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I'm not asking a technical question, but a request for advice.

Over time, I have always used installshield as the primary tool in installer development, and this tool has always been the king of them.

Lately, everything has gone to the web and Windows Forms have lost their charm. However, these still exist, and there are needs about them.

But you don't see anyone talking about the latest technologies about Windows Forms, installers...

Do you think Installshield is still the main tool for build installers? Why isn't any extension available in the VSTS/TFS vNext market? Even in Jenkins, the last time the plugin was updated ... was in 2014. And we remember that Microsoft used Installshield Limited edition for one Visual Studio Version, but dropped to bring back Visual Studio Installer.

Paulo Alves
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    I think WiX is currently the main thing to use. You need some time to get started but it's propably the best choice for installers – D.J. Sep 01 '17 at 11:09
  • I have tried wix for some experiences, but it didn't seem so robust as installshield, and it's a weak installation tool. Still, it seems that the updates they launch the only thing that they had to them is the new VS version support, nothing more... – Paulo Alves Sep 01 '17 at 11:22
  • how is this tool weak ? is it missing some features you require ? – D.J. Sep 01 '17 at 11:43
  • i don't mean weak in features. I think that with some work, everything is available in Wix, at the point i've tested, the main bottleneck was IIS. but the weakness was in the engine. the setups seemed to break easy, the upgrades from one setup to another... things like those. – Paulo Alves Sep 01 '17 at 12:01
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    I think the fragility that you're referring to is not WiX, InstallShield or any other MSI builder out there, but more on Windows installer. There are still needs for building MSI installs but I think a lot of people have switched to WiX for more flexibility in how they build and what they put into their MSIs. Developers are still building thick clients that need to be installed. They're still building server side code that needs to be deployed I believe that those still on InstallShield have legacy code that is using their proprietary InstallScript engine instead of C# or C++ custom actions – Doc Sep 02 '17 at 02:31
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    Whether use installshield or wix, it's depend on the developers. Since you are more familiar with installshield, it's ok for you to use installshield and then build with VSTS as this way http://www.colinsalmcorner.com/post/building-vs-2015-setup-projects-in-team-build. But for Installshield Limited edition, flexera only support the VS version for 2010, 2012, 2013 and 2015. For VS2017, Installshield Limited edition is not available for now (https://social.msdn.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/b11bf5d8-59e7-4bf6-b093-690a67d08fb7/installshield-limited-edition-vs2017-final?forum=vssetup). – Marina Liu Sep 04 '17 at 02:35
  • Thanks for the answers. – Paulo Alves Sep 04 '17 at 10:14
  • David, I think that Wix is the selected option for most people due to it's cost and open source category. Marina, thanks for the share – Paulo Alves Sep 04 '17 at 10:21

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