Best Update Standalone Scenario

[MisterX]

Hi Sivakatirswami

That's an excellent topic... 

I like the simplicity and safety of many programs I use

- auto-watch web updates - with an option to turn it off
- downloadable improvements, selectable in a list. keep old versions
available - for old client (filter out the inaplicable or installed
objects).

The other simple system, not as practical, was the simple help menu check
with a website visit... download the update. quit the program, run the
update and done...
The good thing about this last one is that I allows lots of safeties like
backups in between... Not that the other types of updates show less but it
may be less apparent and you may not have control over what is done...

Then like Chipp mentioned, there's the stack component. Which is like the
first method I mentioned... But with added "functionality" not just data... 

I don't know if updating scripts on the fly works - certainly not for the
compiled stack but for the "library" stacks, it's certainly or probably
doable. But it's just as easy to replace these libraries. 

The point being that you have to think in advance how you want your updates
to work... Data, GUIs and Code all have options... Don't forget backups can
be important too...

cheers
Xavier
http://monsieurx.com/taoo


> -----Original Message-----
> From: use-revolution-bounces at lists.runrev.com 
> [mailto:use-revolution-bounces at lists.runrev.com] On Behalf Of 
> Sivakatirswami
> Sent: Saturday, October 22, 2005 6:48 AM
> To: use-revolution at lists.runrev.com
> Subject: Best Update Standalone Scenario
> 
> I've searched through the email lists but it's huge and so 
> I'll ask an old question (good candidate for an entry in the 
> RevWiki Cookbooks
> section):
> 
> What is the best strategy to auto update standalones.
> 
> I'm finding some users are happier if every app we deploy is 
> a standalone and then there are no issues about where the 
> player is, opening the stack etc. especially where these apps 
> have completely different job descriptions.
> 
> But then, if you want a standalone to update itself what do you do?   
> Let me run this by you all for comment.
> 
> 1) Keep a version number in a custom prop, in the stand alone.
> 2) have the app ping your server for a small file with the 
> latest version number,
> 3) if they two don't match, then prompt the user to update.
> 4) on update, the standalone downloads a compressed version 
> of itself to the folder that it is in and decompresses that file...
>      Question: what is the best way to do this:
> a) overwrite the previous standalone with the same name? Will 
> all systems allow this if the file is open? I think not....
> b) or give the standalone a new name the latter is pretty 
> standard...  
> "BBEdit 8.6, BBEdit 8.7"
> 
> 
> 5) then have the standalone save any open external stacks and 
> quit itself.
> 
> 6) now we leave it up to the user to
>      a) reboot the standalone if it has the same name... 
> (but, if replacing an open app is not an option, then this is 
> also not an
> option.)
>     b) trash the old version and boot the new one.
> 
> I would be interested in the overview, the options, the 
> caveats etc... and of course cross platform issues (mainly 
> OSX and Windows) for "best of show update strategies."
> 
> TIA
> Sivakatirswami
> 
> 
> 
> 
> _______________________________________________
> use-revolution mailing list
> use-revolution at lists.runrev.com
> Please visit this url to subscribe, unsubscribe and manage 
> your subscription preferences:
> http://lists.runrev.com/mailman/listinfo/use-revolution