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SSE Setup Comparison
A common question about SSE Setup is:
Just to get it out of the way, the obvious first difference as compared to InstallShield®, WISE, and others is the price. Many are several hundred dollars to over a thousand dollars and more. No, I'm not kidding.
But on a functionality standpoint, here is the main difference:
Installers such as InstallShield® are incredibly complex. It's got its own scripting language, etc. As someone aptly told me (paraphrasing): "Why should I have to learn a new programming language to install the program that I just programmed?" It really is somewhat ludicrous, isn't it? But, if you need to produce very detailed, intricate installs then perhaps the cost & time outlay to learn and maintain it might be worth it. But, there's an awful lot of independent software developers and small businesses that just want to create a standard install that does the basic things (installs their files, puts the shortcuts, writes to the registry, etc.) and maybe a few frills too. This is who SSE Setup was designed for. See, SSE Setup was NEVER designed to be the BEST installer in the world with every feature that could be imagined. Instead it was designed to do most things that most developers want and do it much easier. SSE Setup has NO scripting language. You can literally throw together a fully functional install that works on all Win OS's from Win95 through Vista, in only a few minutes. And that's the difference!
Now, as far as MSI: MSI is a scripting language that works with Windows Installer which is the install platform that is automatically shipped with all Win OS's starting with Windows 2000. The primary downside to MSI is again that it is very complex. It's so complex that even getting it to do some simple things can be frustrating! Many install programs (including newer versions of InstallShield®) create MSI installs. The upside to MSI installs is that the main installer is already present on newer Windows systems. However, due to all the "extra" stuff inherent in using MSI, SSE Setup's overhead can usually match (or beat) an MSI install, so that upside is mostly negated. Again, if you absolutely require the very detailed things that MSI allows you to do, then the hours and hours (or days and days!) it will take to learn and work with it might be worthwhile.
Bottom line: Unless you need the very detailed control that a scripting language offers, you can save yourself a lot of time, money, and headaches by using SSE Setup! If you don't believe me, check out some of the unsolicited testimonials of others who tried lots of other solutions but ended up using SSE Setup!
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