XYplorer Beta Club

@JoeStorm: This (unofficial) script automates updating.

Over 2 years on, I still feel that lack of a good and simple updater leaves somewhat of a bitter taste in my mouth. This is especially true when I come across really nice update mechanisms in other products (FileZilla, Chrome, etc). Is it a big deal to download an archive every X weeks and install with a few clicks? No, it is not. But, by the same token, those products make the updating process more seamless. The current strategy requires a user to check for updates regularly, either through this forum, by visiting the website, following on Twitter and so on. Instead, in my opinion, the updates should come to the customer with regular checks by the product itself and notifications (if configured as such). While I do not know what kind of engineering investment would be necessary to bring a good updater into the product, I do believe that adding it will be a beneficial enhancement.

zer0 wrote:The current strategy requires a user to check for updates regularly, either through this forum, by visiting the website, following on Twitter and so on.

You do.know.about "simple updater", right?:
http://www.xyplorer.com/xyfc/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=8744

zer0 wrote:Instead, in my opinion, the updates should come to the customer with regular checks by the product itself and notifications (if configured as such). While I do not know what kind of engineering investment would be necessary to bring a good updater into the product, I do believe that adding it will be a beneficial enhancement.

I agree, but the mentioned script is IMHO already a big help also.

zer0 wrote:... The current strategy requires a user to check for updates regularly, either through this forum, by visiting the website, following on Twitter and so on. Instead, in my opinion, the updates should come to the customer with regular checks by the product itself and notifications (if configured as such) ...

But XYplorer already has that: Configuration - Startup & Exit - Check for updates on startup. When enabled, XYplorer will either show a dialog telling you about a new version, or show 'your version is up-to-date' in the status bar.

If there is a new version, I think the dialog offers a button that takes you right to the download site.

phitsc wrote:But XYplorer already has that: Configuration - Startup & Exit - Check for updates on startup.

But for many of us, I suspect, XY startup is only something that occurs when we install a new vers or are forced into a reboot...I have XY running 99.9% of time when my system is up so that feature isn't really useful.

j_c_hallgren wrote:

phitsc wrote:But XYplorer already has that: Configuration - Startup & Exit - Check for updates on startup.

But for many of us, I suspect, XY startup is only something that occurs when we install a new vers or are forced into a reboot...I have XY running 99.9% of time when my system is up so that feature isn't really useful.

Well, if that is the only problem I guess changing this to check every 24 hours, additionally to 'on startup', would not cause much headache.

phitsc wrote:

zer0 wrote:... The current strategy requires a user to check for updates regularly, either through this forum, by visiting the website, following on Twitter and so on. Instead, in my opinion, the updates should come to the customer with regular checks by the product itself and notifications (if configured as such) ...

But XYplorer already has that: Configuration - Startup & Exit - Check for updates on startup. When enabled, XYplorer will either show a dialog telling you about a new version, or show 'your version is up-to-date' in the status bar.

I am with JC and phitsc on this one. I only close XY when I install a new version or my computer is rebooted and, if XY can check for updates on start-up, it can also check for them periodically while the app is running. As said before, notification of an update being available is only one part of the overall update process that could do with overhauling. If I still have to do most of the work, it's not much of an improvement.

I can't help but feel the need to keep pushing this wish to the forefront. The lack of a seamless update system still keeps leaving a bitter taste in the mouth. With a lot of traditional, desktop-based software transitioning to the cloud -- where updates are applied invisibly -- it is relevant that the update process minimises the quantity of clicks required. It's as if the updating process is being treated as a necessary pain of hoops to jump through and it needn't be that. Things can be so much better and it just sucks that they are not

While this never bothered me too much, I actually think it got worse with the web site re-design. While before there was a download link on the what's new page, that doesn't seem to be the case anymore, or is it?

The Download link is there. Top row navigation.

admin wrote:The Download link is there. Top row navigation.

Well, that is the Download link to the Download link

Before the re-design, the 'there's a new version' dialog box took you to a web page where you could download the new version directly.

I meant this page: http://www.xyplorer.com/whatsnew.php

Download link at the top.

I don't think anything changed here compared to the years before.

I'm pretty sure the What's new page you are taken to from the 'there's a new version' dialog had a link that when clicked, started to download the new version directly. Now, it has a Download link at the top (nex to Buy) that takes you to the page where you can click another link to start the download. Or if the What's new page has a direct download link I'm not seeing it.

No, your memory is wrong. It was also a link to the download page, just like now.

admin wrote:No, your memory is wrong. It was also a link to the download page, just like now.

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