InstallAware Software has launched InstallAware 2012. InstallAware is the leading setup authoring tool for ISVs and enterprises deploying products, patches and web updates. New in InstallAware 2012 is the ability to instantly build Microsoft App-V packages from any existing InstallAware project. Unique in InstallAware 2012’s App-V support is an App-V Viewer which may be used to open and review the contents of any pre-existing App-V package. InstallAware 2012 also integrates with Visual Studio 11, offering fully automated installer and App-V package creation from any existing Visual Studio solution.
InstallAware is the sole vendor offering an App-V solution starting at only $989. “According to InstallShield’s website, they are ‘the only installation solution that can build Microsoft App-V packages’. I suppose this means InstallAware is now officially the second installation solution with App-V support, at only 1/5th the price point of InstallShield,” says Sinan Karaca, founder of InstallAware. “In the good InstallAware tradition, we have also embraced and extended Microsoft’s App-V virtualization platform, permitting the construction of hybrid 32 bit-64 bit App-V packages. A single Hybrid App-V Package produced by InstallAware can successfully virtualize both 32 bit and 64 bit applications inside a single binary, an industry first,” adds Mr. Karaca.
“InstallAware continues to set installation authoring standards,” observes Agustin Berge, Director of Development at InstallAware. “InstallShield have just released InstallShield 2012, which finally clones our Partial Web Deployment technology; a foundation keystone that has been in every InstallAware version. We are sincerely flattered by their imitation. InstallShield are billing themselves as the industry standard setup authoring tool, but lack our compelling features across the board – including areas of new development such as App-V application virtualization, where they lack an App-V Viewer solution.”
InstallAware 2012 is also the first (and only) tool in the industry to support the new Windows 8 ecosystem, recently announced by Microsoft at the BUILD conference. InstallAware now pins applications directly to the new Windows 8 Metro user interface – giving your products prime exposure through Immersive Application Tiles. InstallAware 2012 also integrates with all Visual Studio versions including the latest CTP version 11, providing developers a one-click workflow to producing App-V packages from all of their existing Visual Studio projects – there’s nothing new to learn!
Other original InstallAware innovations yet to be cloned by InstallShield include MSIcode, an extension to Windows Installer technology which builds setups that intelligently mutate at runtime based on the state of the target system; unlimited and royalty free Web Updates with customizable business logic and user interface (the Web Update Client itself was built in MSIcode and ships with source code); a two-way integrated IDE which emits MSIcode in the background as visual designers are used to prototype a setup (unlike InstallShield, the script and visual designers are not separate, divorced entities); and a stunning user interface featuring advanced Aero Glass controls, together with the only Aero Wizard user interface compliant setup wizard dialogs that are available in the industry (in addition to 16 other fully customizable setup themes).
InstallAware is available in multiple editions, including free editions for Visual Studio and RAD Studio developers. Fully unrestricted 30-day trial downloads for all paid editions are available at www.installaware.com. Significant competitive upgrade discounts are available for both InstallShield and Wise customers at www.installaware.com/buydirect.asp, and are immediately accessible when an old InstallShield or Wise serial is provided on the page starting from $669USD. Instant project conversion from InstallShield and Wise projects makes it a snap to upgrade to InstallAware from these technologically obsolete platforms.
