InstallShield

InstallShield

InstallShield 2008 Interface. This model of IDE is still used until the current version.
Original author(s) Viresh Bhatia and Rick Harold
Developer(s) Flexera Software
Stable release
2014 / May 15, 2014 (2014-05-15)
Operating system Microsoft Windows
Type Setup Creator
License Shareware
Website www.installshield.com

InstallShield is a proprietary software tool for creating installers or software packages. InstallShield is primarily used for installing software for Microsoft Windows desktop and server platforms, but it can also be used to manage software applications and packages on a variety of handheld and mobile devices.

Features

InstallShield generates a .msi file which can be used on the destination computer in order to install the payloads from the source computer where it was created. It is possible to specify questions, set prerequisites and registry settings that the user will be able to choose at the installation time.

Development

InstallShield was developed by The Stirling Group, a company founded in 1987 by Viresh Bhatia and Rick Harold, who had first met when they were computer science students at Northwestern University. Their first office was a small room in the basement of an old library building in Roselle, Illinois. They were to market a geographic mapping software, but it was never released. [1] By 1990 the company was selling a package of six products called the Shield Series.[2] In that year the company released the InstallShield product to developers.[3]

In 1993 they moved into larger offices in Schaumburg, Illinois, and changed the company name to Stirling Technologies, Inc.. The product became particularly well known after Microsoft endorsed it for use in Windows 95, and by 1997 the company estimated that it was being used in 85 to 90 percent of all software products written for Windows.[3] Since 1996, the company operated under the InstallShield name until Macrovision acquired the business in 2004 for $76 million in cash plus a potential additional $20 million based on sales targets.[4]

Limited feature releases of InstallShield were bundled with popular software development packages such as Microsoft Visual Studio 6.0 (InstallShield Professional 5.0), Borland Delphi 2.0–2006 (InstallShield Express 1–4) and Borland C++Builder 1–6 (InstallShield Express 1–3.5).

On April 1, 2008, the Macrovision Software Business Unit (including the InstallShield brand) was sold to private equity firm Thoma Cressey Bravo, forming a new company: Acresso Software Corporation.[5] In October 2009, Acresso changed its name to Flexera Software.[6]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "The Electronic Developer Magazine for OS/2".
  2. ↑ Leslie Mann, "Meet The Original Installshield Wizards: If You Use A Windows-based PC, Chances Are You've Used Rick Harold And Viresh Bhatia's Handiwork", Chicago Tribune, March 1, 1998.
  3. 1 2 Anne Schmitt, "Schaumburg Company makes it possible to open windows", Daily Herald, November 5, 1997 (first page and second page via Newspapers.com ).
  4. ↑ Barbara Rose, "Software installer may fetch $96 million", Chicago Tribune, June 18, 2004.
  5. ↑ Thoma Bravo Completes Acquisition of Macrovision's Software Business Unit
  6. ↑ Acresso who? Macrovision spinoff changes name, again (Computerworld article)

External links


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