diff -r 000000000000 -r d5ce4c64ef88 Docs/ExperienceUI/pages/intro.htm --- /dev/null Thu Jan 01 00:00:00 1970 +0000 +++ b/Docs/ExperienceUI/pages/intro.htm Tue Oct 16 00:07:41 2007 -0400 @@ -0,0 +1,115 @@ + + + ExperienceUI Documentation Content Frame + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
+ +

ExperienceUI for NSIS

+ +

+ + + + Welcome to the ExperienceUI.
+

+

+ The ExperienceUI is a new user interface for NSIS that looks like + the latest and greatest InstallShield® setups. The ExperienceUI supports + skinning the main installer window with several new picture areas, + and it also adds a few features to NSIS.
+
+ You may think that because of the graphical effects, the ExperienceUI + requires a lot more space. If you think that, you're dead wrong. A typical + InstallShield® installer requires 1.43MB. Wait...if you still believe in + floppy disks, you definitely don't use InstallShield to install your programs, + unless they're under 1KB...not likely. An ExperienceUI-based installer, with + Welcome, License, Components, Directory, Install Confirm, File Copy, and Finish + pages, uses 90.9KB of space. That's under 1/10th of an identical InstallShield® + installer, except this one is faster, smarter, and much more friendly to dial-up + users.
+
+ One of the biggest features of the ExperienceUI is the information panel + on the left side of the installer window. Every version of Windows Setup since 98 + has a counter on the left side of the screen that shows an estimated count of how + much time it will be until Setup completes. With the ExperienceUI, this info panel + can be blank, it can show an "estimated time remaining" window, and it can display + interactive notifications.
+
+ All this can be accomplished with code that has already been written (and rewritten) + for you, so using the ExperienceUI requires very little programming experience.
+
+ The ExperienceUI also resembles the Modern UI in the way of the symbol + defining method, except many of the defines are shortened, others are + eliminated, and many new ones have been added. Also, the ExperienceUI has + multi-language support that is largely based on the Modern UI's multi-language system. +

+ + + +

+ Why it was created +

+ +

+ + Simply put, I created the ExperienceUI because NSIS needed a makeover. The classic NSIS look works for Winamp plugins, + but what about when you need to create an installer for your user experience-aimed firewall? The Modern UI provided many + visual enhancements for NSIS, but it was still missing something.
+
+ I was upgrading the drivers for my NVIDIA video card one day, and I noticed that the installer used a fully skinned UI. + I thought to myself, "If InstallShield can look this good, NSIS can certainly look better." So, I set to work.
+
+ At first, I modified the Modern UI. While this made scripts very easily portable, my new InstallShield-style user interface + seemed limited because I had started with a skinning system that did not support skinning the entire installer window. + Finally, I decided that I had to re-write NSIS's idea of skinning completely. The first few tests proved to be cool, but + there were still improvements to be made. After a lot of hard work, the InstallShield UI for NSIS (as it was called back + then) was ready for release.
+
+ I posted my new UI on the forums, and within 3 hours I received replies saying, "For the design and implementation, I give + you 10/10! This is truly amazing!" (Afrow UK) There was a lot of work still to be done, but the first release had done its + job and then some.
+
+ Because of copyright concerns (using "InstallShield" in the product title) I decided to rename the whole thing to the + ExperienceUI for NSIS. I named it the ExperienceUI because it aims to redefine user experience and make software + installation lose its bad reputation as slow and often unsuccessful.
+
+ Today, the ExperienceUI is a complete user experience solution, with support for multiple languages and extremely easy + implementation. It includes a language selection page, native support for Saivert's WAnsis skinning plugin, and other + enhancements too numerous to name here. All that, and it's open source.
+
+ For a complete list of features included with the basic ExperienceUI package, + click here. (Internet connection + required) +

+ + + +

+ +
+ + + +
+ + + +