Comments on: Battling Bad Installers With Autoruns http://scottbilas.com/blog/battling-bad-installers-with-autoruns/ Take what you want, and leave the rest (just like your salad bar). Mon, 06 Feb 2012 03:15:56 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: Scott http://scottbilas.com/blog/battling-bad-installers-with-autoruns/#comment-138 Scott Sat, 04 Jul 2009 16:01:44 +0000 http://scottbilas.wordpress.com/2009/05/03/battling-bad-installers-with-autoruns/#comment-138 It's amazing that they're starting to do it on the Mac now too. Especially for something like updaters, where it's *totally unnecesary*. Most programs I use will do a startup check to see if there's a new version and offer to download and install it if you want. Firefox, Beyond Compare, Paint Shop Pro.. But Picasa is so special as to require its own startup task, apparently. Google's just being stupid. Windows does have a background downloader service called BITS that almost nobody uses. Automatically throttles based on bandwidth, restarts on connection loss, and so on. It's pretty nice, and it's what Windows Update uses. So for auto-updating, anyway, I'd go with a combination of Firefox style upgrading and BITS. Something like this on startup: = If an updater has been downloaded and is available... = * Ask the user if they want to upgrade. * If the upgrade is tagged as a security update, make it required or at least strongly recommended (perhaps if they ignore this 3 times, force it on the 4th). * Could also ask the user if they wanted to additionally save the upgrade EXE to their desktop. For easily copying to another machine without needing to redownload. = If more than a day has passed since the last update check, do a quick http ping to see if a new version is available. = * If one is, start up the download via BITS. * If the BITS download happens to finish while the app is still running, put a little link in the upper right of the window saying "Upgraded downloaded, click to install" (Beyond Compare style). No background task required, and a far better user experience than what they're doing now. It’s amazing that they’re starting to do it on the Mac now too. Especially for something like updaters, where it’s *totally unnecesary*.

Most programs I use will do a startup check to see if there’s a new version and offer to download and install it if you want. Firefox, Beyond Compare, Paint Shop Pro.. But Picasa is so special as to require its own startup task, apparently.

Google’s just being stupid.

Windows does have a background downloader service called BITS that almost nobody uses. Automatically throttles based on bandwidth, restarts on connection loss, and so on. It’s pretty nice, and it’s what Windows Update uses.

So for auto-updating, anyway, I’d go with a combination of Firefox style upgrading and BITS. Something like this on startup:

= If an updater has been downloaded and is available… =

* Ask the user if they want to upgrade.
* If the upgrade is tagged as a security update, make it required or at least strongly recommended (perhaps if they ignore this 3 times, force it on the 4th).
* Could also ask the user if they wanted to additionally save the upgrade EXE to their desktop. For easily copying to another machine without needing to redownload.

= If more than a day has passed since the last update check, do a quick http ping to see if a new version is available. =

* If one is, start up the download via BITS.
* If the BITS download happens to finish while the app is still running, put a little link in the upper right of the window saying “Upgraded downloaded, click to install” (Beyond Compare style).

No background task required, and a far better user experience than what they’re doing now.

]]> By: Steve Loughran http://scottbilas.com/blog/battling-bad-installers-with-autoruns/#comment-137 Steve Loughran Fri, 03 Jul 2009 23:12:31 +0000 http://scottbilas.wordpress.com/2009/05/03/battling-bad-installers-with-autoruns/#comment-137 When you install picasa on OS/X, they install an autorun updater. I know this as my son sees an error about it whenever he logs in to his (locked down) account. When you pull it, it comes back on the next time you manually update it. Maybe the mac has the same problems windows does with application updates: everyone needs to keep their apps up to date, neither OS has something integrated/federated like synaptic on ubuntu. When you install picasa on OS/X, they install an autorun updater. I know this as my son sees an error about it whenever he logs in to his (locked down) account. When you pull it, it comes back on the next time you manually update it.

Maybe the mac has the same problems windows does with application updates: everyone needs to keep their apps up to date, neither OS has something integrated/federated like synaptic on ubuntu.

]]> By: Scott http://scottbilas.com/blog/battling-bad-installers-with-autoruns/#comment-122 Scott Sun, 21 Jun 2009 23:40:11 +0000 http://scottbilas.wordpress.com/2009/05/03/battling-bad-installers-with-autoruns/#comment-122 And I don't see this situation getting much better on Windows any time soon. Microsoft clearly doesn't see solving it as a priority. They're hacking around certain aspects of it though, like side-by-side versioning that attempted to solve the DLL hell problem (and kinda half solved it, sort of..). And it looks like they're starting to move away from the registry as the config db for applications. But overall it's a total freakin mess. As for the Mac, yeah, that's mostly the reason. I have an iMac and that was the number one thing that tripped me up that I just couldn't work around. Reaching for the mouse is really slow. And it's not just a matter of memorizing hotkeys. The OS X design has a fundamental lack of interest in supporting keyboard users. I don't use a Mac because it's just too slow for me. Keyboard happens to be the big reason on that. And I don’t see this situation getting much better on Windows any time soon. Microsoft clearly doesn’t see solving it as a priority. They’re hacking around certain aspects of it though, like side-by-side versioning that attempted to solve the DLL hell problem (and kinda half solved it, sort of..). And it looks like they’re starting to move away from the registry as the config db for applications.

But overall it’s a total freakin mess.

As for the Mac, yeah, that’s mostly the reason. I have an iMac and that was the number one thing that tripped me up that I just couldn’t work around. Reaching for the mouse is really slow. And it’s not just a matter of memorizing hotkeys. The OS X design has a fundamental lack of interest in supporting keyboard users.

I don’t use a Mac because it’s just too slow for me. Keyboard happens to be the big reason on that.

]]> By: tf http://scottbilas.com/blog/battling-bad-installers-with-autoruns/#comment-121 tf Sun, 21 Jun 2009 21:02:02 +0000 http://scottbilas.wordpress.com/2009/05/03/battling-bad-installers-with-autoruns/#comment-121 When you drag a .dmg file to the applications folder it will ask for a permission. All apps are shared accross all users. If you install something from the internets osx will ask before you run it (once). Each user has a db for each app. There are some app-things that are individualized like widgets. You can share itunes and iphoto dbs across users if you want. Yeah the windows itunes/quicktime installs sucks. But everything does that, I have svn, the mouse, open-office, vc, prodg. It's like the broken window syndrome: ruined once, ruined always. I'm definitely getting autoruns for my work machines. What a pain all this is - you don't use a mac just because there is no keyboard acceleration? When you drag a .dmg file to the applications folder it will ask for a permission.
All apps are shared accross all users. If you install something from the internets osx will ask before you run it (once).
Each user has a db for each app.
There are some app-things that are individualized like widgets.
You can share itunes and iphoto dbs across users if you want.
Yeah the windows itunes/quicktime installs sucks. But everything does that, I have svn, the mouse, open-office, vc, prodg. It’s like the broken window syndrome: ruined once, ruined always.
I’m definitely getting autoruns for my work machines.

What a pain all this is – you don’t use a mac just because there is no keyboard acceleration?

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