2026-02-23 01:07 UTC
@deobald ...it instead is a structured database for installations, so instead of "copy this file now", MSI says "this file belongs to this component, which satisfies this feature" - and the engine then decides when and how to act.
Just renaming a file is hell unless you preplanned that, and MSI pushes a crazy amount of mental load onto the developer, instead of figuring things out by itself.
Without WiX it would be insanity, but even with it it's awful to use...
Replies (1)
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@matk@mastodon.social 2026-02-23 01:12
@deobald I would honestly argue that MSI features like its repair/self healing and its component model to share elements between "products" aren't even desirable in modern corporate environments. If something breaks, you don't want to repair, you just reinstall/redeploy. Tons of state is bad. Most apps aren't exposing interfaces to others and bundle things, so no need for sharing. And it's too easy to break upgrades. So, unless required, I wouldn't use MSI 😅