[Gnumed-devel] detect a newer version is available

[James Busser]

(was re GNUmed on Ubuntu)

On 4-May-08, at 1:05 PM, Karsten Hilbert wrote:

> On Sun, May 04, 2008 at 09:28:29PM +0200, Karsten Hilbert wrote:
>
> > > For the future we should integrate a message directly into  
> > > gnumed. GNUmed
> > > should have a feature to detect a newer version is available.
> When and how I was to say.

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When

1. Upon manual action by the user i.e. menu option

        Check for updates…

2. Automatically at client startup, or at a pre-set or configurable  
interval, and/or using additional logic to decide whether to "nag"  
the user.

Under the Automatic option, if we can identify the availability to  
the user some critical update, one that must be applied to fix a  
health danger to patients or a security "hole", we should nag the  
user, but we would have to be careful to make no mistakes in setting  
such a flag on any updates.

Under an Automatic option (even if turned "off") we may wish the  
check to still be performed at client startup (at least at intervals)  
or if we feel a responsibility to "push" notices of updates then it  
should be at every startup.

Whether the user is *actually* notified would depend on if they had  
asked manually (in which case -> inform) or if they had asked only  
for periodic update notification, to wait until the preferred  
interval. I am only thinking that if a user depends on their service  
provider (and server / backend manager) to do the updating of server  
and/or clients then it can be annoying to users if they must always  
receive this notice at every launch until the update gets performed.  
Maybe a default of once a week or once every 14 days would be suitable.

----------------------------------
How

Partly covered above, but mainly it is a question of where to post  
and maintain the newer version information, which can then be queried  
by the client or server.

This could be a readable file in one or both directories
        http://www.gnumed.de/downloads/client/
        http://www.gnumed.de/downloads/server/

These files might optimally contain
        version number of newest version and date of its release
        type of release (bug fix, minor feature, major release)
        critical-ness of release (routine vs urgent)
        whether server (or client) must also be updated

I am not sure what should trigger the server to check for updates so  
maybe this should only be built into the clients? While service  
providers who look after the server may less often be launching the  
client than the doctors, any service provider should be on the gnumed- 
update list.

Of course that will mean we should not forget to send notice via  
gnumed-update :-)