|
#1
08-07-2008
|
||||
|
||||
|
First Impressions
1. Really like the feature to add my versioning information to the built exe. I tried using the configured Session Variables (such as %ProductVer%) here but it doesn't seem to work. It would be good if it did.
2. I like the auto signing idea, unfortunately when performing the signing on a network drive it has failed 90% of the time. Seems to work if everything is local. I've gone back to using signtool from a batch file as it works everytime. 3. This probably sounds harsh, but, I don't see how this constitutes a major version upgrade. IMHO it is 7 with a few nicely thought out extras. Still a great tool though Jinjoid 
|
|
#2
08-07-2008
|
|||
|
|||
|
The most useful feature in SUF8 for me would be the LZMA data compression.
Has anyone done a comparison of how much better it compresses than SUF7 ?
|
|
#3
08-07-2008
|
|||
|
|||
|
Quote:
It went from 1.71 GB in SF 7 to 1.60 in SF 8. Not that much of a loss... and a bit disappointing. Although, I could use larger setting numbers, I won't since it says the speed may be impacted... well, guess I'll have to test and see what happens. settings: dict size 8 word size 128 SF 7 would take around 10 to 12 minutes to build, sf 8 takes 21 minutes. Not sure if it is worth it... although, I'm working to get this down to a little under 1.4 gb so that extra 100 mb might be all I need in the big scheme of things (after PDF reduction things I found in adobe 9). So is this upgrade worth $200? I'll pay... guess so.. seems a bit like Autoplay... certain features will be great for some but worthless to others... but then hopefully SF 8 has better compatibility with vista (if possible, I've not seen any issues with ver 7). Heck, they did not add what I was waiting for... I wanted to be able to have the first file (under custom) to make a 100 mb while the rest of build in one big file. And to be able to name the files instead of having them say insert disk 5 when I only have 2 disks. None of this was added far as I can tell. I've been waiting for 1.6 years (reported I wanted this and told it was "in the works"). Maybe I'll wait for an update or something... or find out I missed these features and look like an idiot....  Or maybe they fixed the issue with vista where if you had one large file for the CD builds it would hang waiting for Vista to check the .exe. Dunno, I've been waiting and waiting.... but when something only hits a small amount of users, I find IR does not take action quickly. Oddly I'm wondering if they can actually do anything more to these products right now... they seem to be perfect for the majority of users. Last edited by Tuberculosis; 08-07-2008 at 06:21 PM.
|
|
#4
08-07-2008
|
|||
|
|||
|
Quote:
Quote:
I didn't time the compile, but it seems slower to me. I'm probably wrong, though. The Visual Dialog Editor seems nice. While the range of dialogs are very good, this allows me to put text where I want it. The custom icon and resource info for the setup exe is nice, although the CD still shows the desired icon, and I use AutoPlay Menu Studio for downloadable setups, which gives me the icon I want for them. I'm glad to see SUF progressing (still think it's the best), but I may skip this upgrade. Guess I'll read a bit more before deciding.
|
|
#5
08-08-2008
|
||||
|
||||
|
The cost of the upgrade is more like $400, not $200, but I have purchased as always like to have the latest & greatest & IR have been good to me in the past following beta testing. In my case I pay this myself, not my company, so I have to think more about the benefits.
I would agree about the compression results being not that impressive on testing I have done so far. On a small project of 1.54MB compiled under SUF7 it went down to 1.52MB. OK I realise it depends what is in the project and how well those objects will compress but in my case it is just one EXE. I assume some projects with lots of text files, word documents, etc. that are known to compress well may have better compression. The Visual Dialog (or should that be Dialogue?  ) Editor is likely to prove the most beneficial from my point of view. My only concern is as I am now used to working around the limitations of SUF7 and below in this respect, I will probably end up forgetting it is available.Overall I have to agree with the original statement that this could have been a 7.x release, or 8.x but with a much smaller upgrade price attached. Remembering there were some (not that many) bugs in 7.0 that went unfixed for up to 18 months and now only 'fixed' in 8.x. I would argue I should not have to pay for fixes to something that should have worked in the first place. As to whether the other enhancements are worthwhile (or worth $400) only time will tell as I get more used to the product. Rgds John
|
|
#6
08-08-2008
|
||||
|
||||
|
I would agree new features don't justify a new major version.
Probably the most significant is the visual dialog editor - a really cool feature, but standard v7 dialogs are OK for most purposes. Compression is poor, as for "faster installation performance than ever before" - I noticed exactly the opposite. Both building and installation(especially on Vista) are slower if compression is involved. Custom Setup Icon and Version Resource Info - I solved this v7 problem with a resource editor. New script actions - most seem to be related to msi's and the same can be achieved in another way too. I can do everything I need related to msi's in v.7 Detection of latest OS's and their special folders etc. is possible in v7 through scripting. Authenticode Signing - cool, but can be easily done in another way. Other new features like support for >2GB files, improvements related to integration with source control systems etc. are not important for me. So from my point of view this is not a major upgrade. Some things are nice but not so significant enhancements, those who need them have already found an alternate way to achieve the same with v.7. Some are simply fixes. IMO SF8 should have been released as 7.x, or at least the upgrade price should be much lower than 60% of the price for a new license, as it is now.
|
|
#7
08-08-2008
|
|||
|
|||
|
My First Impression
Overall My thoughts are Great Start! As with any new product there is a few bugs and or questions.
Custom Dialog Editor Way cool, though it looks like a first attempt from IR. I couldn't find a way to line up the controls inside the dialog.
GroupBox control What is it for and how do do you use it? MSI Actions Way cool again, but I was looking for more scripting examples to use the actions together. Updated for XP SP3, Vista, Server 2003 SP2 and Server 2008 Yes I like this, but I didn't a %UserProfileFolder%, I've needed this several times in the past. (I know I can script a solution.) Is there a comprehensive changelog from SUF 7.0.6.1 to SUF 8.1.1000.0?
|
|
#8
08-08-2008
|
||||
|
||||
|
Hi Everyone,
First of all I'd like to thank you for all of your impressions and comments regarding Setup Factory 8.0; please keep them coming. We put a lot of time and effort into this update and knowing which features matter to our customers is very important to us and it will help us to continue to improve Setup Factory. A lot of effort went in to adding our two most visible new features the LZMA compression and the custom dialog. We also spent a lot of time improving the way Setup Factory works on Windows Vista, (including the code signing, launch user variables, additional folder support, and the way many of the screen controls are drawn) added the ability to stamp your setups with custom information, made it easier to integrate your projects into your version control system, and fixed a large amount bugs. As far as authenticode signing is concerned while it was possible to code sign a Setup Factory 7.0 executable, it was not possible to code sign the uninstall or code sign multi-segment installations, all of which are possible in Setup Factory 8.0. Again these are important non-trivial changes for developers looking to support Windows Vista or other newer versions of Windows. When it comes to LZMA, the compression settings that you use and the file types being compressed will have an impact on the speed of the compression/decompression and the amount of compression that you get. Trying to compress a series of JPG images or UPX encoded executables won’t do you much good. However on certain file types you will see a marked improvement on the compression level. And remember if you are working with files that are already compressed and you are not seeing much in the way of compression, you can always decrease the LZMA settings and increase the speed of your installs! If you are looking for dynamic custom version information use design-time constants. Session variables are dynamic and meant for the runtime, while design-time constants are meant for design and build times. It is also important to remember that while some of the features and improvements may not be important to you they may be important to others. Working on a product like Setup Factory is always a fine balance of trying to decide which features will help the most people, and keeping the interface and workflow as straightforward as possible. I will look into seeing if we can provide a more comprehensive list of all of the bug fixes and new features, some of which may get overlooked until that time when you need to catch a specific error or tweak your installation for a 64-bit operating system. Again we really do appreciate all of your comments about Setup Factory. You can rest assured that we read each and every comment and record all of your suggestions for future use. If you have ideas on how we can further improve Setup Factory, or make Setup Factory easier for you to use please let us know.
__________________
MSI Factory The Next Generation Intelligent Setup Builder
|
|
#9
08-08-2008
|
||||
|
||||
|
Quote:
In fact I suspect this is not the case here and only as a means of showing users that the radio buttons are related and to make the screen look 'tidy'. When I move the groupbox the radio buttons do not move so perhaps should be called a frame . Unless I am not doing something correctly.Rgds John
|
|
#10
08-08-2008
|
|||
|
|||
|
Quote:
|
|
#11
08-08-2008
|
||||
|
||||
|
Upgrade Price
Well there is something wrong then. I upgraded yesterday and was charged US$295 which when converted came in at 164 UK Pounds (in reality the exchange rate should have made it 153 Pounds). On top of that I was charged 19% VAT (UK VAT rate is actually 17.5%) to make a total of 196 UK Pounds. Converting back again to US Dollars the total is around 375 dollars which not far off the US$400 I quoted.
Why I was charged 19% VAT I have no idea but suspect it is due to some US/European agreement. It did say this would be fixed at time of payment based on what country I set but it did not. If you are really saying the upgrade should have been $195 then I have been incorrectly charged and will be demanding a refund. I have not read anywhere about there being a special offer though. Rgds John
|
|
#12
08-08-2008
|
|||
|
|||
|
Well, I assumed it was public (and universal), but with the V8 announcement email, I was given a coupon code to reduce the $295 upgrade fee by $100, which expires the end of this month. Maybe it doesn't apply outside the U.S.? And yeah, a lot of places charge the VAT for orders from Europe, which is a real bummer, when you consider it's for a download.
|
|
#13
08-08-2008
|
||||
|
||||
|
Never received an announcement email - normally do - and came across v8 by accident when I was about to post a bug found for v7. Reason I asked in another thread whether all reported bugs have been fixed. Think I'll ask IR about this.
Thks John
|
|
#14
08-10-2008
|
|||
|
|||
|
Hey, does SF8 integrate with Visual Build the same as SF7 did? Or would we have to move to a run exe action to get our builds done?
Know what you guys mean about VAT. It's a complete con. The EU passed a law that says other countries need to collect tax for it. Problem is the EU doesn't govern the rest of the world (they just like to think they can pass laws over it). I checked with our foreign ministry, and they confirmed my belief that we only need to comply with our own laws (not in EU), so we don't charge VAT on sales to EU, and I never will spend money to become a tax collector for those scumbags.
|
|
#15
08-11-2008
|
||||
|
||||
|
No Discount here either
For Cpt Pugwash. No discount here either, also in the UK. Didn't pay any VAT though, entered the company VAT no and bingo $295. Would have preferred $195 though.
When will companies realise that they sell on an international stage and that by trying to manipulate prices in certain regions all the do is wind up their own customers, encourage grey imports and piracy. How can it be fair that I pay 50% more than someone in another country. I know it rains a lot here but money doesn't grow on trees. Jinjoid
|
 |
«
Previous Thread
|
Next Thread
»
| Thread Tools | |
| Display Modes | |
Linear Mode
|
|
All times are GMT -6. The time now is 11:29 PM.
