Windows 7, the latest release of the Microsoft Operating Systems, is going to be released in under a month and while it’s getting rave reviews, it’s missing one of the most important functions an Operating System could have, an update manager.

It’s an obvious function, but Microsoft has failed to address or notice the issue.

It’s the tedious task of having to keep track of program updates. Most new user don’t even realize what’s going on. But the truth is if you’er not running the latest version of a software package, you almost surely asking for a problem.

Linux has had this function for a long time; it’s one of the best features of Linux. It’s called the ‘Synaptic Manager’. Once programs are installed on it, they’re monitored for updates. The system knows what version is installed, what’s the latest version and where to find/download the latest release package. If a new version is found, the user is notified and the option is given to the operator to update. –simple….

But Windows continues to live in the past in this area…

Installing Software

When software packages are installed on Windows the program manger doesn’t offer any suggestions where to find new programs; new users are completely lost; they wouldn’t know where to start to find new programs or software for their system.

Linux has a repository, a collection if you’ll , of programs, popular with user and that have been verified; ready for installation. Windows makes no efforts here.

With Windows, you’ve to go FIND the software. You’ve to do searches and hope you find a reputable place to get software or freeware to use on your PC. And once the software is installed on your PC; this is where the bad part starts.

Monitoring Software Updates

Windows has no ‘Synaptic Manager’, so every program installed has to update itself. You can wind up with a huge number of icons in the System Tray [by the clock] that you don’t even know what they’re there for.

And with every icon, there’s system resources being used. Every program/service periodically checking for updates is using your system resourced; dragging down the overall performance of your system.

The Solution

What SHOULD be happening, is that there should be an installed program manager.

When the applications are installed, they provide their version, where to find the new version and where to download the latest version. One application/service should be assigned to do this on a global level. Checking for updates daily, automatically downloading and applying them where possible [if you want to].

Why users still have to do all this manually and it’s silly.

When I say it’s obvious, I mena it’s so obvious that good citizens of the world have tried to find better ways to do this…

By going this direction, the programs are held centrally, the updates can be performed in a more sensable manner and less resources are used.

The examples above provided all the same basic functions in different ways and all try to basically the same thing, but the real question is why do they have to do this?

Windows should have this function built in… it doesn’t.

Maybe in the future.

Thanks for reading!

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