Chapter 15: Delivering the Application

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Installing new software is like drilling teeth;
It’s painful above, and it’s painful beneath.

Not nearly so simple as seen on the telly—
My knees, as I watched, like two bowls full of jelly.

If it crashes, I thought, I will just blame Bill Gates,
And then sign myself into Norm’s Hotel Bates.

—from The Night Before Y2—K, eh, by Ted Warnell

Overview

It’s amazing that the simple act of installing software is so often painful and terrifying. Some of that is due to the underlying architecture of Windows, and there’s not much that you can do about it. But some comes simply from shipping poorly designed installers (or no installer at all). Think about this: Your setup program is the first piece of your software that your users will run. Doesn’t it make sense to have it leave a good first impression? In this chapter, I’ll look at some of the choices you can make when it comes to delivering your application.

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