Software Development
HALL OF FAME
 Bob Corrigan, Product Manager Software Technologies Group
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InstallShield
Macrovision
In the words of longtime Jolt judge Roland Racko, "It's all too easy for a development team, after expending exorbitant brainpower on the look and feel of a product, to forget that the first 10 seconds of the user's experience has nothing to do with the product itself—rather, it's the installation procedure that provides the crucial introductory experience." ("The First Ten Seconds," Sept. 2003). You know well the details installers must contend with: multiple platforms, different JVMs on each desktop, distribution methods ranging from DVD to download, optional language or help files, and regression testing of the installation process for all the platforms. To further paraphrase Racko, one product has the power and API extensibility to build an installer for anything from a toaster to the Starship Enterprise. That is Installshield, from Santa Clara, Calif.–based Macrovision. This classic Windows installer has now become a cross platform performer par excellence.
As with many Jolt Hall of Famers, InstallShield has made its mark and helped define an entire tool genre now populated by flourishingly competitive players. It came onto the developer scene in 1987, and its longevity and success in standardizing the software installation process—thus establishing a new niche of software tools—warrant induction into the Jolt Hall of Fame.
—Alexandra Weber Morales
| The Jolt Hall of Fame Software Development has inducted nine outstanding companies and products into the Jolt Hall of Fame since 1996.
2004 Installshield by Macrovision |
