InstallBuilder 17.11.0 and 17.12.0 Releases

We recently released version 17.11.0 and 17.12.0 of BitRock InstallBuilder. The new release features the following improvements:

• Support generating large DMG files on Linux
• Improved Java autodetection to fully support Java 9
• POTENTIAL INCOMPATIBILITY: Disabled UPX by default on linux
• Fixed crash opening some external files from the Builder on macOS
• Fixed HTTPS proxy handling on macOS
• Fixed DMG creation on macOS High Sierra
• Fixed invalid title for GTK mode on certain Gnome 3 environments (such as Debian 9.1)
• Fixed Debian Linux codename detection in some environments

InstallBuilder 17.10.0 Released

For October, the InstallBuilder engineering team has been focusing on increasing the speed of the uninstaller, improving Linux OS detection, as well as some bug fixes.

• Improved uninstallation speed when using GUI
• Improved Linux OS detection
• Fixed Unix service handling for Ubuntu after Ubuntu was added as separate distribution type
• Fixed InstallBuilder not fully exiting at end of installation on some Linux environments
• Fixed Chinese language code detection on macOS
• Fixed OS X signing failing on some Linux x64 platforms when using the 32bit builder

Get the latest version of InstallBuilder to ensure that you can take advantage of these improvements.

InstallBuilder 17.8.0 and 17.9.0 Releases

In the latest two releases our engineering team has been focusing on some improvements, bug fixes, and documentation updates.

• Allow modification of <passwordParameter>'s <askForConfirmation> in its <preShowPageActionList>
• Fixed installer appearing minimized on OS X when running with splash screen disabled in Qt mode
• Fixed installers failing to start inside directories containing special characters
• Properly display license files with BOM character
• Improved <labelParameter> alignment on win32/osx/xwindow modes
• Documentation updates
• POTENTIAL INCOMPATIBILITY: Made parameter group validation in text mode behave as in GUI modes, not running <postShowPageActionList> unless validation succeeds

Updates and Bug Fixes for July with Version 2017.7.0

The BitRock engineering team has been busy since the last release, primarily with an update that will make the builder look much better for macOS users with high-res screens. Starting with this release, InstallBuilder will look crisp and clear on Mac laptops and desktop systems with native support for Retina displays.

Here are a few other updates we worked on in July:

• Added support for macOS High Sierra (10.13)
• Reduced memory usage when signing large DMG files
• Improved option files Byte Order Mark (BOM) support
• Improved <registerWithPackageDatabase> documentation
• Removed trailing spaces when creating Windows services without arguments
• Limited number of cores when decompressing lzma-ultra/lzham-ultra with high page sizes on Linux x86
• Fixed FTP downloads not fully finishing in some environments

As always, make sure you are getting the most out of InstallBuilder and providing your users with the highest quality experience by updating to the latest version of InstallBuilder and InstallBuilder for QT!

InstallBuilder 17.6.0 Released

June's monthly InstallBuilder release brings a few updates and bug fixes. Make sure that you are always using the latest version, so that your users get the best experience installing your software!

New in InstallBuilder 17.6.0:

• Added support for for option files encoded with BOM
• Fixed <fileContentTest> default logic
• Fixed occasional installer creation errors when using builder on certain Windows environments
• Fixed Cyrillic characters not being properly displayed in Qt mode

You can download the latest version of InstallBuilder and InstallBuilder for QT. Be sure to check our documentation, and feel free to reach out for support if you run into trouble!

InstallBuilder Version Update and New Community Platform

Now you're speaking my language

Supporting your users' primary languages is important; it helps ensure that the widest variety of people around the world can start with a good first impression of your software. With this in mind, we have been focused on improvements to the translations in InstallBuilder for multiple languages. This month's version update saw improvements to error messages and warnings in German, Spanish, and Russian (Cyrillic). To learn more about language translations in InstallBuilder, check out our documentation.

New community pages

We are excited about our new InstallBuilder community forums, powered by Zendesk. We were in need of a modern, easy-to-use platform to power our Q&A page. Since we had such a good experience transitioning our help desk to Zendesk, we decided to use their forum solution as well. Existing questions and answers were successfully  migrated to the new platform, and active users were notified to create a new password for their accounts in order to stay current. If you have any questions about InstallBuilder that are not covered in the documentation, or are simply stuck, you can ask a new question or browse through the wealth of existing topics that might help!

InstallBuilder 17.2.0 and 17.3.0 Releases

We have been hard at work planning some significant changes for InstallBuilder in 2017 that will be announced around the end of Q2. In the meantime, our team has made some improvements to the software in the latest two releases that are focused around minor improvements and bug fixes, and documentation updates.

In February's 17.2.0 release, we made these updates:

• Improved language translations
• Improved Ubuntu OS detection on initialization
• Updated documentation to reflect changes made in recent updates
• Improved syncdebugtrace log generation for troubleshooting
• Fixed unzip action failing to uncompress files in certain scenarios
• Fixed AutoUpdate not properly detecting versions when using large version IDs

March's 17.3.0 release saw the following changes:

• Fixed builder GUI issues when modifying <httpPost> actions
• Minor fix on Italian translations

Look out for continued improvements coming in April, and be sure you are using the latest version of InstallBuilder and InstallBuilder for Qt!

InstallBulder 17 now available!

BitRock has released 2017's first new update, with a number of incremental improvements and bug-fixes for 17.1.0. Of particular note is that we added support for Windows Server 2016, so make sure that you get the update if you would like your installers to support that platform natively.

Other improvements include:

• You can now send data payloads in <httpPost> action, which is helpful in a number of use-cases such as registering new installations with your licensing server or resetting a password. Check the documentation for more details.
• We improved how errors are handled on Linux when fonts are misconfigured or unsupported by the system.
• Having discovered that the <runAsShell> property for the <runProgram> action was incompatible with Solaris, we disabled it for that operating system.
• We fixed DMG verification errors that were triggered in some macOS environments. 

We will continue our pattern of rolling out monthly updates throughout 2017 as we execute on the feedback we received in our 2016 user survey and interviews. Make sure you are using the latest version of InstallBuilder or InstallBuilder for Qt today!