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This is a note for all others searching for a Azure Data Studio version that can be deployed in Enterprise via Active Directory. I've created a full-fledged per machine and per user MSI setup for the Azure Data Studio-Team (see case 4126) to make Azure Data Studio deployable via Active Directory. If you'd like to push it out to your users desktops - it exists now. No need to wrap suxxx InnoSetup EXE installer into an MSI any longer.

Please do understand this setup as PREVIEW as it should be automatically build by Azure Data Studio project. Until a version exists that can disable automatic updates (optionally) I do not name this FINAL. The installer defaults to per machine installations and should also install per user in roaming app data folder as recommended. Automatic updates should intentionally fail as inno_updater has been dropped.

This is a note for all others searching for a VSCode or VSCodium version that can be deployed in Enterprise via Active Directory. I've created a full-fledged per machine and per user MSI setup for the VSCodium Team (see case 106) to make VSCodium / VSCode deployable via Active Directory. If you'd like to push it out to your users desktops - it's available now. No need to wrap suxxx InnoSetup EXE installer into an MSI any longer. All my hate goes to ignorant VSCode project maintainers like joaomoreno who think they do not need to support MSI (see case 33184). Maybe he has a manager who can force him to implement standard Microsoft setups that simply must exists.

Please do understand this setup as PREVIEW as it should be automatically build by vscodium project. The installer defaults to per machine installations and should also install per user in roaming app data folder as recommended.

Since Oracle has decided to charge enterprise customers with upcomming JDK11 and JRE11 people need to look for alternatives. There is OpenJDK around that can close the gap.

As you may expierienced in past - Oracle has changed the MSI files embedded into their EXE setups in version 8.x a few times and cleaned up their installer a lot. At first thought it was a WTF are they doing there in the middle of 8.x, but on the end it became clear that they cleaned up the 8.x installer only. It was an outgrown mess over the years and full of garbage. However - they broke the ability to deploy it easily. Now after the setup cleanup a lot of knowledge and guessing is required to fix the MSI database and make it installable via AD GPOs. It is clear that they like to sell the customer only enterprise MSI installer that nobody want to pay $ 100K for. With Java 9 they started to hide the MSI file more. The MSI files are no longer extracted to TEMP folder if you run the EXE setup. But it is still an MSI and this goes into C:\Windows\Installer folder. You can still make a snapshot of a virtual machine, install Java and grab the MSI from the Installer folder.

Now with Java 11 and later Oracle plans to release a new major Java version every ~6 months and force all end users to upgrade to the latest version. Java version 8.x is no longer supported after in January 2019 without a payed LTS contract. Long term versions are than only available to enterprise customers. Additionally enterprise users always need to license their servers and client computers running Java. They are no longer allowed to use the end user Java versions. End users are not affected by this change.

A few days ago I found out that the previouly hidden link used to download Skype as MSI setup is broken. The last available version was Skype 7.41.101. The latest 8.x versions (8.28.0.41) seem no longer available as official MSI package. This means enterprise deployment is made impossible as EXE setups cannot deployed via Active Directory GPO deployment. Originally when Skype 8.0 was released it was planed to discontinue the Skype 7 ("Skype Classic") support per 1^th September 2018, but they extended the deadline to 1^th November 2018, until some customer requested features are added back to 8.x. It is not clear if these missing features also include the MSI setup. The learning curve that customers cannot ignored seems not very strong; if we keep the past mobile client fiasco in mind.

Contacted Skype support and they confirmed that MSI setup is not available and they named it no longer supported. They pointed to other solutions like Skype for Business and noted that this team may know where the required MSI is, but they cannot help if it comes to end user Skype.

We need to make sure the meetings can take place. Being surprised in weeks or months by a no longer working Skype client is not really an option. A solution is required as there was news around from a Skype employee named Babs that stated the old Skype Classic 7.x will still work for now, but may break in near future. The current deadline for 7.x is 1th November 2018. You need to install 8.x before this date.

This PowerShell script setups your Windows Computer to support TLS 1.1 and TLS 1.2 protocol with Forward secrecy. Additionally it increases security of your SSL connections by disabling insecure SSL2 and SSL3 and all insecure and weak ciphers that a browser may fall-back, too. This script implements the current best practice rules. It was originally written for Microsoft Internet Information Server 7.5/8.0/8.5/10 (IIS) on Windows 2008R2/2012/2012R2/2016/2019, but the below settings implements system wide settings that work for everything that uses the Microsoft Crypto infrastructure. This means Microsoft Exchange and Internet Explorer and Edge and all applications that use WinHTTP API, too. It works on both Windows Desktops and Servers.

After you have added below registry entries you may like to verify that your server offers the much more secure SSL connections. There is the great https://www.ssllabs.com/ssltest/ site that gives you a feeling how secure your SSL connections are. You should get a Summary like these:

This is a note for all others searching for a XMind - Mind Mapping version that can be deployed in Enterprise via Active Directory. I'm not a developer of XMind, but I've created a full-fledged per Machine MSI setup for the XMind Team to make XMind deployable via Active Directory. If you'd like to push it out to your users desktops - it's available now. No need to wrap suxxx NSIS installer into an MSI any longer.

It has been deployed to ~50 machines without any issues. I have not received any feedback from the XMind guys yet, but hope it will see the public light soon.

These are the setup features that have been implemented and can be enabled/disabled via transforms:

This is a note for all others searching for a Notepad++ version that can be deployed in Enterprise via Active Directory. I'm not a developer of Notepad++, but I've created a full-fledged per Machine MSI setup for the Notepad++ Team to make Notepad++ deployable via Active Directory. If you'd like to push it out to your users desktops - it's available now. No need to wrap suxxx NSIS installer into an MSI any longer.

These are the setup features that have been implemented and can be enabled/disabled via transforms: