WinUAE Auto-Update?

[Mequa]

Just a suggestion for the excellent WinUAE emulator:

How about a feature which allows WinUAE to check the download server to see if a newer stable version is available, and to download and install over the current WinUAE installation?

Perhaps this could eventually be extended to the available plugins too. (A 'roll-back' feature to revert to an earlier WinUAE build is another possibility.)

This may also be useful for Amiga Forever users, who (as far as I'm aware) can only update the included version of WinUAE by copying across the WinUAE.exe file into the appropriate folder (with any plugins etc).

If this is implemented in WinUAE, perhaps the Amiga Forever GUI could also implement this WinUAE auto-update feature eventually.
But I feel it would be best if this were first implemented in WinUAE - if, of course, this would be feasible.

[thomas]

The Cloanto Software Director updates WinUAE already. Don't know about plugins, though. Which plugins exist and what are they good for? I never needed any.

[Mequa]

Originally Posted by thomas

Don't know about plugins, though. Which plugins exist and what are they good for? I never needed any.

On http://www.winuae.net/frames/download.html there's a filtershaders plugin. Although AFAIK the Direct3D filtershader plugins are no longer needed, this also includes some mask image files (not sure what these are used for).

There is also an enhanced floppy sounds plugin (giving several alternative sounds), a Portaudio library, as well as a translation DLL (for adding different languages, as in Swahili).

[Photon]

It's a common delusion that the latest version is better. It auto-assumes that the user will like the new version better, will stand all his 100 programs changing around and growing more complex all the $%^& time, and that the new version is stable for the user.

Core stuff like drivers, frameworks stuff like browsers, rented corporate software, sure. Everything else pushes any dev smaller than a corporation to the deprecated-heap. Plus, popups and nags makes a computer an unusable, irritating piece of...

Anyway, just my general opinion - anyway, won't work until/unless configurations are auto-updated in some psychic way too.

[TCD]

Originally Posted by Photon

anyway, won't work until/unless configurations are auto-updated in some psychic way too.

Why? Unless you used some pointless config settings that accidentally worked in an earlier version, there's no need to update the configs as they are fully backwards (or forwards...) compatible.

[Mad-Matt]

I we really getting so lazy that everything needs to be auto updated ? . As long as theirs an option to dissable as I hate the extra few seconds an app takes to open while its ..checking .

[Mequa]

Originally Posted by Mad-Matt

I we really getting so lazy that everything needs to be auto updated ? . As long as theirs an option to dissable as I hate the extra few seconds an app takes to open while its ..checking .

What I had in mind was more like a non-intrusive button on the About page which would say something like "Check for a newer version", and on clicking would say something like "A newer version is available, would you like to update now?" before auto-downloading and installing. [Something like 'check for updates on start', if included, would best be 1) optional and 2) disabled by default.]

In the event that newer versions may introduce regressions, a second button "Revert/roll-back to an earlier version" may also come in useful - although it would be easy to manually revert the install (basic instructions for beginners on how to manually update/revert could also be included, as automatic updates will obviously not be available with older versions).

These proposed options are aimed more at beginners to UAE who just want to run Amiga software without fiddling with manual updates, as opposed to the more seasoned users who might consider it lazy

[Maren]

1. Right-click on your desktop
2. New -> Shortcut
3. Paste http://www.winuae.net/frames/download.html into the field
4. Next
5. Paste WinUAE Auto-Update into the field
6. Finish

Come on people, how lazy can you be?

As for updating to betas, it'd be a better idea to just head to the beta thread and keep up with the changes/user comments so you know what you're dealing with before downloading anything.

[Mequa]

Originally Posted by thomas

The Cloanto Software Director updates WinUAE already.

I assume this is via Cloanto's servers which they manually update with the latest version of WinUAE?

Perhaps similar functionality could be built directly into WinUAE, given appropriate allocated server space so it can find the new versions?
As an option of course, best disabled by default - I don't like forced auto-updates any more than the next guy.

P.S.
If I can use a command line fluently, am I lazy to opt for a GUI instead?
IMO anything which can potentially save time is best not dismissed out of hand.
Ubuntu users enjoy auto-updates for the vast majority of apps, shouldn't Windows apps 'keep up' in terms of offering seamless updates?
Perhaps in 10 years manually-downloaded updates will seem as quaint as the MS-DOS interface does today...

[Maren]

Originally Posted by Mequa

P.S.
If I can use a command line fluently, am I lazy to opt for a GUI instead?

Some tasks can be carried out more efficiently from the GUI, some tasks can be carried out more efficiently from the command line. No relation to laziness whatsoever.

Originally Posted by Mequa

IMO anything which can potentially save time is best not dismissed out of hand

Opening the download shortcut takes about 1 second. Clicking on the download link should take another second at most...Basically checking for a new version everyday, should you not be aware that the development cycle may take several weeks to several months, still leaves you with a 86399 sec day.

Originally Posted by Mequa

Ubuntu users enjoy auto-updates for the vast majority of apps, shouldn't Windows apps 'keep up' in terms of offering seamless updates?

Flash news, it's already in. As a matter of fact, I disabled it all because I don't want stuff running in the background, wasting my bandwidth and CPU cycles for an update I may not even need at the moment. IMO, this is best done manually.

On an unrelated note, Workbench has a bigger market share than that commie linux garbage

Seriously, I don't have anything against such feature, but the "saving time" argument just doesn't stick.

[Mequa]

Originally Posted by Maren

Seriously, I don't have anything against such feature, but the "saving time" argument just doesn't stick.

When one has at least 20 different emulators alone installed across multiple PCs (as I have), the option of automatic updates starts to make a little more sense. Not that it's always used (I disable automatic Windows Updates on my netbook, for instance).
The key word is "option".

Sure, a monkey can launch a web browser, open a list of sites to check for a newer version, click a download link, run the installer, open the downloads folder, delete the installer. Repeat for each relevant piece of software. Repeat every day/week/month/year (depending on interest).
But if the whole process can be automated, I don't have to make a monkey of myself with such repetitive tasks.

Convenience isn't necessarily a bad thing.

[TCD]

The fact that Toni hasn't commented on it should give you an idea how interested he is to implement it Of course WinUAE is open source, so...

[Toni Wilen]

I don't like automatic updates. They are usually annoying when programs that rarely need networking start opening firewall popups. I especially don't like non-network programs that phone home, even if it is harmless.

Also automatic update has to be supported and I don't support features I don't use or wouldn't care less. Automatic update requires extra testing to keep it in working state. (do you want random notifications every 5 mins or something like that?)

[Mequa]

Originally Posted by Toni Wilen

I don't like automatic updates. They are usually annoying when programs that rarely need networking start opening firewall popups. I especially don't like non-network programs that phone home, even if it is harmless.

Also automatic update has to be supported and I don't support features I don't use or wouldn't care less. Automatic update requires extra testing to keep it in working state. (do you want random notifications every 5 mins or something like that?)

I can understand your design philosophy in wishing to avoid making WinUAE.exe phone home.

However, a non-intrusive, third-party auto-update program could be coded for WinUAE in the following way, without touching the source:

- On launch, check the Windows registry for a WinUAE installation and check its version number.
- Check the server for a newer version.
One way this could be done without special support is: Download the latest http://www.winuae.net/frames/download.html, and parse the downloaded HTML to obtain the latest version number and appropriate download link to InstallWinUAExxxx.exe (this may break if the layout of the download page were to change).
- Compare the version numbers. If a newer stable version is found (or no WinUAE installation), offer to download and install the latest stable version.
- Offer to uninstall old version(s) if appropriate.
- Delete the downloaded file(s) if appropriate.
- Offer some kind of "roll-back" feature so an earlier version can be downloaded and installed (parsing the above HTML will generate a usable list of earlier versions).

I might have a go coding something like this myself if I get the time.

Perhaps something like this could be incorporated into some third-party auto-update app which supports various software (other than Cloanto's commercial solution).
Just a suggestion.

[AmigaFriend]

Originally Posted by Maren

Opening the download shortcut takes about 1 second. Clicking on the download link should take another second at most...Basically checking for a new version everyday, should you not be aware that the development cycle may take several weeks to several months, still leaves you with a 86399 sec day.


Flash news, it's already in. As a matter of fact, I disabled it all because I don't want stuff running in the background, wasting my bandwidth and CPU cycles for an update I may not even need at the moment. IMO, this is best done manually.


Seriously, I don't have anything against such feature, but the "saving time" argument just doesn't stick.

I was going to write something on the same line, but I think Maren has pretty much summed them all. The first thing i do, for all programs, if possible, is to disable auto-updates.

I really don't see the need, for me, for such a feature on WinUAE.

[cosmicfrog]

if it an`t broke why fix it