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wincent install: deployment as easy as 1-2-3

Install links

Universal

Tiger Compatible

Introducing Install

Install icon

Install is the new and powerful software deployment solution that puts the robustness and security of Apple's own Installer application in your hands, without the hassle of wrestling with package files and installation scripts. Its modular design and flexible configuraton options make it easy to hand-tailor an installer to your exact requirements, and the finished product will immaculately conform to the Human Interface Guidelines that Mac users appreciate and expect.

Core features

Install brings you all the features you'd expect to find in a full-featured software deployment solution for Mac OS X:

  • "Pre-flight", graceful process termination (kill the processes you specify before commencing the installation, but do it gracefully, allowing users to save unsaved changes to disk where appropriate);
  • Terminate target processes using Apple Events, SIGTERM signals, or SIGHUP signals;
  • Automated pre-flight removal of files to the Trash (in the case of files which can be moved without administrator privileges); and pre-flight deletion of files (for files which require administrator privileges);
  • Full configurability through a single XML property list;
  • Total user interface customization made easy with RTF documents;
  • Totally modular design allows you to make your installer as simple as you desire, or as complex; you control the number of steps required to complete the install;
  • Easy-to-use "Read Me" steps, "License" steps, "Domain" steps (allowing the user to choose a local or a system-wide installation);
  • "Shell" steps allow Install to run shell scripts before, after or during installation, with or without root privileges, thus enabling an unlimited range of tests and complex installation operations;
  • "Finish" steps which allow the user to launch the installed application or open other documents (such as preferences or any other type of document);
  • Authentication and authorization when required using Apple's Security frameworks;
  • Graceful failure handling: if an error occurs during an install, users are provided with clear, easy-to-understand descriptions of what went wrong and how to fix the problem;
  • Fully localizable;
  • Saveable, printable log and file windows;
  • "Uninstall" functionality, "Upgrade" functionality;
  • "Reveal files on disk" menu command makes it convenient for users who wish to do manual (drag-and-drop) installation of files embedded inside the Install package;
  • Multi-threaded to ensure interface responsiveness even during long-running installation processes;
  • Target system version checking (Install itself is designed to run on Mac OS X 10.2 or later);
  • Written in compact Objective-C, the Install application itself is barely over 200 kilobytes (including English localization resources);

Power meets ease-of-use

Install balances its impressive feature set with a carefully thought out, modular design that makes configuration a breeze.

An attractive, flexible installer, updater and uninstaller application can be assembled in mere minutes thanks to the easy configuration of the XML property list that defines the application behaviour.

Likewise, user interface elements (text, license agreements, documentation) are easily inserted with RTF documents.

Licensing options

Install is available in four licensing styles to suit the needs of different developers.

The basic, binary-only license starts at 199€, and provides developers with all they need to package their own installer applications using the inbuilt feature set of the Install tool. Once you've purchased the license you can use Install to deploy any number of applications; there are no limits.

The special binary-only license is a discounted binary-only license for only 29.95€, made available exclusively for use with open-source projects (that use the GPL, BSD or other approved license) or freeware products. To find out if you qualify for the discounted license see the licensing page.

A binary+framework license starts at 995€, and includes all the material from the binary-only version, but also provides access to the framework that lies at the core of the Install application. With this framework, Cocoa developers can add their own custom subclasses to Install, tailoring and extending the tool to meet their exact needs.

A full-source license starts at 4995€, and offers the same benefits as the binary-only version, but also includes a complete copy of the source code, with full documentation in the headers. It is intended for serious developers who wish to use the Install code as a spring board for even more specialised flavours of the tool.

All four license types include a basic Developers Kit to get you up and running making your own custom installers in minutes. The truth is, however, that the program design is so intuitive and obvious that getting started with the binary installer almost needs no explanation!

More information is available on the licensing page.

See Install in action

If you would like to sample Install for yourself, head over to the Install download page, where you can obtain copies of commercial software applications that showcase the great interface, robustness, and ease-of-use of Install, or download the a sample version of the Install manual.

In addition, the screenshots page provide a visual indication of the default appearance of the Install interface.