MSI

PJ

I used both and agree that the WPS UI flows a little nicer and is more intuitive. They both work well, but since my company wants us to focus solely on AS/IS, I must say, I wish they had chosen WPS. I find AS/IS buggy and I end up starting over from scratch often. And there always seems to be a gotcha somewhere. If you have worked long enough with WPS, its the UI you need to get used to. I'd suggest you take lots of notes and even go as far as creating your own step by step guide.

Huh, just noticed that the acronym for AdminStudio/InstallShield is "as is". Freudian slip?

We are currently trying to set AdminStudio Enterprise up. It is painful. Takes support days to get back with us, AES 10 is very buggy on Server 2008 R2 x64 with SQL Srvr 2008. Setting up the back end has been a pain because the documentation hasn't been completly updated and everytime they do get back its usually a patch that needs to get applied. I swear have have not had this many issues setting up an application in the 10 yrs i been doing this. I hope you don't have HyperV VM's for creating appV's either. Still having issues getting that to work. Support always comes back and says permission issues (regardless)->domain admin and sysadmin on databases. I'm sure when we get ours up and going it will be ok, but for now its a pain. Oh, almost forgot, don't expect to be able to import custom macro's or manage custom actions either w/ install shield. If you package in a virtual environment, make sure your project isn't saving in your "My Documents" either. Especially if you enable folder redirection.

Not a fan, yet. May as well use orca....Why pay 100k for a car if it is in the shop all the time.

make sure your project isn't saving in your "My Documents" eitherI suspect most users will be depositng projects in a shared folder. I know the client I worked for recently (who railed against my advice that WPS was dying [actually, being strangled] slowly) continues to use the WPS share.

ORIGINAL: jmaclaurin

I find AS/IS buggy and I end up starting over from scratch often. And there always seems to be a gotcha somewhere.

And WPS isn't? I crash that thing all the time. I've had to force myself not to cram too many changes into one session -- especially custom action changes. God forbid you try to do a little table editing.[:@]