Setup Factory vs. APMS

[rhosk]

Quick question...well 2 questions. Does Setup Factory work with APMS files? In other words, can SF open the APMS project files? And is any one of these better than the other? Thanks for any insight.

[Corey]

Absolutely, in fact they are designed to work together. You may find some overlap in functionality but much like you can drive a nail in using the end of a broom, a hammer works much better and you will find each software has its own unique merits which give it value. (actually also with TrueUpdate and Visual Patch it makes a complete end-to-end development suite)

In terms of "better than the other" or "AMS vs. SUF" I would say that I'd have to pick AMS by TKO in the fourth round simply because Setup Factory had the flu last week. :)

But seriously I hate to be cliche but it's kind of like saying that oranges are *better* than apples. If I were a full time developer of multimedia software and presentations I would certainly buy all four apps so that I could:

1. Build my stuff using AMS.
2. Integrate "update from web" function using TrueUpdate
3. Deploy my stuff using SUF.
4. Build patches for my stuff using Visual Patch.
5. Deploy those patches via the built-in TrueUpdate component from step 2, so all my deployed stuff stays up to date, thereby always reflecting the biggest and baddest I have to offer even as I evolve.

For me the single largest frustration was always that my deployed stuff could never reflect my best material since my stuff improves all the time. I love TU for that, it's the most powerful update tool on the market.

Corey Milner
Creative Director, Indigo Rose Software (http://www.indigorose.com)

[rhosk]

Thanks for the info Corey! I just ordered the full version of APMS (been playing with it for a month now; expires tomorrow!). I don't know if you know this or not, but when can I expect the download link? IOW, you guys working today? :)

[Corey]

No, tomorrow. But don't worry Sandy's amazing, she'll hook you up for sure. Glad to have you around, looking forward to all sorts of coolness from your direction. :)

Corey Milner
Creative Director, Indigo Rose Software (http://www.indigorose.com)

[John-oh]

I was going to say " horses for courses " or some such, but not only did Corey beat me to it, he got a plug in for TU and VP as well !
I can only say good things about Setup Factory, although I don't have much call to use it currently, but when I needed it it was brilliant, it might not be the 'standard' deployment tool, for reasons I cannot understand, except maybe there are a lot of masochists out there (the last time I checked the opposition).
AMS however is a great distribution / presentation app. So you get the best of both worlds. But, as Corey suggests why stop there ? Go for all four and you are completly covered, and I bet IR would do a deal ? :)

[Corey]

Absolutely. If you contacted sales@indigorose.com and said, "Hey. I want to buy all four apps at once, can I get a price break?" I guarantee you they would offer something. I can't say *what amount* for sure myself, but I am 100% certain there would be a price discount of some sort...

We've discussed creating a suite package before but for whatever reason we just haven't gotten around to it, crazy busy times... Although we used to offer a couple different bundles. Who knows, maybe we'll revive them here at some point. But yeah, in the meanwhile you can contact sales in person (info on contact page) and they will be happy to discuss such things.

Corey Milner
Creative Director, Indigo Rose Software (http://www.indigorose.com)

[rhosk]

Thanks again for the tips. I will rest with APMS for now as I have a [major] software client interested in what this program can do, nothing fancy, but I think they will jump at this opportunity. If business fairs well, I will definitely purchase the rest to expand the possibilities. I really think that this is a powerful program; more powerful than people realize! It seems it has no limits.

I have another question, but I'll start a new thread.

Cheers,

[Lorne]

In other words, can SF open the APMS project files?

Just a quick point of clarification: Setup Factory cannot open AutoPlay Media Studio project files. This isn't a problem in any way, however, since the two products are generally used for different things.

Setup Factory is a tool for building software installers.

AutoPlay is a tool for building autorun menus, presentations, and all sorts of multimedia applications.

They overlap a little, in that you could use AutoPlay to build an installer, but duplicating Setup Factory's installation features would take quite a bit of work. You'd need to write a lot of code to get AutoPlay to do things that Setup Factory automatically does for you.

They definitely work well together, though. For example, Setup Factory is a great way to package up the applications that you build with AutoPlay Media Studio when you want them to be installed just like any other application.

[Corey]

Ah, yes. I made a mistake, Lorne's right. To clarify, I meant the built files, not the raw project files.

Corey Milner
Creative Director, Indigo Rose Software (http://www.indigorose.com)

[rhosk]

I downloaded the trial version of SUF and figured that out, but all in all, I knew what you guys meant, thanks!