Vscode: MSIX installer

[petroemil]

After 2 years of conversation in issue #10759 (Release in the Windows Store) I think this is the right time to reevaluate the request.

What we originally wanted is all the goodness of UWP lifecycle management (clean install/uninstall and updates received in the background without having to run the app), but now it's possible outside of the Store with MSIX packaging without having to comply with some of the stricter rules of the Store and resource/capability management of UWP apps.

So the proposal is simple: Please make an MSIX installer for VS Code even if it's not distributed through the Store (for numerous technical reasons).

As a first step, Windows 10 users would benefit from it, later, as MSIX is designed to be cross-platform, it can evolve into the only installer format on all platforms (Linux, macOS, Windows 7+) and as the Store evolves, it can be a good foundation to potentially publish VS Code to the Store.

[vscodebot[bot]]

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Thanks for submitting this issue. Please also check if it is already covered by an existing one, like:

• Feature Request -- Allow install from windows app store. (#26826)
  

[joaomoreno]

but now it's possible outside of the Store with MSIX packaging without having to comply with some of the stricter rules of the Store and resource/capability management of UWP apps.

Can you elaborate on this?

[petroemil]

@joaomoreno MSIX gives non-Store apps all the lifecycle-management of Store apps. An app packaged up as MSIX doesn't have to be published to the Store, you can just share the .msix file as you'd do with any other installer and people can download and install it to their machines.

You get the clean install/uninstall, you get background updates and you can still keep your freedom and talk to command line tools like the .NET Core SDK or Git and attach to running processes to debug them, etc. - things you probably wouldn't be able to do if you'd want to publish the app to the Store.

[alexhass]

Is it possible to have per machine only installations?

How are version distributed? Gpo?

Updates are controlled by admins and not by a releasy cycles that may published a broken version that disallow developers to work?

I hope we are not get another per user installer where the application gets auto-deleted when the user logs off and his roaming profile is cleaned from disk including all per user apps like the current per user installer.

[alexhass]

This requires Minimum Windows 10 Build 17701 or later. Is this min September 2018 or March 2019? Not sure about the build version.

There are a lot of users with Windows 7 around.

Looks not like a working solution for the masses in short or mid term.

[alexhass]

Is it correct that MSIX is the new name for previous AppX technology?

[okieselbach]

Microsoft wants to push MSIX for everything, why not making a kind of lighthouse project and bringing VSCode with a MSIX installer. Beneficial for users because of clean install and uninstall. Support of the proposed new MS installer way 👍, and sure a good PR sign to show. Look here we support MSIX, go ahead and provide MSIX installer for your application as well. Just my 2 cents. I would love to have it as MSIX installer.

[alexhass]

@okieselbach: Can you read? I said this is future musik. Check the dependencies yourself. MSIX should be done for sure.

But there are older windows 10/7 systems around. Until the MSIX can be used we need MSI. No way around. Ignoring is no option and I provided the vscode MSI installer to the vscode team.

Not your two cents, but mine.

[saschanaz]

https://github.com/Microsoft/msix-packaging#windows-7-support

MSIX has been advertised to be cross-platform, so there of course is Windows 7 support 👍

[WilliamABradley]

@petroemil According to this documentation MakeAppX.exe can create MSIX too.

I had already started this work with #59152

[alexhass]

Fascinating... just wonder how users should install anything on windows 7 as they have no permissions to install software per machine. There is no windows store on windows 7, too. And I cannot deploy an msix via active directory as software gpo only allows msi files.

[alexhass]

I just converted my vscode MSI setup to MSIX with new MSIX Packager in Windows 10 R1809. The converter first requires that you have a MSI setup at hand.

• The result is a setup that has no features at all.
• The current MSI installer I shared has 128 features and allow you to select/deselect every single file association. There may be conflicting file association with other software.
• MSIX seems to be a one button setup. Ok, for beginners this may be ok as it is easy to install with just one click, but in real live I need full controll over features.
• The icons is completly broken as it is transparent - no idea where it is extracted from - maybe from code.exe. But this may be fixable with some work.
• You cannot select if code will be added to path via features.
• File context menu cannot enabled/disabled via features.
• Folder context menu cannot enabled/disabled via features.
• Start menu shortcut cannot enabled/disabled via features.
• Desktop shortcut cannot enabled/disabled via features.

Enterprise need full controll about every file association and every feature that get's installed or not. MST customization files are the way to customize setups to your needs. Something ONLY possible with MSI and not with current InnoSetup and MSIX.

MSIX looks like a nice start for beginners, but the limitation of MSIX are just bad. Decission makers here should start listening and understand that we mainly need a full-fledged MSI setup and not this here.

[petroemil]

@alexhass MSIX is intentionally designed to be a streamlined (Click-Once-like) install experience.
Most (if not all) of the settings you describe could be set as a "First Start" dialog or any time later from app settings.

[gjsman]

https://github.com/Microsoft/vscode/issues/10759#issuecomment-445425735 is closer...

[bluikko]

Absolutely stunned that an MS product does not have an MSI installer.

Please put it to the roadmap!

[janparttimaa]

33184 If MSIX-installer would be released, there is no need of MSI-installer, right? Ping @alexhass

[bluikko]

I'm not sure if MSIX can be used in AD Software Installation - if that is the case then MSI would be more widely useful than MSIX.

[MatthewSteeples]

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/msix/group-policy-msix - according to here, group policy can not be used to deploy MSIX apps.

There are other alternatives though. InTune natively supports deploying them, and I wouldn't be surprised if you could install the AppX by some form of command (which you could trigger through GPO)

[MathiasMagnus]

I believe this part is touched upon the intro part of the MSIX-Labs tutorial series in the overview part. Watch the first video and seek to 17:25

[ThomasRunting]

I would love this for deployment via Intune for my highschool students

[cconrado]

Yes, need this

[xmha97]

+1

[alexhass]

@janparttimaa an MSI installer is seriously still needed. MSIX cannot deployed via AD.

[wenqiangxie]

Dose they release MSIX installer? I can find that was marked as completed in #97432, but in 6/11 they update VSCode and I can't find MSIX installer in the VSCode website, both stable and insider. How about the plan to release MSIX installer?

[sbatten]

Just to update everyone here. I am currently making progress on the exploration of an MSIX package for VS Code. We are still working through the hurdles of releasing such a package, but progress has been made. Note that we still intend to ship our other packaged formats for the variety of surface areas they support.

[wenqiangxie]

Just to update everyone here. I am currently making progress on the exploration of an MSIX package for VS Code. We are still working through the hurdles of releasing such a package, but progress has been made. Note that we still intend to ship our other packaged formats for the variety of surface areas they support.

Would you release a MSIX install after 'Iteration Plan for June 2020'( #100100 ) finish? Or more time will be need? Thank you.

[sbatten]

@wenqiangxie There will not be an MSIX at the end of the milestone unfortunately. There are quite a few processes that we need to do that we don't have to do currently. Right now we are still enumerating and evaluating the impact of all of these changes that need to be made. For that reason, we are still in progress.

[bluikko]

Does an MSIX installer bring some value that an MSI installer doesn't?

MSI installer can be used in cases where MSIX is unsupported, so I would've expected MSI installer to be more useful.

[wenqiangxie]

Does an MSIX installer bring some value that an MSI installer doesn't?

MSI installer can be used in cases where MSIX is unsupported, so I would've expected MSI installer to be more useful.

So why Microsoft release MSIX technology?

As for me, I love MSIX installer because MSIX doesn't change my system space as traditional installer, and if most software in my computer use MSIX installer, my system could be more clear. That not means VSCode harm my computer, but VSCode team of Microsoft, they could be the leader who use Microsoft new technology, the technology are more friendly and safe for user. If more and more companies use the technology, word of Windows will be more friendly and safe, more better.

And the changes with package a MSIX installer should be help VSCode to release to MS Store, The most friendly package manager of Windows user.

[bluikko]

I see, some of those are indeed somewhat useful features for home users.

Business environment would still benefit from an MSI installer for managed systems since MSIX is not supported by traditional deployment tools (including some from Microsoft).

With the "5,000+" open issues it may be futile to open an issue for MSI installer (if one doesn't already exist).

[wenqiangxie]

I see, some of those are indeed somewhat useful features for home users.

Business environment would still benefit from an MSI installer for managed systems since MSIX is not supported by traditional deployment tools (including some from Microsoft).

With the "5,000+" open issues it may be futile to open an issue for MSI installer (if one doesn't already exist).

Have a MSIX installer or release to MS Store not means VSCode team should drop MSI installer, we can have both or more choose but not only one. In Windows, VSCode have exe installer, MSI installer and Zip archive. And most time I use a Zip archive(if have a MSIX installer, it's my new pick), but I never ask to drop official support of EXE installer and MSI installer.

And become more friendly and safe are so important of Windows. Windows not only server office in company or government with IT support, but for every one who have a PC and manage that by themselves.

[bluikko]

An MSIX installer provides marginal benefits for home users and none for business.

An MSI installer provides tangible benefits for businesses and marginal for home. The absence of an MSI installer is an actual problem for many while MSIX installer is barely a nicety.

[wenqiangxie]

An MSIX installer provides marginal benefits for home users and none for business.

An MSI installer provides tangible benefits for businesses and marginal for home. The absence of an MSI installer is an actual problem for many while MSIX installer is barely a nicety.

But for many VSCode user, MSIX or MS Store is more better choose. And now, a good news is that VSCode team take official process for that. It's a big and good news for people who wait for MSIX installer and MS Store release, and those action never harm other people who choose others, such as who choose EXE installer, MSI installer even ZIP archive.

And that action help MSIX technology become better, help Windows become friendly and safe. And winget also have a better experience(many MSI or EXE installer will pop a window but MSIX not )

[MathiasMagnus]

@bluikko Do you install all you Android apps by going to a vendor's webpage, download the APK and install it manually? No. There's a centrallized, OS supported digital store you install from. MSIX enables just that.

[duke7553]

Rejecting Community Contributions

It's a shame that the Microsoft engineers behind this project rejected a community contribution last year which would make this possible. The extent at which new packaging technology is dismissed by those responsible for implementing it, as a consequence of their own selfish reasons is disappointing at best. Not to mention, it is unmistakably an act of unjust favoritism towards non-Windows platforms such as Ubuntu (Snap), which are used by very few of us, to cater to their modern package format and not ours's.

On behalf of the 450+ people who state they want an MSIX-packaged version of VS Code, we kindly request that @joaomoreno, et al. act like they support the native Windows packaging format, MSIX, by prioritizing all necessary changes to build infrastructure which enable this.

[AkazaRenn]

Now I'm curious how Microsoft internally think about MSIX lol

[alexhass]

The more shame is that I developed the full-fledged MSI setup and they simply closed the case.

[seilermi]

What is the status here? What is the next step?

[MathiasMagnus]

@seilermi This issue was on the list of exploration in the July plan but isn't on the August plan. Was a blocker hit?

[sbatten]

I mentioned above a set of processes that need to happen before shipping the MSIX installer would be possible. Those processes are taking place but we are not actively pursuing the installer itself until afterward.

[claell]

@sbatten Can you maybe add the corresponding issues to those processes here? (Ideally in the above description, maybe as a checklists or something)? Unfortunately GitHub does not seem to support blocker issues afaik, but that would be a good thing to use them, I guess. That way people interested can follow up there and maybe help with the effort needed to make this happen.