Sorting out a real dogs dinner
It seems to me that over time increasingly Groove has been plagued with installation problems. I used to be of the opinion that this was Groove's fault: not any longer. Right now I believe that installing software on Windows is becoming very complex and indeed so complex that it is in danger of failing if even the smallest thing is wrong..
In common with many other software providers Groove uses the widely used, InstallShield. In trying to analyse Groove's installation problems I came across a relevant InstallShield patch page. And I am amazed. I was expecting something like "if there is a problem, uninstall and re-install". Of course this is InstallShield, and given the nature of its task, I might expect to see something out of the ordinary. Nothing has prepared me for this.
The page http://consumer.installshield.com/kb.asp?id=Q108322 has so many different ways of "fixing" InstallShield depending on this that and the other that I can only draw the conclusion that something else is wrong. Something is wrong with the principles of how all this works.
If resolving installation problems with InstallShield is difficult then what on earth is a complex application like Groove and its user community going to do downstream... Suffer is my only conclusion, and suffer they do.
I have been through so many installation faults and issues on behalf of Groove users, on behalf of PopG. I have worked with Groove support staff, and as yet no magic fomula has ever appeared to solve the problem. And as I say I used to think it was Groove's fault. This is not a short term problem: this has been around for several years. And as I say, I think it is getting worse. Perhaps it is now time to ask - is there another installer?
posted by andyswarbs at 10:30 am
3 Comments:
As an InstallShield developer I can understand your complaint. Basically InstallScript custom actions have out lived their usefullness because the design is now implemented as a complex DCOM interface with too many moving parts, too many points of failure. InstallShield/MSI itself isn't bad, but InstallScript is now bad. I'm saddened to say that since I've used InstallScript since 1996.
I only stumbled across your BLOG doing a google search. I'm not sure what Goove is, but since you mentioned it was take over by Microsoft I wouldn't be suprised to see them rewrite the install using WiX and replace the InstallScript custom actions with C++ custom actions. Reliablilty should improve then.
Installshield hasn't improved since the comments above were posted. Due to Installshield issues and their failure to accept and fix a product bug, I've decided that my only option is filing a lawsuit for Breach of Contract; see http://www.understandingfinancials.com/ISlawsuit.html
Kathleen Kerwin, CEO Understanding Financials LLC
Actually alot has occurred since I last commented on this thread. InstallShield has had a COMPLETE rewrite of the InstallScript engine that has eliminated all of the points of failure that I mentioned earlier.
Check out my blog for a complete discussion of it.
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