It’s impressive how some big name software developers still are so complaisant with utterly absurd limitations. This is a screen capture of the installation of a big industrial brand software for configuring their measuring hardware (fluid flow, level, temperature, etc).
“This will change your system permanently. While installing system components your computer may restart without warning.”
Now, there’s something to reassure a computer user. Come on, there has got to be a better way to build software! If that means breaking with Windows rules and traditions, so be it.
In my point of view, this is crippled software that cripples a computer. What it says is: “I’m irreversively modifying your computer system, as I grab hold to it, and scatter parts of my entity throughout my new domain. Oh, and I will shutdown and restart it as my whims dictate. You have no choice in any of this, for you have purchased my hardware, and I command. You obey.” This is beyond weird, it’s creepy.
I’m also a software developer. My software is built with user friendliness in mind, be it in installation, use, or removal.
* Install: just copy a file or folder wherever you want.
* Use: just run the executable file. The application is as intuitive as possible.
* Uninstall: just delete the original file or folder. No traces are left on your system.
As simple as that, and I use this method in all my apps. This works for the user and for the developer, because deploys are simple, *very* quick, and can be done by just about everyone.
Now that I think of it, this method is similar to what the majority of Mac applications use (even though they usually leave some (innocuous) preferences files behind).