Fred Langa: Software that updates your other software

[Eugenie]

NOTE: Fred Langa is warmly received by F/OSS and Freeware advocates as
a magnanimous public educator in the field of computers. FYI, I
disagree concerning his positive stance towards CNET’s TechTracker
auto-update tool. CNET bundles crapware, and TechTracker is also
crapware. Caveat Emptor.
Aside from CNET issues,I commend Fred Langa in general. Please
read on for a good education.

Windows Secrets
Home > Top Story > Software that updates your other software
By Fred Langa on July 26, 2012 in Top Story

The release of Secunia Personal Software Inspector (PSI) 3.0 prompts a
test drive of the new version, plus six alternative general-purpose
auto-update tools.

One surprise: Some of these automatic-update programs can worsen your
PC’s condition.
The promise and perils of effortless updating

The theory is great: general-purpose automatic software updaters work
to keep your entire PC up to date with minimal hassle.

Typical auto-updaters scan your system to learn the version numbers of
the software you’ve installed. Then they compare those version numbers
against their databases of current version numbers. If a given piece
of installed software isn’t current, the updater software either
notifies you that a newer version is available or (if you authorize
it) automatically downloads and installs the new version for you.

But there can be problems.

For one thing, a higher version number shouldn’t be an automatic green
light for updating because newer versions aren’t always better than
the old. Sometimes a patch or an update creates new problems that are
worse than whatever issue the update was designed to correct.

This is especially true with experimental or unfinished alpha and beta
software releases and with drivers (software that Windows uses to
control a system’s hardware).
Why newer versions aren’t always better

For example, in recent years hardware vendors have tried to simplify
their driver libraries with unified driver architectures, where one
driver package may support a wide range of hardware products and
versions.

A new release of the driver package may be intended to correct a bug
or glitch within any one of the many products and versions the package
supports. But the new driver version might have absolutely nothing to
do with your specific setup. If you constantly chase the newest driver
versions, you could be churning your system to no purpose. You risk
introducing new bugs, instabilities, and other trouble for no good
reason.

This kind of problem illustrates why all update tools (including
Windows Update) need to be approached and used with caution. In that
regard, Susan Bradley’s regular Patch Watch column here in Windows
Secrets can be a godsend.

I never let Windows Update, or any other tool, automatically update
drivers on my systems. In fact, I update drivers only if my hardware
isn’t working properly or if I’m notified that my current driver
contains a serious security vulnerability. Absent those problems, if a
driver ain’t broke, I don’t fix it.

I’m more relaxed about updating my other software, for two main
reasons. First, the tools I use (mostly Windows Update and Secunia
PSI) have proved themselves acceptably reliable on my specific setups
and rarely cause trouble with bad or unnecessary updates.

Second, I’m fanatical about backups. In those relatively rare cases
when an update causes a problem, I can easily and rapidly — often in
just a minute or two — roll the system back to its pre-trouble state.
(Want to see how? Check out the May 12, 2011, Top Story, “Build a
complete Windows 7 safety net.”)

Secunia recently released a major upgrade to PSI, so it was a good
time to stop and survey the auto-updater landscape before moving
ahead. I test-drove the new PSI version 3.0, plus six competing
products. Here’s what I found.
Secunia Personal Software Inspector 3.0

I’ve long been a fan of Secunia Personal Software Inspector (PSI)
[free; site]. Although I use the locally installed version, Secunia
also offers a free online version here. (Commercial versions of both
the local and online tools are also available here.) I have PSI
installed on all my systems and have recommended it many times in
these pages.

The new version still does what its predecessors did: It monitors the
software on your PC and automatically updates, by default, any out-of-
date software it finds. I’ve found PSI reliable enough that I allow
these auto-updates to occur, but PSI also lets you disable the auto-
updates if you prefer to manually verify the need for any recommended
update.

In non-automatic mode, PSI presents you with links to newer versions
of your software. PSI doesn’t force-feed you updates you don’t want.

In the same vein, you can also tell PSI to ignore certain software.
I’ve found this useful when I don’t like a new version of a favorite
program. I can keep my older version and tell PSI not to worry about
updating that particular software anymore.

PSI also makes no attempt to monitor your drivers. I like that, for
the reasons stated earlier.

In short, PSI 3.0 kept all the best parts of earlier versions. The
most obvious change in version 3.0 is a completely new look. (See
Figures 1 through 3.)
caption here

Figure 1. Secunia PSI 3.0's interface has been greatly simplified.
When everything's up to date, no details are shown.
caption here

Figure 2. You can still drill down for program-by-program information
if you wish.

Some software (such as VLC Media Player) requires that you manually
trigger updates. In those cases (or if you’ve opted for all-manual
operation), PSI provides preconfigured links by which you can
authorize and trigger each separate update, as you see in Figure 3.
caption here

Figure 3. When you want or need to operate manually, PSI provides
preconfigured links for you to work with.

PSI installs without unwanted toolbars, unrelated software, or other
extra downloads. It’s ad-free. And if you ever need to uninstall PSI,
it removes itself cleanly.

It’s excellent software, and I highly recommend it.
CNET’s TechTracker auto-update tool

CNET’s free TechTracker (site) works much like Secunia PSI and with
similar options. Here, I’ll focus on what’s different.

TechTracker installs easily, but the download includes several
“special offers” for unrelated software. You can opt out of these; if
you do opt out, the extra software is not installed.

When you run TechTracker, it scans your system and produces a small
window that contains a list of any out-of-date software it found. You
then click on a Get Updates button to open an ad-supported webpage in
your default browser. (See Figure 4.)
caption here

Figure 4. After scanning your system, TechTracker lists suggested
software updates.

CNET is in the software-download business — it runs the huge
Download.com software library. With this vested interest in promoting
download activity, TechTracker may be a bit too aggressive in
suggesting updates. In fact, the TechTracker site even makes the
dubious assertion that “New software is the best software.”

Because of this philosophy, TechTracker routinely offers beta versions
among its recommended updates, such as the beta version of 7-Zip 9.22
shown listed in Figure 4. Unless you’re very careful to read the fine
print of the download details, you could end up replacing stable,
working software with incomplete, buggy beta versions.

But if you use it cautiously (to avoid installing unfinished software
on your machine), TechTracker can do a good job. It earns my
provisional recommendation.
FileHippo.com’s Update Checker tool

FileHippo.com’s free Update Checker (site) is very much like
TechTracker (see above) in execution and overall philosophy.

Like TechTracker, Update Checker scans your system and then opens an
ad-supported webpage in your default browser. (See Figure 5.)
caption here

Figure 5. FileHippo.com's Update Checker strives for simplicity in its
presentation, but you can still drill down to obtain detailed
information.

Like CNET, FileHippo is in the download business, so Update Checker
shares TechTracker’s philosophy of aggressively pushing new software,
including potentially dangerous beta versions. But as Figure 5 shows,
Update Checker’s graphic design makes these beta versions very
obvious, which should help you avoid accidental installations of
potentially destabilizing software.

If used judiciously, Update Checker can do a good job and so also
earns my provisional recommendation.
Four unrecommended auto-update tools

I won’t waste your time in long descriptions of tools I don’t
recommend. Instead, let me just cut to the chase and tell you why I
dislike these offerings.

► SUMo, the Software Update Monitor (site), was a total disaster for
me. It’s bundled with very aggressively installed foistware toolbars
and something called “Powerpack” software. It also tries hard to
coerce you into providing demographic information. I opted out of all
the extras and bundled apps that I could, and I did not provide the
demographic information.

At the end of the SUMo install, my copy of Malwarebytes popped up a
warning that it had detected “Trojan.downloader.”

I ran SUMo’s uninstall routine, but later found left-behind Registry
settings and some kind of still-installed software called “Relevant
Knowledge.” There had been no mention of that software at any point
during the installation process.

SUMo also changed my default browser’s home page.

In my opinion, SUMo is complete junk. I recommend that you avoid it
entirely.

► Glarysoft is a reputable publisher with some very good tools, but I
can’t count its Software Update (site) among them.

It misidentified one fully current software utility as being three
versions behind and reported that a number of OEM-installed programs
and drivers on a brand-new laptop were out of date. (They were not: I
checked on the manufacturer’s site.) I’m guessing that Software Update
was judging driver update suitability solely by version number — the
“version chasing” problem I mentioned at the top of this article.

There were other minor issues, too, but the above is enough for me to
not recommend this product.

► The Carambis Software Updater (site) is a rough piece of work with
numerous issues. But to me, its worst failing is the inclusion of
alpha software in its list of updates. Alpha software is first-draft
stuff. Installing alpha software isn’t an update; it’s an experiment!

Software Updater also generated false alarms, incorrectly flagging
some fully current software as out of date, and it did not uninstall
cleanly.

► Nabber.org’s open-source Appupdater (site) initially looked
promising, but I found it very hard to set up and use. In fact, I
never got it to work correctly — not even once.
Some final (for now) recommendations

After these informal test drives of seven auto-update tools, I believe
that Secunia PSI is still the best of the current bunch. It’s well
behaved and has worked reliably for me. It’s free for personal use and
ships without foistware add-ons, toolbars, and other unwanted baggage.

But if Secunia PSI doesn’t work for you — no software works for
everyone, on all systems, all the time — either CNET’s TechTracker or
FileHippo’s Update Checker can get the job done. Just be sure to read
the fine print and avoid accidentally installing beta software.

[Larry Sabo]

Yrrah <Yrra...@acf.invalid> wrote:

>Spammer Eugenie <b7r...@gmail.com>L

>
>> Software that updates your other software
>> By Fred Langa
>

><http://windowssecrets.com/top-story/software-that-updates-your-other-software/>
>
>Yrrah


He neglected to mention PatchMyPC, which I find to be excellent.


Larry