The list provided from the link is good, but missing one important
installer tool, namely, Nullsoft Scriptable Install System (NSIS). The
list provides tools which allow editing/creation of MSI files, which is
one way to go about installing .NET software. It's definitely a sound
choice to make if a company has the resources ($$) to invest in
professional tools and a custom setup is required.
However, to SS's question I would add NSIS as a definite contender (and
my choice) for installing software on user's machines. NSIS was
developed by the people that brought us WinAmp (the MP3 player). It is
open source and completely free for commercial use, with a GUI (for the
installer) similar to that of InstallShield or Wise.
Although NSIS by itself does not allow (nor was it designed for)
creation/editing of MSI files it is a script based installer engine that
anyone can use to install *anything* on a user's machine. I myself have
used it for personal projects and it is used at the company I work for
to generate patch installers.
Since .NET applications by design can be simply XCOPYed onto a
computer's system (assuming the CLR is available on the host system),
NSIS facilitates this task tremendously. You can copy entire directories
(and subdirectories) from the compiled source to the user's machine
with simply one line. Of course, most setups will need more than this,
but I found it worth my time and effort to find out how to use NSIS and
stick with it in the long run rather than spending thousands on
InstallShield for instance where I'd use about 5% of what it has to offer.
For my NSIS script I do the following:
0) Make sure you're running with Admin privileges before we do anything.
1) Check what version of Windows we're using.
2) If running on NT make sure we're at Service Pack 6a, if not install it.
3) Check Internet Explorer version, install IE 6 if not installed.
4) Install the .NET 1.1 Runtime if not installed.
5) Copy my .NET application into the necessary folders
6) Create START menu and DESKTOP shortcuts.
7) Create uninstaller
You can do this and more with NSIS, it supports the idea of "modules"
where if you require your own custom functionality you can create DLLS
that get loaded when you compile your script. Of course, you are always
free to modify the source code directly if you so desire.
For more information please visit:
http://nsis.sourceforge.net/features/
The current released version is NSIS 2.0
Their website contains loads of examples, good documentation and a list
of companies/users actively using this open source installer.
