Redesigned Plugin Updater

[Wishmaster]

Hello all,
I have made some thoughts about Plugin Updater and its current behaviour, based on bug reoprts #653,  #612 and #260.

You can see the results in the attatched screenshots. There are two main changes:

1) Removed the modal, focus-stealing MessageBoxes promts for a restart when the update has finished, and changed the dialogs as seen on the screens. No it wont take away the focus but the dialog will be "mutating", e.g. text of the controls is changed and the function of the buttons (I hope it is self-explationary).

2) Added an option "Automatically restart after update", which will automatically restart Miranda after update is finished. Note that that option will be disabled by default, so you have to explicitely enable it. (I was also thinking about putting that option directly on that update dialog beneath the text, but I didnt do it now). I could also make it bring the dialog to foreground if that is wanted, but I commented it out.


What do you think about it? For a test i added the patch to build it yourself, as well as the binaries.

[Белая рысь]

Maybe, it'd be cool to make "Update complete" window always on top? It will not steal focus, and user will see that the program wants his attention.
Automatically restart is cool too, but I use db encryption and cannot say if the passwordbox will steal focus too. =)

[ghazan]

well, my point of view is:

1. any attempt to add auto-restart to PU must be declined.
Miranda must not contain the artificial intelligence, that will reload it beyond the user's control, especially on the start.

2. it's a matter of fact that a user wouldn't just sit & look at the modal dialog longer than 3-5 secs.
so for users with a fast internet it's not a problem - when a dialog is raised up, they can click and wait a bit. unfortunately there're two cases not covered by this new dialog:

• the users of slow internet will push this dialog down another windows (browsers, mail readers etc);
• instead of old simple MessageBox with two buttons they will get a complex dialog with three buttons, a text and a list of plugins. a usual user will get stuck

3. if that dialog could be brought down, we still need a simple, understandable signal to be sent about the process end. popups can't do that, because they also could be hidden by another windows. so a message box still can be a reasonable solution

[White-Tiger]

[...]

2. it's a matter of fact that a user wouldn't just sit & look at the modal dialog longer than 3-5 secs.
so for users with a fast internet it's not a problem - when a dialog is raised up, they can click and wait a bit. unfortunately there're two cases not covered by this new dialog:

• the users of slow internet will push this dialog down another windows (browsers, mail readers etc);
• instead of old simple MessageBox with two buttons they will get a complex dialog with three buttons, a text and a list of plugins. a usual user will get stuck

3. if that dialog could be brought down, we still need a simple, understandable signal to be sent about the process end. popups can't do that, because they also could be hidden by another windows. so a message box still can be a reasonable solution

I have to disagree on these statements.. while I'm normally sitting there and watching the progress (as long as there's progress) up to a few minutes, I also don't want to be interrupted by the completion of the update... for example in case I'm writing something, or playing a game etc... I know to check back a few minutes later myself and it doesn't matter if it's half an hour after the update finished.

The updater dialog and progress requires some fixes/additions indeed, and using less popups, describing the progress (progress bar) is a welcome addition.
The current state by the looks above isn't complete though nor good enough
But it took NG long enough to fix the text "Check for plugin updates", though such as change isn't even worth putting on side to do later.. (as that takes way more time then to do it and it's also bad for new users to start with), so don't let that happen again please

[watcher]

But it took NG long enough to fix the text "Check for plugin updates", though such as change isn't even worth putting on side to do later..

Was there an open ticket an no one took care of it?

[AL|EN]

Look at the google chrome and take it as example:

• Remove confirmation dialog after all plugins was downloaded and update is ready - since i allowed update, why i would want to stop it ? And if i want to stop update, i will stop updating it in the first place.
• The updating process itself should be done when miranda is running, it should download all files for new version to temp folder and the update should be applied at the next boot by coping and replacing old files. This way user always get new version without unnecessary waiting.
• The whole update process should not require even single click - you can show Popups, tooltips but nothing that would require user interaction.

[Wishmaster]

well, my point of view is:

1. any attempt to add auto-restart to PU must be declined.
Miranda must not contain the artificial intelligence, that will reload it beyond the user's control, especially on the start.

It is neither "reloaded beyond the user's control", nor is it an "artificial intelligence", that's at most an exaggeration.

First note that the "auto restart" will be optional and disabled by default, so people who don't like it can leave it disabled.

If someone has it enabled, he still needs to start the Update process manually (and eventually grant UAC permissions), so it is under user's control, and he knows that Miranda will be restarted afterwards. Even on very slow internet, that process doesn't take more than a few minutes, it won't take hours. So someone who wouldn't like Miranda to be restarted wouldn't even start the update in the first place. Currently I have to do two clicks to update Miranda, one to start the update, and one after the update has been finished, that one too much.

[AL|EN]

One more thing about "user control":

There are only two choices of "do i wan't update my app automatically?" and the answer is yes or no. And the user provide this answer directly by enabling autoupdate in Options panel. Enabling autoupdate implicit that user want to have every new version of software to be installed.

Next question is: "Does update process should be confirmed by me?". And by checking "Automatically restart after update" I expect that It should update and restart automatically - no user interaction needed. And that's it.

I want "Start update process automatically" as a choice for me to have ZERO-Interaction update. The update process will be in user control still!

[Robyer]

One important point is that update is installed automatically as soon as it finished downloading (while Miranda is still running).

So I'd like to see only 2 modes (switchable in Options):
1) "classic" (not automatic)
  - when update is available it will ask user whether he want's to download and install update or not (with single click). If he answers YES, dialog will show progress or hides itself (or allows user to hide him manually) and when finished, it will only show popup "Update was installed. After new start you will have running new version." No automatic restart.
2) silent (automatic) update - this is same as previous except it automatically download and install update without showing dialog/messageboxes. When it is done, it shows that "Update was installed. After new start you will have running new version."

Also both modes could show popup on miranda start that "Now you're running new Miranda 0.95.6" (similar to "welcome to new version" page after webbrowsers update")