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  1. #1
    Join Date
    Apr 2008
    Location
    TX (home), CO (college)
    Posts
    385
    I've heard of Fantastico and have seen it in CPanel with my almost-host (not my personal site...yet) MDDHosting (good hst by the way). However the guy from Aquarius Storage mentioned Installatron. Seems like a good deal for long-term hosts since they offer a lifetime membership...provided the hosts keep their server around for a few years...but other than that what are the pros and conds of each platform? Why do you guys (by which I mean the hosts who frequent this board) use what you do?

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Oct 2008
    Location
    Singapore
    Posts
    4,685
    Installatron is more update than Fantastico actually, and you can even install your own scripts, unlike Fantastico. Besides, its cheaper too. Fantastico is just popular...

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Apr 2008
    Location
    TX (home), CO (college)
    Posts
    385
    Got it. I really don't care for myself; hand-installation of packages isn't terribly nerve-wracking, and for the packages where I wish I had an installer (namely WPMU) there's none to be found on either platform.
    Any other peeps wanna weigh in?

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Mar 2007
    Location
    Washington State
    Posts
    1,088
    We have always used fantastico because all our datacenters provide it for like $2 if not free. If they were both free/$2 we would choose Installatron. More up to date...

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Oct 2008
    Location
    Singapore
    Posts
    4,685
    Installatron cost $5/$2.50 now and cheaper with larger commitments

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Oct 2007
    Posts
    4,332
    Installatron hands down. There's simply no comparison.
    Installatron has many state-of-the-art features which Fantastico does not have.
    You can view any install you have in Installatron, link directly to the installed script and its administration and configuration tools, view its files and databases, and view information about the install. Installs can be upgraded, backed up, and uninstalled.
    The scripts version of Installatron is also much more updated when compared to outdated scripts of Fantastico.

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Jul 2008
    Location
    Eta Carinae
    Posts
    2,672
    installatron for sure, fantastico is just popular and as others have said, you can include your own scripts in the install..well not just your own but others not already included which is pretty neat.
    Installatron > Fantastico (opinion)

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Jun 2007
    Posts
    1,238
    Fantastico is just more widely known, the name at least. It's like going to the store and buying NIKE over a white tee shirt. But, to the average joe I doubt he would care or know the difference between the two.

  9. #9
    Installatron hands down. There's simply no comparison.
    Installatron has many state-of-the-art features which Fantastico does not have.
    You can view any install you have in Installatron, link directly to the installed script and its administration and configuration tools, view its files and databases, and view information about the install. Installs can be upgraded, backed up, and uninstalled.
    The scripts version of Installatron is also much more updated when compared to outdated scripts of Fantastico.
    I now swear by Installatron and can thank JLHC for this . Installatron hands down by far Much better kept, and much more up-to-date.

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Jan 2007
    Posts
    263
    Got it. I really don't care for myself; hand-installation of packages isn't terribly nerve-wracking, and for the packages where I wish I had an installer (namely WPMU) there's none to be found on either platform.
    Any other peeps wanna weigh in?
    Hi iansltx,
    Actually Installatron allows you to create your own custom installers and if you like you can even customise their own installers (if for example you wanted to add a plugin to a script by default or something like this). So effectively you could create your own installer for WPMU.
    As has been already stated Fantastico is simply more popular as it has been around for longer.
    Installatron is excellent IMO, they keep their installers up to date, they are continually working on improvements and they offer lifetime licenses at a reasonable rate. I hope this helps.

  11. #11
    Yep we have to agree installatron is much better then Fantastico on active script updates and ease of use. We only provide Fantastico when someone asks for it.

  12. #12
    Join Date
    Apr 2008
    Location
    TX (home), CO (college)
    Posts
    385
    Yeah that's what I'm thinking. Not so much for me, but it'd be nice if...well...MDDHosting switched platforms when it came time to renew the Fantastico licenses.

  13. #13
    Even the new release of Fantastico has the wget issue on centos. It doesnt say it like it use to but it is still there. I never understood the reason behind it.

  14. #14
    Installatron by far.
    Though for important projects, I still prefer the configurability of a manual install.

  15. #15
    Join Date
    Jun 2007
    Location
    Australia
    Posts
    820
    We use Installatron instead of Fantastico.

  16. #16
    Join Date
    May 2006
    Location
    San Francisco
    Posts
    7,325
    Installatron by far.
    Though for important projects, I still prefer the configurability of a manual install.
    Basically exactly what I was going to say.

  17. #17
    I would use frantastic because people know what is it. I would not use brands that people have never heard of.
    <<signatures to be set up in your profile>>

  18. #18
    Join Date
    Feb 2004
    Location
    Your Screen
    Posts
    3,999
    Even the new release of Fantastico has the wget issue on centos. It doesnt say it like it use to but it is still there. I never understood the reason behind it.
    But remember, it's not Netenberg's fault.
    I run both, and I personally use almost exclusively Installatron. However I insist on keeping the Fantastico license simply for the market recognition.
    Honestly, I think Fantastico continues to be popular because their GUI is very user-friendly ... the GUI is clean, open, has lots of white space, etc. It's easy for the target market to use. Netenberg clearly understands and designs for their target market. The target market (script & installation newbies) doesn't care so much about security, updates, backups, etc. ... their target market cares about ease-of-use, and in that arena, Netenberg has hit a home run.
    Installatron, on the other hand, has a much more complex and jumbled-up GUI. Some of the buttons & links are in counterintuitive places. On some screens it's just not clear where to click to do what you want to do. It has tons of features, but because of the layout, it's hard to identify exactly what all those great features are at-a-glance.
    Installatron is far superior on the technical front though. It is updated much more frequently, scripts are patched within a day or two (vs. 5-8 weeks with Fantastico ), it makes backups, you can roll-back an upgrade if it goes bad, you can create installers for other scripts that aren't already included, etc. Installatron is an incredibly useful tool.
    If Installatron was smart, they'd hire a GUI designer and build a nice simpler- and clearer-looking interface for users to use. That would make the product much more accessible and usable for the newbie market.
    I know, the more technically-adept people are all, "but the GUI shouldn't matter, what matters is that xyz is better quality." Well, sadly, that's not how the real world/paying customer operates. The 3D world is all about appearances, it's appearances that catches our eye. There's no reason why Installatron can't remain technically superior, but also have a beautiful GUI that people want. Indeed I think this could do wonders for gaining market share.
    Bailey

  19. #19
    Join Date
    Feb 2004
    Location
    Your Screen
    Posts
    3,999
    I would use frantastic because people know what is it. I would not use brands that people have never heard of.
    Right, because insisting on the best quality for your customers is a worthless endeavor.
    Kind of ironic that the tagline for the business which posted the above is "Professional Web Hosting," ... makes a person what "Professional" actually means.
    'We deliver name brand services even though they introduce major security holes to your data, and don't offer 1/4 the features that would actually make your business run better.'
    Nice.
    Bailey

  20. #20
    Join Date
    Dec 2007
    Location
    Indiana, USA
    Posts
    19,196
    Yeah that's what I'm thinking. Not so much for me, but it'd be nice if...well...MDDHosting switched platforms when it came time to renew the Fantastico licenses.
    We always want to hear what our customers have to say (good or bad) and the best way to let us know things like this is by telling us directly Ian
    I guess it's a good thing I browse these forums regularly
    We'll look into Installatron, we've never had anybody ask about it before now.

  21. #21
    Join Date
    Jan 2004
    Location
    Greece
    Posts
    2,211
    Although the Fantastico is created by greeks, Kosmopolis Inc is a greek name and Ilias Moisidis (sales manager) is a greek name too, fantastico doesn't work well with the greek language.
    Joomla, PHPBB, etc have issues with the greek language when install using Fantastico.
    Not sure if Installatron is any better as I have never use it.

  22. #22
    Join Date
    Aug 2004
    Location
    Earth
    Posts
    8,154
    Installatron is more advanced, Fantastico is simpler and more user friendly. What do your users prefer?

  23. #23
    Join Date
    Jun 2002
    Location
    Toronto, Ontario
    Posts
    1,452
    Installatron is more advanced, Fantastico is simpler and more user friendly. What do your users prefer?
    If you wanted "advanced" features for "advanced" users, they wouldn't be using an auto-installer.
    My vote goes for Fantastico, even though they should be quicker on version updates. We may just end up building our own eventually, however we'll stick with Fantastico for now.

  24. #24
    Join Date
    Dec 2007
    Location
    Indiana, USA
    Posts
    19,196
    If you wanted "advanced" features for "advanced" users, they wouldn't be using an auto-installer.
    My vote goes for Fantastico, even though they should be quicker on version updates. We may just end up building our own eventually, however we'll stick with Fantastico for now.
    Build your own to accomplish what? Faster updates? You could just go with Installatron at that point instead of building your own

  25. #25
    Join Date
    Jan 2008
    Location
    Sacramento, CA
    Posts
    3,657
    Another great feature of installatron is that it will import manually installed, fantastico-installed, and many times other-installed scripts so that a user can then use the great features of installatron.
    I think installatron is the best hands down and many of my clients who have used fantastico but are now using installatron think the same!

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