Extremely disappointed that this installs as an "App" and not regular software program

[Steel Rat]

53 minutes ago, KennethL said:

I immediately found a workaround for Unity3D. Create a .bat file with the contents:

You don't even need the cd command. Since the alias already points to that. only the second line is needed. I just tested it and it works fine. Better than your first suggestion (which does work and I was using), which will break after the first update. The bat file should be good indefinitely.

[Steel Rat]

25 minutes ago, Mark Ingram said:

Hi all. Thanks for your patience over the weekend when our offices were closed.

We've had a meeting this morning and decided to offer MSI installers to those people who would like them. I can't tell you when this will happen, as there is engineering work that will be required to allow this to happen, but we hope it won't be long.

Thanks for your feedback!

Thank you Mark, and the rest of the staff!

[debraspicher]

25 minutes ago, Mark Ingram said:

Hi all. Thanks for your patience over the weekend when our offices were closed.

We've had a meeting this morning and decided to offer MSI installers to those people who would like them. I can't tell you when this will happen, as there is engineering work that will be required to allow this to happen, but we hope it won't be long.

Thanks for your feedback!

Thank you for this, Mark

[stuck]

25 minutes ago, stuck said:

Serif really need to listen to their customers - but I'll be stunned if they do.

19 minutes ago, Mark Ingram said:

We've had a meeting this morning and decided to offer MSI installers to those people who would like them

Yikes!  I'm stunned!!  Also very happy.

@Mark Ingram Is the gotcha that because it will take time for the MSI installers to be produced, the launch discount price will be ancient history by then?  If so, will the workaround be to buy the MSIX version now (at the discount price), not install it, and then download the MSI versions, for free, when they are released?

[Steel Rat]

1 minute ago, stuck said:

Is the gotcha that because it will take time for the MSI installers to be produced, the launch discount price will be ancient history by then?  If so, will the workaround be to buy the MSIX version now (at the discount price), not install it, and then download the MSI versions, for free, when they are released?

There's no reason you couldn't install it now, and uninstall it when the MSI is available. Unless you had other reservations about the MSIX in general.

[Gremnosh]

31 minutes ago, Mark Ingram said:

Hi all. Thanks for your patience over the weekend when our offices were closed.

We've had a meeting this morning and decided to offer MSI installers to those people who would like them. I can't tell you when this will happen, as there is engineering work that will be required to allow this to happen, but we hope it won't be long.

Thanks for your feedback!

Well now, it looks like I will be buying the v2 suite then. Don't let it be said that I don't appreciate it when a company is willing to listen and let the customer choose what they would like to use, instead of choosing for the customer.

Going the options route from the start would've saved both sides some headache here to be sure, but at least we were heard and will get an option.

[Patrick Connor]

20 minutes ago, Basher said:

Will they appear in the Download folder in our Affinity accounts?

This new decision will need us to implement it. We need to decide whether it's in everyone's account or on this sort of public page. We will tell customers when we know how we plan to implement it.

 

[Basher]

👌

[myclay]

some possible reservations against msix is to avoid any still looming potential security breaches.
Microsoft had to disable the msix protocol this year due to malware attack vulnerabilities.
https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/windows-it-pro-blog/disabling-the-msix-ms-appinstaller-protocol-handler/ba-p/3119479

Quote

(News from  2022 February 04) Microsoft has disabled the MSIX ms-appinstaller protocol handler exploited in malware attacks to install malicious apps directly from a website via a Windows AppX Installer spoofing vulnerability.

Edited November 14, 2022 by myclay
better wording.

[stuck]

8 minutes ago, Steel Rat said:

There's no reason you couldn't install it now, and uninstall it when the MSI is available. Unless you had other reservations about the MSIX in general.

I suppose not, especially as the uninstall is (allegedly) clean:

3 hours ago, Mark Ingram said:

There is zero need for Revo Uninstaller Pro when using MSIX - you are guaranteed a clean uninstall, that's one of the benefits over MSI!

[stuck]

5 minutes ago, Patrick Connor said:

We need to decide whether it's in everyone's account or on this sort of public page.

Unless there is some dreadful security risk from using a public page, which is how all the v1 files were handled is it not?  Why change?  If it ain't bust, why fix it?

[Ian-]

Excellent news.

[erchdk]

A lot of respect to the Affinity team for listening to customer feedback and deciding to accommodate their users on this issue!

I also found it very annoying with the new installer method and exe-aliases not being accessible from certain 3rd party apps (Photo Mechanic and a Huion Keypad device software) but I could definitely get by with a few seconds delay or extra navigation.

But really: the price/performance ratio of the entire suite is just ridiculous! 

Cheers and gratitude for Affinity for making high quality software at an incredible good price point, and a company structure and policy that actually engages with their users quirks and gripes!

[Baz101]

Great, thanks Serif. Having read some of the pros and cons of MSIX, including Serif's ability to offer easier/quicker updates, does this mean the new MSI version would also automatically update or would it require a manual reinstall after every update is released?

[Patrick Connor]

1 minute ago, Baz101 said:

does this mean the new MSI version would also automatically update or would it require a manual reinstall after every update is released?

It will automatically update like V1 did, but each update will be a full size download, where MSIX updates are much smaller delta files 

[Corgi]

1 hour ago, Mark Ingram said:

...

We've had a meeting this morning and decided to ALSO offer MSI installers to those people who would like them. I can't tell you when this will happen, as there is engineering work that will be required to allow this to happen, but we hope it won't be long.

This is wonderful news, thank you! Do you know yet whether this MSI version of v2 will install alongside v1, so that both versions are usable simultaneously?

[Patrick Connor]

12 minutes ago, Corgi said:

Do you know yet whether this MSI version of v2 will install alongside v1, so that both versions are usable simultaneously?

Yes that's absolutely fine 

[MAnderson]

Thank you so much for the update.  I think we all agree.  App installs are kind horrid.  Looking forward to those MSI's!  Cheers!

[jn2002dk]

On 11/12/2022 at 6:01 PM, Mark Ingram said:

This is a common statistic from Microsoft across all MSI installations. This is just one of many reasons why Microsoft want application developers to migrate to MSIX.

Nonsense. They want to lock us in their walled garden, and this is the first step. They're looking at Apple with envy and are trying to imitate it. There is ZERO benefits for the end users. Trying to claim otherwise is downright dishonest

[MattT]

2 hours ago, Mark Ingram said:

We've had a meeting this morning and decided to ALSO offer MSI installers to those people who would like them.

Great news! Thank you for listening to us!

[Gremnosh]

50 minutes ago, Patrick Connor said:

It will automatically update like V1 did, but each update will be a full size download, where MSIX updates are much smaller delta files 

Any chance for an opt-out for automatic updates? I for one, and I can't be the only one, don't like to update working production software until I've seen that the new version didn't break anything.

[walt.farrell]

1 hour ago, Patrick Connor said:

It will automatically update like V1 did, but each update will be a full size download, where MSIX updates are much smaller delta files 

???

Unless I've forgotten in the several months since the last V1 update, the V1 applications from the Affinity Store do not automatically update on Windows. They check for updates daily, and if you choose to install an update you are directed to the website to manually download the application, then you manually run it to install it.

The current V2 applications from the Affinity Store also perform the daily check, and if you agree to an update they download and install automatically.

 

[Vonsnake]

Great news on the MSI installer, huge thanks for listening to the feedback! Will grab v2 again once those are live.
 

22 minutes ago, Gremnosh said:

Any chance for an opt-out for automatic updates? I for one, and I can't be the only one, don't like to update working production software until I've seen that the new version didn't break anything.

Automatic updates for v1 refers to the installer, it updates the previous install entry in Windows to reference the new installer so you don't have to uninstall the previous version first. You still have to download the installer manually to update.
 

[Gremnosh]

Just now, Vonsnake said:

Great news on the MSI installer, huge thanks for listening to the feedback! Will grab v2 again once those are live.
 

Automatic updates for v1 refers to the installer, it updates the previous install entry in Windows to reference the new installer so you don't have to uninstall the previous version first. You still have to download the installer manually to update.
 

I hope so. If the updates work the way they've done on v1 then I'll be happy.

[alpineguy]

Thank you Mark and Serif for deciding to offer a MSI install in the near future. With that announcement, I went ahead and purchased the Universal License. My original concern was based on work flow issues and control issues, but those should no longer be an issue with the coming MSI installer.