A new benchmark of InstallAware X2, InstallShield 2014 and WiX 3.9 found that InstallAware X2 built the smallest and the fastest installation.
San Francisco, CA, December 15, 2014 –A new benchmark analyzed the compression efficiency and installation speeds of one open source and two leading commercial installation platforms, finding that the commercial InstallAware platform outperformed both the commercial InstallShield platform and the open source WiX platform; on both speed and size.
Initial Approach: The InstallAware X2 Program Files folder, containing 15,985 files, 2,860 folders, and 14.7 GB of data, was to be installed using WiX 3.9, InstallAware X2, and InstallShield 2014 –from a single, self-extracting executable suitable for online distribution. This initial approach failed as follows:
Since WiX 3.9 could not successfully build a setup, and since InstallShield 2014 could only build a setup that couldn’t actually run on Windows, the initial approach had to be modified to enable a comparison.
Modified Approach: A small subset of files inside the InstallAware X2 Program Files folder were installed – all of the nine 7ZIP archives inside the Runtimes subfolder, together with the sqlexpress2005bin_x64 and the sqlexpress2008bin_x64 subfolders of the Runtimes folder. This modified approach succeeded as follows:
All tests were conducted on a PC with 16 GB of RAM, powered by an AMD FX 6300 8-core CPU.
Commentary: InstallAware X2 was the slowest to build and self-extract, but installation was an order of magnitude faster after self-extraction, and the produced setup was the smallest of the three. WiX 3.9 produced the largest setup of the three, and InstallShield 2014 was the slowest to install among the three. InstallShield 2014 was the fastest to self-extract and the fastest to build among the three.
Software installation developers are encouraged to reproduce and validate these results on their own development systems. The setup projects used in the tests above are available for immediate download at www.installaware.com/acidtest.asp. Free downloads are available for all three solutions, and developers are strongly encouraged to experiment with their own apps and report their findings to pr@installaware.com.
About InstallAware Software
InstallAware Software, founded in 2003, is the leading Cloud Infrastructure Company with its laser sharp focus on state-of-the-art software installations and bullet-proof enterprise deployments. InstallAware has been named a “Leader of the Software Development Industry” by SD Times two years in a row (2013 and 2012). InstallAware X2 is available in a free edition for all Visual Studio users and paid editions with prices starting at $329. For a fully functional 30 day trial and more information, visit www.installaware.com.
Jason Strathmore
InstallAware Software
336 Guerrero
San Francisco, CA 94103
415 358 4094
jase@installaware.com
http://www.installaware.com/