I just spotted this post - Google Pack's real innovation is Updater - which notes how the Google Pack updater provides Google with an installation path for future products straight to the desktop...
(The Google/Sun collaboration now seems to make more sense - like being able to pipe OpenOffice or Java to someones's desktop for the first time...)
Installing software is a big hassle for many OU students, so this may be something we can learn from. Just imagine, an OU Updater that polls the OU every so often, perhaps around course start dates, and checks to see if you've registered on a new course.
If you have, it checks to see what software is used on that course, downloads it automatically and installs it into a known place (it's often a hassle getting the paths right in OU software installers).
At the end of the course, if the software is so licensed, the OUpdater then removes/uninstalls the software used for that course.
Hmm...
Also related: Appcasting - using feeds to download updates as feed attachments. Imagine users subscribing to the feed when they install a new app, and receiving updates whenever they are published via the feed. Oh so simple, and perhaps crying out (though beware the security implications!) for integration with the IE7 RSS/Platform Common Feed List.
Posted by ajh59 at January 13, 2006 05:25 PM