I have written about if before: updating programs on your computer - if you're not using a Linux distribution, that is - is a total and utter mess. On Windows and Mac OS X, there are roughly four ways of updating applications. The application notifies of new updates, and then downloads them when you click 'yes', the application updates from within the application itself, or the application requires a special update program running in the background. These are all quite annoying, since they interfere with your workflow (as opposed to, say, running "apt-get upgrade" every morning). The fourth method is the official vendor channel, Windows/Microsoft Update in Windows and Software Update in Mac OS X. Paul Ellis argues that to alleviate the mess, Microsoft should open up Microsoft Update for everyone else - and similar arguments are made concerning Apple's Software Update.
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Member since:2007-09-08
BITS is a download system - nothing more. All it gets you is the ability to download files.
The issue here isn't that it's hard to download updates. It isn't. There are a hundred HTTP or FTP client libraries you could use to do that. It's that there's no central update mechanism, like the repositories approach used in most Linux systems.
Yes, you can write your own updater system, possibly using BITS to actually do the downloading. That still leaves you writing your own updater system, which can't be managed using the same tools as Microsoft's, has to be installed separately, and has to triggered somehow (running in the background, for example).
That's what happens now, and why a typical Windows machine has half a dozen auto-update processes running at all times, and half the remaining programs have built-in auto-update mechanisms.
Why can't a third-party application just register some kind of update channel with Windows Update, give it a public key so it can verify that the updates come from you, and let it handle everything for you. Even better - system administrators could then use Microsoft's tools to distribute updates for all applications, not just Microsoft's.
Member since:2007-02-17
Basically Microsoft can't allow this because Windows Update is a backdoor.
Microsoft can't give third parties access to a backdoor mechanism to Windows ... that is just asking for trouble. It would easily become even more of a security headache than the loophole that Windows Update already is.
Member since:
2005-10-01
Background Intelligent Transfer Service
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Background_Intelligent_Transfer_Servic...
windows update uses it I belive
As far as I know any software can use it to provide auto-update. Ive seen a few MMOs give the option to use it to keep the client updated without having to start it
Its not as clean as using the windows update GUI (as you have to use the program you want to update to adjust BITSs settings), but the tools are there without having to have a specialized update tool for managing auto-updates