How Do I Know InstallShield Won’t Be Going Away?

I get asked this question by email several times a year, so I thought I would go on record with my answer.

A person usually emails me who does not currently own InstallShield, but is looking for an installation-authoring solution. They are considering purchasing InstallShield, but they have a concern. Mainly, they don’t want to buy it, the company then change hands, and the product be scrapped. So, I always tell them what I am about to tell you.

I started using InstallShield in 1992. At that time, to my knowledge, the InstallShield company was privately held by the owners in Schaumberg, IL. If memory serves me right, Macrovision was the first company to acquire InstallShield. They owned it for two or three years, then sold it to Acresso. Or they renamed it to be Acresso, not sure which. It was called Acresso for two, maybe three years, and now it has become Flexera.

During all of the various changing of hands the product has remained great and to me, the customer, it hasn’t seemed to have been worse for wear. I haven’t noticed the product suffering any from being moved from company to company. In fact, if there had never been any press releases about this changing of hands, I would never have known any different. To me, the product has been great for all these years.

So, if it’s not clear by now, I am not worried about InstallShield and will continue to use it in the future.

Editor’s Note: I thought that Microsoft had owned InstallShield for a period of time, but a reader informed me that it was not the case. I appreciate knowing this fact so I can correct my memory and the post. Click on the Comments to view the reader’s post.

Disclaimer: I do not get any money from the InstallShield company for saying all of this. I just like the product and make my living with it. That’s it.

Converting InstallShield Projects From One Version to Another