Windows Installer

Windows Installer (previously known as Microsoft Installer) is a software component and application programming interface (API) of Microsoft Windows used for the installation, maintenance, and removal of software. The installation information, and optionally the files themselves, are packaged in installation packages, loosely relational databases structured as COM Structured Storages and commonly known as "MSI files", from their default filename extensions. Windows Installer contains significant changes from its predecessor, Setup API. New features include a GUI framework and automatic generation of the uninstallation sequence. Windows Installer is positioned as an alternative to stand-alone executable installer frameworks such as older versions of InstallShield and NSIS.

Before the introduction of Windows Store, Microsoft encouraged third parties to use Windows Installer as the basis for installation frameworks, so that they synchronize correctly with other installers and keep the internal database of installed products consistent. Important features such as rollback and versioning depend on a consistent internal database for reliable operation. Furthermore, Windows Installer facilitates the principle of least privilege by performing software installations by proxy for unprivileged users.

MST

MST may refer to:

Science and technology

Computing

Education

Politics

Master of Studies

The Master of Studies (rendered M.St. or MSt) is a postgraduate degree at the University of Oxford, University of Cambridge, The Australian National University and University of Dublin. Depending on the degree, it is comparable to the Master of Laws, Master of Arts, Master of Science and Master of Philosophy. Its creation was necessitated, in part, by the fact that the Master of Arts degree at Oxford, Cambridge, and Dublin is essentially an honorary degree automatically awarded to graduates after a certain period of time, a remnant of modes of instruction used during the Middle Ages. In contrast, the Master of Studies requires completion of classroom study and a thesis.

See also

References