New InstallAware 6.0 is first to market with Windows Vista and hybrid 64/32 bit system support for installing software, updates, and device drivers.
San Francisco, CA, June 6 2006 – InstallAware Software Corporation has released InstallAware 6.0, a setup authoring tool for ISVs and enterprises deploying products, patches, updates, and device drivers. InstallAware 6.0 creates Windows Installer setup packages with support for the latest technologies, including Microsoft .NET 2.0, Microsoft SQL Server Express 2005 Service Pack 1, Windows Vista, 64 bit operating systems, and Driver Installation Frameworks 2.01.
“A significant achievement in version 6 is the InstallAware Web Update mechanism,” says Tod Curtis, Vice President of Research and Development at InstallAware. “It’s demonstrative of the design philosophy behind all of InstallAware. Fully standards compliant– it looks and feels just like Windows Update. Fully customizable – developers can edit every update dialog, and tweak the update logic. Easy to use – works out of the box without surprises. And, it is the first solution to market with complete source code for the update client. The Web Update client was written entirely in InstallAware’s MSIcode scripting language, which is a testament to the power and richness of MSIcode.”
MSIcode is InstallAware’s fourth-generation language for creating Windows Installer databases, without requiring programming skills. Still unmatched in the industry two years after its debut, MSIcode is a human-readable script, with conditional statements and branching execution. The simplicity of MSIcode significantly lowers the barrier to entry for Windows Installer development, a task with a sharp learning curve. “Anyone can author a setup in InstallAware using MSIcode,” adds Curtis, “and the beauty of InstallAware is that when a setup is built, the intelligent and human-readable MSIcode is automatically converted into a logo-certifiable, standards-compliant Windows Installer database, without requiring too much effort on the part of the developer.”
Also new to InstallAware 6 is Driver Installation Frameworks 2.01 (DIFx) support, hybrid 64/32 bit installations from a single setup file, the ability to minimize setups to the system tray and show message balloons, Windows Task Scheduler support, and detection of Virtual PC and VMware virtual machines. The setup user interface now supports building tabbed dialogs, like those used in the Office 2007 installer. The IDE now offers intelligent warnings and tips as MSIcode is being built, avoiding common setup authoring pitfalls. A new sample project illustrates detecting and connecting to instances of Microsoft SQL Server locally and on the network, together with pre-built dialogs that enumerate and test a server connection. Another new sample for driver installations simulates connecting a virtual “toaster” to the computer and automatically installs its plug-and-play drivers, implemented entirely in MSIcode.
InstallAware 6’s own setup serves as showcase for InstallAware’s advanced technology. Users choose the product edition they wish to install directly in the setup wizard, and setup dynamically defines the corresponding product features. The minimum setup option works without requiring an Internet connection, and additional features are downloaded on-demand when selected. The user is surveyed, again directly within the install wizard, both when installing and uninstalling, and the results are seamlessly submitted online.
“We take the rocket science out of Windows Installer and software installations,” says Jeremy Garrett, Vice President of Marketing at InstallAware. “Why hassle with an overly complex product when it only takes one click to check for Vista machines, one click to test for 64 bit systems, one click to install complex runtimes, such as Microsoft SQL Server Express and .NET Framework. And, it only takes one click to create patches. Again, it’s just one click to install multiple instances of the same application on the same computer. And, we give you the actual code that performs each task, so you can review and customize as necessary.”
InstallAware is available in four editions, with prices starting at US$199. A time limited trial and more information is available at http://www.installaware.com/.
About InstallAware Software Corporation
InstallAware Software Corporation, founded in 2003, is a software development company focused solely on state of the art software installation tools which offer the highest compression ratios and bullet-proof installations. The company produces software installation and compression technologies for the Windows Installer (MSI) platform on the Microsoft Windows Operating System. InstallAware is supported by thousands of users worldwide, and is a Borland Technology Partner. For more information, visit www.installaware.com.
Jeremy Garrett
InstallAware Software Corporation
336 Guerrero Street, San Francisco CA 94103
415 830 4715 (voice)
415 358 4094 (fax)
sales@installaware.com
http://www.installaware.com/
InstallShield® is a registered trademark and/or service mark of Macrovision Corporation and/or Macrovision Europe Ltd. in the United States and/or other countries.