when setup isn't just xcopy
Rob Mensching on Software Installation and Open Source at Microsoft.
breaking down writer's block via Firefly.
I'm writing this blog entry to try and kick the writer's block that has been plaguing me all...
Author: Rob Mensching (ex-MSFT) Date: 09/05/2004
Personal musings on shipping the first version of software.
I find it amusing that even though Peter and I have been on very different schedules as of late (and...
Author: Rob Mensching (ex-MSFT) Date: 08/29/2004
OSCON 2004, Day 1 - r0ml rocks, everything goes well, and I really like the Ximian guys
Today's (note, today is still Wednesday for me) events massively made up for the lack of excitement...
Author: Rob Mensching (ex-MSFT) Date: 07/29/2004
"Exceptions traveling through your code," a great way to say you will need rollback for setup.
I just watched Christopher Brumme on Channel 9 talk about reliability in the Common Language...
Author: Rob Mensching (ex-MSFT) Date: 07/11/2004
To blog or to book? That is the question.
With all apologies to Shakespeare, I'm looking for a bit of input from those of you interested...
Author: Rob Mensching (ex-MSFT) Date: 07/09/2004
Weird parsing problems using the Windows Installer XML (WiX) toolset?
If you are using the Windows Installer XML toolset to compile very large .wxs files, you may have...
Author: Rob Mensching (ex-MSFT) Date: 07/08/2004
The questions Microsoft employees keep asking about Open Source.
Almost two months ago OSDir.com interviewed me about the Windows Installer XML (WiX) toolset. It was...
Author: Rob Mensching (ex-MSFT) Date: 06/10/2004
VBScript (and Jscript) MSI CustomActions suck
Today was one of those days where you finally get around to looking at the time and wonder where the...
Author: Rob Mensching (ex-MSFT) Date: 05/20/2004
My philsophical musings about building setup for software.
Mike Gunderloy, who has written a couple articles about the WiX toolset, posted a comment on a...
Author: Rob Mensching (ex-MSFT) Date: 05/16/2004
Checking in on the Windows Installer XML (WiX) toolset development environments.
After getting the latest round of bug fixes posted in the WiX 2.0.1713.0 release yesterday morning,...
Author: Rob Mensching (ex-MSFT) Date: 05/14/2004
O'Reilly Net on Getting Started with WiX.
A couple weeks ago I saw Mike Gunderloy’s article about getting started with the Windows...
Author: Rob Mensching (ex-MSFT) Date: 05/13/2004
Windows Template Library (WTL) has released as Open Source on SourceForge.net
The Windows Template Library (WTL) appears to have finished propagating around the SourceForge.net...
Author: Rob Mensching (ex-MSFT) Date: 05/12/2004
Sections, Symbols and References in the Windows Installer XML (WiX) toolset.
Thus far, it seems everyone has been creating one single .wxs source file for their entire MSI or...
Author: Rob Mensching (ex-MSFT) Date: 05/11/2004
Windows Installer XML (WiX) toolset in Time?
K got really excited about this article in Time today that mentions WiX at the end. He got even more...
Author: Rob Mensching (ex-MSFT) Date: 05/07/2004
Registering an Assembly for COM Interop in a MSI file with the Windows Installer XML toolset.
On an internal mailing list, Omar Shahine just posted a link to his blog entry about how to register...
Author: Rob Mensching (ex-MSFT) Date: 04/28/2004
End of the beginning for the Windows Installer XML toolset.
For the last few months, the five core developers on the Windows Installer XML toolset have met at...
Author: Rob Mensching (ex-MSFT) Date: 04/28/2004
Open Source Business Conference and green light means go.
I just got back from a successful trip to San Francisco and I'm very glad to be home again. However,...
Author: Rob Mensching (ex-MSFT) Date: 03/16/2004
Just for the record, I don't work on Whitehorse.
Scoble pointed at my last blog entry about the solid coverage Microsoft Watch gave Whitehorse and...
Author: Rob Mensching (ex-MSFT) Date: 03/07/2004
System Definition Model on the move.
I found a few more places where people are talking about the stuff I work on as part of my day job....
Author: Rob Mensching (ex-MSFT) Date: 03/06/2004
Quick update on the "toolset" as per two requests.
I was hoping to hold out just a bit longer on providing yet another "toolset update" but two...
Author: Rob Mensching (ex-MSFT) Date: 03/06/2004
Back on the crystal meth... and oh so happy.
On Wednesday night over pizza and code, K mentioned that The Crystal Method had a new album out. At...
Author: Rob Mensching (ex-MSFT) Date: 02/13/2004
Inside the MSI file format, again.
Far and away the most popular blog entry I have written to date is the entry where I discussed some...
Author: Rob Mensching (ex-MSFT) Date: 02/10/2004
MSI vs. DSI, what can I say?
The second question Philip asked in a previous blog entry was: "How long can we expect to see the...
Author: Rob Mensching (ex-MSFT) Date: 02/06/2004
Did you LocalCache and find that Office still requires the installation CD when patching?
Update 09/24/2004: I am no longer looking for more information related to this issue. Please see...
Author: Rob Mensching (ex-MSFT) Date: 02/04/2004
Gibson speaks... I relate.
This afternoon I'm running over to the research buildings to hear William Gibson speak about...
Author: Rob Mensching (ex-MSFT) Date: 02/03/2004
Where now?
Time has really slipped by. I just noticed in the calendar on my blog that I haven't posted for over...
Author: Rob Mensching (ex-MSFT) Date: 11/13/2003
Dynamic Systems Initiative vs. utility computing
I decided to surf email for a bit and re-found the link to this article my lead (what some companies...
Author: Rob Mensching (ex-MSFT) Date: 10/09/2003