'New version available!'

[ron]

"New version available" on the menu bar.

Is that new or have I just not been paying attention?

I would like the option to download now and install later.

Where is the file downloaded to?

Is it removed after being installed?

If it's already been downloaded, should it download again if the file is the same?

Should it say install complete when finished?

Should it restart Cirrus automatically with the previous session?

[Tim]

Is that new or have I just not been paying attention?

It was added in the February 13 release.

I would like the option to download now and install later.

I'm considering an option to download to the desktop rather than a "silent" install.

Where is the file downloaded to?

Your Windows Temp folder.

Is it removed after being installed?

We're adding temp folder cleanup to the next Cirrus release.

If it's already been downloaded, should it download again if the file is the same?

Perhaps not, but it's not clever enough to determine that.

Should it say install complete when finished?

Yes, it would be nice to have some indication of that.

Should it restart Cirrus automatically with the previous session?

We're looking into that.

Thanks,

[Michael Bulgrien]

I can't answer all your questions...but if you choose to install it right away:

You will you will be prompted to close Cirrus (and should do so)
No restart of Windows is necessary
Cirris is not automatically restarted. However, when you relaunch Cirrus, the Session Manager will be pointing to the latest session you were using. Just reopen the session to continue what you were doing.

[ron]

..and the automatic restart works nicely. Good job :cool:

[Michael Bulgrien]

I, too, used the link today. Nice! :)

[RunnerBiker]

I was running Beta 447 and had set the update notification to 1 day as requested.

Cirrus had been running on my PC since Tuesday at about 6:30 A.M. On Wednesday afternoon, I got an e-mail from Aaron asking me to test something with Beta 448. Cirrus had not notified me of an update.

Maybe Cirrus only checks once a day when you set it to check daily? Maybe it checks when you start it and every 24 hours afterward and Beta 448 was realease after 6:30 A.M. on Wednesday.

When I clicked Help => Check for Updates, Cirrus found Beta 448 and installed it correctly.

[Craig]

Cirrus only checks for updates automatically when it starts.

[goldsy]

Would it be possible to get the option as to where the file downloads? My reasoning is two-fold. First I just don't like stuff to be dumped onto my desktop. Second, files on the desktop end up in roaming profiles which get notoriously large. I'd rather have the option to put the file on my local hard drive (somewhere it won't get sucked back into the profile) or on a network drive should I need it on multiple machines.

[ron]

%TEMP% might be a good place

[Tim]

Thanks. I'll consider a user-settable location.

[ron]

Radio buttons

(.) Install now
( ) Save to Desktop (Install later)
( ) Save to %TEMP% (Install later)

Of course you'd expand %TEMP%. For option 1, on the install successful dialog, you'd say something like "The program installer has also been saved to %TEMP% should you need to install it again. Choose Keep to retain the installer or Delete to delete it."

I've become accustomed to my temp folder being full of junk but others could argue why keep it at all. A delete button would likely satisfy these users.

A user specifiable path might be overkill but if it's just as easy as any other solution, go for it. If you allow me to specify/browse to a path, then remembering this path would be essential because it's likely to be the path where I put all my downloads.

I like the current simplicity too. Simple/seamless to get and install. I usually save every build because that one time (with another product) it really paid off big time.

[goldsy]

I don't think that Save to %TEMP% really buys much more than save to desktop. I would much rather see the user specifiable path.

Ron brings up an interesting point. I have myself rolled back to a previous version of software. I typically save the previous version to roll back to if necessary. Another option and I'm not sure how to structure the controls would be to update now, but also save a copy to the hard drive. Let me throw something out there.

How about two check boxes.
1 [ ] Install now.
2 [ ] Save a copy...

The numbers are just for reference...

Of course at least one must be checked. Checkbox one will simply run the exe after download. The second determines where the exe saves and if the exe should be deleted it after it runs.
1 [ ] 2 [ ] - Invalid
1 [x] 2 [ ] - Download to default location, install and delete exe after completion.
1 [ ] 2 [x] - Invoke Save As, download to specified location, and no delete. Default out of box would be desktop.
1 [x] 2 [x] - Invoke Save As, download to specified location, install, do not delete exe.

[Craig]

I can't speak for anyone else here, but isn't that awfully complicated for a simple check for updates? The "Program Updates and News" dialog already has a "Visit our download page" link, so you can trivially open it in your browser and save the file anywhere you want. Frankly even the "Download to Desktop only" checkbox seems like overkill to me.

For those of you into saving old builds, it's really not necessary. Most of the Cirrus releases have already timed out, those that haven't will at the end of the month, and if you really want any previous release of BC we're usually happy to send them out.

[Michael Bulgrien]

I agree with Craig and find the current functionality more than sufficient.

However, if changes are made to allow downloading to an alternate location, consider the following:

The presence of the "Download to Desktop Only" checkbox when your installed version is current is meaningless since there is no way to trigger the download. Why not remove the checkbox altogether and just provide another link (or button) that launches a "Save As..." dialog?

[goldsy]

I'll buy Michael's suggestion of dropping the checkbox in lieu of a separate link to simply download the file. That certainly simplifies the process. BTW, I downloaded to the desktop and later upgraded BC3. It appears to have deleted the exe after running. Am I correct in my observations. That behavior should be removed if keeping an archive copy is desired.

[Michael Bulgrien]

If deletion of the executable is controlled via a command line parameter, then it could still be deleted when automated by the "install now" link... but would not be deleted if downloaded and executed later.

[GreenMoose]

Cirrus only checks for updates automatically when it starts.
No plans for checking during a session at e.g. once a day or so (or maybe even configurable like in other apps "check for updates every XXX")?
I tend to have my folder-compare session open constantly, with refreshing it now and then and then copy some files.
Since comparison of the files in this folder session is opened in new tab, it won't check for updates then either I guess.
(Guess same issue if not /solo switch is used having an opened session all the time?).

Thanks.

*Edit: This seems to work with Build 456, i.e. I had a session opened from 2nd of June and today 9th of June, after a refresh, I got the "New version available" link.

[Tom]

Would you guys consider also (maybe optionally) prompting the user each time to (re)run the program? The main consideration here is to give me a second to reenable security software after the update process. (It will then prompt to update the file signature/hash of the executable that wants to run.)

[GreenMoose]

Would you guys consider also (maybe optionally) prompting the user each time to (re)run the program? The main consideration here is to give me a second to reenable security software after the update process. (It will then prompt to update the file signature/hash of the executable that wants to run.)
Isn't that already enforced by the installer?
I can't continue install if BC3 is already running.
---------------------------
Setup
---------------------------
Setup has detected that Beyond Compare 3 is currently running. Please close all instances of it now, then click OK to continue, or Cancel to exit.
---------------------------
OK Cancel
---------------------------

[Tom]

Isn't that already enforced by the installer?
I can't continue install if BC3 is already running.

You'll see from my message that you quoted it says "after the update process". :cool:

[Michael Bulgrien]

I think Tom means something like this:

http://mysite.verizon.net/bulgrien/images/Restart.png

Those that do not want an auto restart would have to clear the check mark.

[Tom]

Thanks, Michael -- but I was thinking more of a post-install prompt. Your example is still prior to the process of running the MSI installer or whatever ends up being used. Here's the way a different program does it...

[Michael Bulgrien]

I was thinking more of a post-install prompt. Your example is still prior to the process of running the MSI installer or whatever ends up being used. Here's the way a different program does it...

Thanks Tom.

Your example is from an interactive installation of an MSI package. When updating BC3 from the "New version available..." link, a quiet (non-interactive) installation is performed. Therefore, the option to launch the app must be passed as a runtime parameter (hence the need to specify the option prior to installation).

If you want the full interactive GUI during the BC3 installation, download the installation package and run it manually instead of having the automated update process do it. You will then have the post-installation option you are looking for:

http://mysite.verizon.net/bulgrien/images/Launch.png

[Michael Bulgrien]

The checkbox in my sample dialog could just as well have been:

[ ] Perform interactive installation

If you check it, then BC3 does an interactive install instead of a silent one...and you get the post-installation prompt at the end. Would that work for you (if the Scooter team implements it)?

[Tom]

The checkbox in my sample dialog could just as well have been:

[ ] Perform interactive installation

Absolutely. That's exactly what I'm asking for if it's doable and low-impact on the development process. :) However, the term interactive might be confusing to some since that could also imply that you'd be selecting whether or not to install the shell extension and so on.

The "full" installation is probably best done as a separate action, whereas the final prompt seems to maintain the concept of updating the existing install. (Still, if "full" is more likely to be implemented than "final prompt only" I'd be amenable to that.)

[Aaron]

Thanks for the interesting ideas going back and forth. I've appened some of the notes into our tracker entry on the Updater.

[Michael Bulgrien]

I don't think "Full" any clearer than "Interactive". Of course, it could just be reversed:

[x] Perform silent installation

And have the user uncheck it to get the user agreement, upgrade screen, and final prompt to restart.

[Tom]

I don't think "Full" any clearer than "Interactive".

Possibly not -- I know about the concept of interactive installs vs. silent from corporate deployments and the like, but I think non-techies would be hard pressed to see where setting the upgrade dialog for desired behavior doesn't qualify as "interactive". ;) Maybe there's a less jargon-laden way to describe it, that's all I'm saying. Either way it works for me. :)

Thanks for the interesting ideas going back and forth. I've appened some of the notes into our tracker entry on the Updater.

Thanks much, Aaron!