Installation software market leader InstallShield Software Corp has launched its latest package with an eye to developers preparing products for Windows 2000 – and denied it will be hit by Microsoft’s own product Windows Installer, which it rates as a basic product that lacks the sophistication of its own package.
The privately-owned Chicago-based company, which insists it has no plans for an immediate IPO, has bundled its professional and Windows installer product into Professional 2000 and claims it offers shorter installation development cycles, improved controls over installations and enhanced usability and customizations.
Foul-ups by developers will be even harder to achieve, insists InstallShield, which has added a wizard to watch over the installation process and alert users in danger of committing errors. The price of the new product is between $200 and $995 but InstallShield is hoping to accelerate take-up by offering a $100 discount until the end of the year.
