Motivational Feedback

Recently I've received some comments and emails ( reposted with permission ) from readers that I wanted to share.
The first comment is from Jerra who I first met on InstallShield Community.  He had started a thread trying to come up with, well - interesting,  ways via custom actions to get InstallShield 2010 LE to create services. This thread was actually in the inspiration for the article  Augmenting InstallShield using Windows Installer XML - Windows Services in which Jerra left the following comment:

Absolutely fantastic! I just got the installation to work on my development machine (XP, VS2010 Professional, Wix 3.5, InstallShield 2011 Express). ... This is just great! I have read the articles you linked and checked a few more and have still more to read later. A new world is opening itself..

OK so I understand now that using custom actions (CA) makes you go outside the "safe"/controlled environment of MSI and any changes to the system will not be included in the automatic

transactional/rollback sequences otherwise generated by the installer (if I got it right)? Apparently there are cases where CA's are legit but its best to really look for ways to do things inside within the installer.

 I can't tell you how much it warms my heart to help someone come to this place.  If Jerra could just get 5 people there and they get 5 people there, well just maybe the setup world would be a much better place.

The next feedback came in an unsolicited email from Nick titled Shout out to Deployment Engineering Blog:

You don't exactly know me, but I sure as heck know you.  I've been following your blog and read everything back to the beginning.  I just want to personally thank you for everything you do for the field.  From your informational and entertaining blog posts to your nearly countless replies in the Installshield forum.  It seems like every problem I search on, Chris Painter has a solution or can point you in the right direction.

I appreciate your innovative stance on embarrassing DTF in its infancy. You supported this technology rather than the inferior attempt at managed custom actions implemented by Installshield... at a time when senior engineers were 'pooing' on managed code for installers. Very brave and your reputation goes to show.

You are the rock star of this niche field ;)
I'm basically just writing you to express my gratitude and encouragement for you to continue what you're doing. It's a minefield out there. Man, is it crazy. I have so many stories that I think I'm going to start blogging about.

Aw shucks, thanks Nick.  I was a little embarrassed re posting this but I think that I've taken so much grief over the years from people who try to discredit me in order to silence the dissent that it's important to take a moment and know that my reputation in fact remains intact.

I hope Nick does in fact blogging.  The setup world always has room for one more leader.

Update: Nick is now blogging.