Office is a tiny and simple install compared to the ones I work on. :-)
I currently use a combination of WiX ( to create merge modules ) and
InstallShield ( to consume them ).
We practice product line development methologies which means we have several
dozen "service families" that all exist on multiple branches. Each
family/branch has a build that ultimately generates binaries and merge modules.
The binaries are used for downstream build references and the the merge
modules are aggregated to create an installer. Additionally there is a WiX
fragment that describes the features that their modules express. Then we use
some custom build automation to pump this metadata into InstallShield through
their COM automation interface.
The result is a very powerful and flexible system that gives me the best of WiX
and InstallShield. I'm able to support insanely complex installers this way.
How insane? Imagine Clearcase branch inheritance where wix updates are done on
feature branches along with the .NET code by developers and then it gets merged
to one to many integ/product branches. A new product manager then comes by,
states which features he wants ( wix fragment with FeatureRefs and
FeatureGroupRefs ) along with it's branding metadata and instantly you have
defined a small to massive installer with a very clean design that does what
that product manager wants for his customer.
Eventually I intend to rewrite the InstallShield portion in WiX and replace all
of my Merge/MergeRef's with ComponentGroupRefs but for the moment I'm not there
yet.
Christopher Painter, Author of Deployment Engineering Blog
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