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StuffIt Installermaker 4.1 With Electronic Commerce Capabilities Now Available From Aladdin Systems, Inc.

Aladdin's Installer Gets New Tasks and Flag Alerts for Improved Installations

Watsonville, CA-- July 30, 1997 -- Aladdin Systems, Inc., developer and publisher of the worldwide compression standard StuffIt®, today announced StuffIt InstallerMaker™ 4.1 began shipping. StuffIt InstallerMaker allows developers to easily create custom software installers and automatic trialware software (a time-locked demo) without any coding. InstallerMaker is the only Macintosh installer with automatic trialware creation capability. Trialware created with InstallerMaker can be purchased by end users with the click of a button.

"Integrating electronic commerce into InstallerMaker is the solution for developers, distributors, and marketers to easily incorporate trialware versions of their software. InstallerMaker with electronic commerce capabilities significantly cuts costs on developer time and can advance the availability of software to their customers," said Jonathan Kahn, Vice President, Aladdin Business Line. "Trialware offers the chance to try-before-you-buy and takes some of the risk out of the software market for developers."

Six New Features in InstallerMaker 4.1
Two new Tasks make InstallerMaker faster and easier to use. The "Display Alert" Task allows developers to show alert messages to users at any time during installation. The "Launch" Task allows developers to create tasks to launch applications, open other files, or launch additional installers that are necessary to the installation of their software, without having to include them in the installer archive.

"Preserve Success/Fail Status," and the "Execute When" features let users know when and if their installation succeeded. Preserve Success/Fail Status, allows developers to preserve the flag that indicates whether the last Task and/or Find failed when executing tasks, and the Execute When condition. Execute When is a new feature that allows Tasks to be set to execute under three conditions: Always, If last Task/Find succeeded, or If last Task/Find failed.

The fifth new feature is the "Edit Installer Finder Info." It allows developers to set the Shared and File Locked flags for the installer, and /or the minimum and preferred memory allocation. This feature makes it easier to retain the custom settings for the installer.

The sixth new feature included in InstallerMaker 4.1 is additional custom code hooks for certain tasks, like IMid extensions.

InstallerMaker 4.1 features time saving enhancements including: the capability to use ShrinkWrap 2.1 and Aladdin's upcoming ShrinkWrap™ 3.0 for creating disk images as part of the build process, a software license display mode during installation, a new update architecture that creates software updaters in one tenth the time and up to 60% smaller, support for building additional foreign language installers, a faster find, easier Internet TCP/IP configuration for ISPs, the ability to display banners and play sounds during the installation process, as well as valuable user interface enhancements.

Robust Electronic Commerce Solution
With InstallerMaker 4.1, developers can convert their software into trialware with two simple menu selections; setting the purchase price and demo period, and adding graphics. InstallerMaker creates a version of trialware with full featured electronic commerce, a fast, simple extension of the installation creation process which developers are already required to do, but without the extensive additional coding necessary on other electronic commerce solutions.

When InstallerMaker's trialware feature is enabled, the user is notified every time they run the software of the number of days or launches left in their trial period. They are also given the opportunity to purchase the product from within the application. The purchase may be made in real time via the Internet, modem connection, an 800 phone call, by fax, or postal mail. When the demo period expires users will not be able to continue using the software without a purchase even if they reinstall it.

"The trialware feature in InstallerMaker is a fabulous way for users to sample a software developer's product, whether it is a shareware or commercial product, and allows the user to easily make a purchase at any time during the trial. So, it helps ensure developers will receive additional sales because it is so fast and easy to make a purchase," said Pauline Shumake, InstallerMaker product manager.

Creating Disk Images with ShrinkWrap
InstallerMaker has the capability to use ShrinkWrap to create disk images while building an installer. This eliminates a time consuming step in the SCM process and results in more reliable product builds. With Aladdin's ShrinkWrap technology InstallerMaker can now produce the master disk images for duplication automatically.

Software License Dialog With Foreign Language Support
InstallerMaker supports a separate software license dialog box during installation. Developers can add copies of their software license agreement in multiple languages (Spanish, French, German, etc.) to be displayed before installation. The end user must accept the terms of the license agreement before the installation will proceed.

Internet Configuration Support
New documentation and the Internet PrefSaver™ have been added to assist developers, in configuring a Mac OS computer for Internet access. PrefSaver helps ensure user account name and password information is propagated across common Internet software packages such as Netscape Navigator, Eudora Lite, Microsoft Internet Explorer, Internet Config and many others through Internet Config.

Other Information
StuffIt InstallerMaker is distributed electronically through the World Wide Web at http://www.aladdinsys.com/dev/installermaker and on CompuServe. InstallerMaker is sold through license agreements directly from Aladdin. Current licensees can download a free upgrade of the new version. Contact Developer Sales at e-mail: devsales@aladdinsys.com for additional details.

Aladdin: Making data distribution and management transparent in the Internet era

Founded in 1988, Aladdin Systems, Inc. is the developer and publisher of award winning business and consumer products. Aladdin publishes StuffIt®, the Macintosh and Internet compression standard; Spring Cleaning™, the fastest and safest way to clean up your Mac; CyberFinder™, an Internet bookmark manager. Aladdin's Developer Technologies include: InstallerMaker™, the Macintosh installation standard and ShrinkWrap™, the quickest and easiest way to create and distribute disk images. Aladdin products are designed to help users take full advantage of their computer by making life easier.

Aladdin is located at 165 Westridge Drive, Watsonville, CA 95076, USA; telephone: (408)761-6200; URL: http://www.aladdinsys.com; e-mail: info@aladdinsys.com

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Internet PrefSaver, ShrinkWrap, StuffIt, InstallerMaker, and the Aladdin Logo are trademarks of Aladdin Systems, Inc. All other products or brands are registered trademarks or trademarks of their respective holders.


Media Contact:
Jennifer Lyng or Kendra Howell
Aladdin Systems, Inc.
(408) 761-6200 x229
pr@aladdinsys.com

 

 

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