RSS| mkeeley | Oct 13, 2008 | 2.40 |  2 out of 5 |
I used to use and support NSIS all the time as it used to be a simple elegant yet powerful solution however as time has gone by it has become a clunky mess. Now use InnoSetup and can't see a time I'd go back unless NSIS was re-written from scratch. |
| jcollake | Apr 24, 2008 | 2.36 |  5 out of 5 |
Fyi on previous comment: BCJ & BCJ2 is included with LZMA, which I assume most people will be choosing with NSIS. The most critical thing is to enable BLOCK support so the whole bunch of files is essentially TAR'd together first. This improves compression substantially since the LZ 'dictionary'/window spans across all the files. |
| guti | Mar 31, 2008 | 2.36 | 5 out of 5 |
Althought it lacks a native Win64 port, and still has no BCJ filter for compressing EXE, it is the best installer tool. |
| PostDeals | Apr 30, 2007 | 2.26 | 5 out of 5 |
Awesome product, stable and FREE. Keep up the great work Open Source. |
| DaveGB | Apr 2, 2007 | 2.25 | 5 out of 5 |
We used to use Installshield Pro for many years, and it was horrendous. We had a list of install defects as long as our arms, developers always had issues creating installs, and if you wanted to do anything outside the norm, you were asking for trouble. We switched to NSIS, 2.5 years ago, we now have no serious install defects, and everything runs smoothly, if we need to do anything out of the norm, it's a doddle using plugins. Moving to NSIS was the best decision we ever made. |
| SWortham | Feb 22, 2007 | 2.24 | 5 out of 5 |
So you know where I'm coming from, I was using InstallShield for about 6 months. I wrote about 20 different installers with it and eventually got fed up with its awful support for what I considered simple custom tasks. When I eventually figured out how to do some of what I wanted, I still faced problems with InstallShield's flaky behavior. So I tried a few other installers and eventually came to NSIS. I used the HM NIS Edit tool to build my first NSIS installer. The wizard took me through the basic steps of creating my first installer, and it wrote the code I needed to get started. The code was a little weird at first but I'm a programmer so I got the hang of it eventually. I was able to do EVERYTHING I wanted with NSIS. I'm using it on a fairly large scale and I've had absolutely no complaints with flaky behavior from thousands of users now. On top of that, the final executable NSIS produces is much smaller than an equivalent InstallShield exe. And an NSIS installer performs the installation MUCH faster than InstallShield as well. So for me it was a no brainer. Once I got over the initial learning curve of NSIS I never looked back. I highly recommend it for any programmer who wants to build good Windows Installer packages for their software. |
| some guy | Feb 20, 2007 | 2.24 |  3 out of 5 |
I will agree with you Dudeboyz, it does need a wizard for the newbs, like my favorit INNO http://fileforum.betanew...Inno_Setup/1018011974/1 Though I do think you have more advanced features on NSIS then the others but INNO and install wizard pro are very easy for novice. I would give this a 5 if they did have a install wizard option for newbs aswell. I hope the programers of this software hear are cries.... |
| rstat1 | Feb 19, 2007 | 2.24 | 5 out of 5 |
This is not a review but a reply to the previous reviewer: There are plenty of tools that do that very same thing. My favorite is Venis IX. |
| DudeBoyz | Jan 16, 2007 | 2.23 | 3 out of 5 |
Setup Stream, mentioned below, is much easier for simple install stuff. I agree that this product needs a much less complicated alternative way of packing an app for installation. Just a few screens with text entry boxes and some wizard-like things to make it as easy as a few simple steps. If you need more complicated stuff and don't mind coding, that is fine, but it would be nice to have an alternative interface for n00bs. :) |
| kmleow | Dec 5, 2006 | 2.22 |  4 out of 5 |
Needs a user-friendly frontend |
| HelgeFossmo | Nov 28, 2006 | 2.22 | 5 out of 5 |
2.22 changes is here: http://sourceforge.net/p...s.php?release_id=466975 |
| billweh | Oct 23, 2006 | 2.21 | 5 out of 5 |
This is great install creator, very flexible. To "the artist" who was looking for something that was more of a point and click interface, may I suggest SetupStream 2. (http://www.virtualzone.de/setupstream/). This is another great freeware program and it does a great job with no coding whatsoever. |
| the artist | Oct 21, 2006 | 2.21 | 5 out of 5 |
hey, im asking here to all who know about this stuff... wouldn't it be possible to have an installer engine like this to do it all without requiring any programming skills at all? Couldn't it work like an Assistant? I could tell NSIS which files i will want intalled and ad a picture here, some text there, schematize how the screens pop up and what they say, and i could choose what questions to make or decisions i want to let be done by the people who install my soft. Would it be that hard in this 2006, almost 07? Why the hell do i have to know programming? i'll rate it 5 not to downgrade it's rating. |
| guti | Oct 21, 2006 | 2.21 | 5 out of 5 |
Best installer, with tiny SFX overhead, and huge compression due to LZMA. Glad to see they are adding x64 support. Now let's wait for a full x64 optimized version. |
| jcollake | Jun 23, 2006 | 2.17 | 5 out of 5 |
Some people prefer 'simpler' low-level-like instructions rather than more complex languages. You can usually build whatever from a simpler language, not always so true of more 'easy to use' complex scripting languages. Sure, the scripting could be better. But this is an installer, not a general purpose scripting language. The fans rate it high because they either 1.) like the scripting language 2.) don't mind the scripting language or 3.) like open-source (open source fanatics always vote 5 for open source ;p). So.. I'm giving it a 5. Because I use it, because its scripting language does what I need it to, because it's not MSI, and because it's free. |
| nwestbury | Jun 2, 2006 | 2.17 | 2 out of 5 |
NSIS has many benefits over the competion, but I cannot see how anyone can give it a score of more than 2 given the awful scripting language. I have seen so many NSIS functions that contain streams of 'assembler' instructions that would be so much easier, more readable, and far fewer lines if written in a more traditional high level language language (Java, C++, C##, Basic etc). Unless NSIS was written so that college kids get an idea of what assembler might be like, I know of no imaginable reason for making the scripting language so obtruse and unmaintainable. I could give many examples comparing functions in NSIS to how there would look using a more traditional language, but I find it hard to believe that even the biggest NSIS fan cannot be aware of how awful the NSIS scripting language is. - Nigel |
| oakey | Jan 24, 2006 | 2.14 | 5 out of 5 |
Although targeted mainly towards the developer audience, it does not take much to learn how to use this. One tool that is useful is NIS Edit, which even has a wizard for creating a simple installer. Also I suspect that the whole spyware idea comes from those that are less informed about the idea of installers. I have seen many applications that are bundled with spyware, who do use NSIS for their installer. This does not mean that NSIS comes with spyware. This type of thing could just as easily be done with Inno Setup, or any other installer. |
| The MAZZTer | Nov 14, 2005 | 2.11 | 5 out of 5 |
My installer package of choice when making installers for my programs. Very easy to customize through scripting. |
| some guy | Oct 5, 2005 | 2.10 | 5 out of 5 |
very nice, this installer creator is more towards the advance programer,as install sheild.. Inno,install maker pro, are for the non experienced user. and does not contain spy or addware. |
| hollywoodstar88 | Oct 5, 2005 | 2.10 | 5 out of 5 |
flashhh A good developer does not mind scripting. We also know that NULL is not the same as zero. |
| netwiz562 | Oct 4, 2005 | 2.10 | 5 out of 5 |
flashhh, what BS. NSIS is excellent and its target audience is developers not dumb users; it's a scripting language which provides all the customization programmers want. Inno is good, but this is better. Anyways NSIS has evolved a ton since its left the hands of nullsoft, and there is absolutely no spyware. Winamp is now in the hands of AOL and most of the original developers have left..... it used to be on my need-to-install-first list, but no longer is so; now I use musikCube. |
| ModderXManiac | Oct 4, 2005 | 2.10 | 5 out of 5 |
Much easier to customize than InstallShield(r) very good! flashh, YOUR AN IDIOT! HOW CAN THIS HAVE SPYWARE WHEN IT'S CLEARLY LABELED AS Open Source?!?!Something fishy there... No, this is NOTHING like Winamp ;) |
| kichik | Sep 6, 2005 | 2.09 | 5 out of 5 |
flashhh, you may say it's hard to use and you may say you prefer Inno Setup. I won't even be insulted if you say it sucks, but please, stick to the facts. NSIS contains NO spyware whatsoever. It is an open-source project, so you may go ahead and check the source code for yourself, if you don't believe me. I am aware some anti-spyware applications have flasely detected some NSIS installers as spyware in the past. But those detections were a mistake and they were fixed. Inno Setup had its share of false detections as well. It's an open-source project as well and does not contain any spyware. |
| flashhh | Sep 5, 2005 | 2.09 |  1 out of 5 |
I don't understand why this trash has been awarded and why it's overrated. I can say just like the other junky nullsoft products , nsis is ridden with spyware. It also is really difficult to use - you have to learn scripts.... I prefer Inno Setup - it's easier to use. Andthe BN award - it's because this program is created by nullsoft - the creators of the buggyness WinAmp. Nullsoft's software is a "NULL" (ZERO). |
| eventhorizon | Mar 19, 2005 | 2.06 | 5 out of 5 |
The best installer available, especially when you consider that it's open source. I've used it with multiple software projects, and it does the job almost too well. |
| taxis | Mar 19, 2005 | 2.06 | 5 out of 5 |
The language of the slogan is debatable, but the software itself is great! It is easy to write a simple install script that produces a clean installation, and no additional effort is necessary to update the installation. The generated installer is VERY slim (with recent executable packers the installer/uninstaller overhead can be reduced to less than 20k!), fast and easy to use. |
| [deXter] | Feb 8, 2005 | 2.05 | 5 out of 5 |
Powerful, customizable, easy to use, produces quite small installers (small overhead), full help and support with a great community, good for novices too... What more can you want from an installer???? Btw, it IS possible for NSIS based setups to ask the user where to put the start menu links; so there ain't any limitation as such. AND there are also free Inno to Nsis converters available.. If size, speed, features, ease of use, help and customizability & cost matter to you- Then go for for NSIS! |
| ArKay74 | Jan 9, 2005 | 2.04 | 3 out of 5 |
Had too many bad installations done with this so I don't actually like it (ones that don't even bother to ask you where to put the start menu links). I prefer using Inno Setup myself. |
| DoctorO | Dec 4, 2004 | 2.03 | 5 out of 5 |
NSIS is the mutts nuts!! Get it :) -daz |
| war593122 | Dec 4, 2004 | 2.03 | 5 out of 5 |
Link is dead but the program rocks. |
| kernelsn | Oct 29, 2004 | 2.02 | 5 out of 5 |
The BEST ! And Powerful. |
| Jeffsoft | Feb 9, 2004 | 2.0 | 5 out of 5 |
Powerful! |
| BeerLion | Dec 29, 2003 | 2.0 RC1 | 5 out of 5 |
Just the best! |
| sarcosos | Dec 29, 2003 | 2.0 RC1 | 4 out of 5 |
Compression could be better - compare with CuteZip's Self-Extracting CABs - other than that, it's almost perfect. |
| Mark Gillespie | Dec 28, 2003 | 2.0 RC1 | 5 out of 5 |
Excellent stuff. Best installer out there, does everything I need it to, without any bloat. If it does not support what you want it to do, you can write your own plugins. Awesome... |
| will fisher | Nov 20, 2003 | 2.0 Beta 4 | 5 out of 5 |
kickik is god |
| sdbarker | Feb 27, 2003 | 2.0 Beta 2 | 5 out of 5 |
Justin used to own fdiv.org. It most likely expired and was snatched up by some cyber-squatter hoping to re-sell it for tons of money. You can't decompile an NSIS installer, at present, because the decompiler would have to understand all of the different types of binary headers from all of the different versions of NSIS, as well as know how to identify any of them that have had their source modified (since its open source), so, nobody has yet to write this psychic program. -Scott |
| bsf | Feb 27, 2003 | 2.0 Beta 2 | 4 out of 5 |
just wondering. why is the author's name linked to a porn website? |
| WRFan | Feb 26, 2003 | 2.0 Beta 2 | 5 out of 5 |
can somebody tell me how to decompile a nullsoft installer? |
| ArKay74 | Feb 11, 2003 | 2.0 Beta 1 | 3 out of 5 |
Well, hopefully people will use the Start Menu entry selection of the modern gui. I for one don't like to have all programs in the main Start Menu tree, I like to organize my stuff (Multimedia, Internet, ...) and so far all NIS installations sucked big time because they never let you chose the menu location. And I've never liked the standard look-and-feel of the setups. I'll stick to Inno Setup (in conjunction with the extensions and Inno Setup Tool) because it's easier to use. You can also extend it with Pascalscript and call external DLL's if you want to or need the extra functionality. |
| sdbarker | Feb 11, 2003 | 2.0 Beta 1 | 5 out of 5 |
NSIS is significantly smaller than Inno, as well as has a different scripting format. Where Inno scripts, iirc, look more like Windows .ini files, NSIS uses a more true-to-form (in that it's a top-down (usually)) script similar to Basic, with your standard branching (labels, and gotos, as well as functions (via call)), comparisons, and arithmetic operations. You really need to try it to realize how much better it is. It has a bit higher of a learning curve now than it used to, due to all the great new features it has, but don't get discouraged. If you need help, the community at http://forums.winamp.com is always more than happy to help. If you want more info, look me up on there, under the username sdbarker. -Scott |
| ryker | Dec 7, 2002 | 2.0 Beta 0 | 5 out of 5 |
Can anyone tell me how this program compares to Innosetup3? I have been usin InnoSetup for over a year now and it is great. No problems, lots of features, extremely small, and free. But I was curious how NSIS compares if anyone has tried both. Thanks. |
| kichik | Aug 30, 2002 | 2.0 Alpha 0 | 5 out of 5 |
NSIS 2 alpha 7 is indeed out, but it is not official. It is my modification of NSIS 2. Have a look at the SourceForge page: http://sf.net/projects/nsis2k/ It includes much more than stated above: 1) Full multiple languages support 2) Full color icons and bitmaps 3) New plug-ins calling mechanism (by Ximon Eighteen) 4) A lot of UI enhancements 5) RTF files as license data 6) More... Justin is currently working on merging this version with his alpha 0 for the final NSIS 2. Untill then, a7 is not an official version. |
| iamalsohere | Aug 30, 2002 | 2.0 Alpha 0 | 5 out of 5 |
been using NSIS since version 1.2 - as always, this latest version builds on it's success. Superb. |
| J.A.X | Jun 19, 2002 | 2.0 Alpha 0 | 5 out of 5 |
The Best just got better :) |
| 2NoMis | Jan 30, 2002 | 1.95 | 5 out of 5 |
The best installsystem ever. Easy to use and good look! |
| Cure110 | Dec 14, 2001 | 1.9b | 5 out of 5 |
The best... Simply the best.. |
| sdbarker | Dec 12, 2001 | Psycho 1.9 Alpha | 5 out of 5 |
OMG! BZIP! It's about time! r0x0rz. |
| winamprocker | Dec 12, 2001 | Psycho 1.9 Alpha | 5 out of 5 |
omfg..... justin frankel is a machine 1.9 alpha already |
| BoNeLeSS | Dec 7, 2001 | 1.8 Beta 3 | 5 out of 5 |
This wonderful piece software is getting better everyday. If you are a software developer remember: You will be able to do with NSIS 90% another install systems do. And save $$$$!!! Hope to see someday and¡ IDE for this :) |
| bur[n]er | Dec 4, 2001 | 1.80 Beta | 5 out of 5 |
My favorite installer app for win32 environment. Nullsoft ownz. A quick lil script and I packaged up Litestep for use in a distro form. NSIS just keeps getting better and better. I've used it since around 1.6 and it's just amazing. A minimalist dream. |
| GimieGimieGimie | Dec 4, 2001 | 1.80 Beta | 5 out of 5 |
Just keeps getting better and better. |
| winamprocker | Dec 3, 2001 | 1.7 Beta 3 | 5 out of 5 |
nobody posted cos they were so amazed that steve posted here... Im amazed NSIS kicks a** I use it all the time now steve you rule!! if u don't know who steve is visit the winamp forums |
| GimieGimieGimie | Oct 11, 2001 | 1.55 | 5 out of 5 |
Hey ryan!, anyways, this software is tops, i can't believe no one has posted any thing since 1.0h and its now 1.55! :) So here it is! |
| ryan.heywood | Aug 28, 2000 | 1.0h | 5 out of 5 |
Besides from the excellent name this is one fine piece of software. |
| sgedikian | Aug 1, 2000 | 1.0g | 5 out of 5 |
PiMP was originally made for Plug-ins. This was created more as a general purpose Installer that anyone can use. If there's something wrong with it, why don't you change the source code, send a copy to justin and maybe the next version will include the functionality. LOVE! -steve |
| mike1478 | Aug 1, 2000 | 1.0f | 5 out of 5 |
SuperPIMP (Super Plug-in Mini Packager), you have love that name! But I think this was really made for developers that make plug-ins for WinAmp. I could be wrong. It wouldn’t be the first time. ;) |
| dso47 | Aug 1, 2000 | 1.0f | 5 out of 5 |
Very good for simple installations. Has problems on some systems though, like creating Start Menu shortcuts. Can be quite difficuilt to use, especially compiling the source. Otherwise very good source code. |
| axuk | Aug 1, 2000 | 1.0f | 4 out of 5 |
yeah yeah.. but WHO came up with the name SuperPimp? *laugh* |
