ReactOS updater

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jainkumar
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ReactOS updater

Post by jainkumar »

Will ReactOS have a utility like Windows Update to allow users to update their operating system, or will updates only be done in-place?
karlexceed
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Re: ReactOS updater

Post by karlexceed »

Perhaps eventually, but it's a long way off.
PurpleGurl
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Re: ReactOS updater

Post by PurpleGurl »

I would hope so, eventually.

Years ago, I suggested comparing the latest version to what is on the machine and downloading and replacing as needed, saying it could be done faster and more efficiently that way. But then Z98 or whoever said that Microsoft does it as they do as packages for a reason. That makes it easier to isolate a problem with the updates. If you know what's guilty, you can uninstall it and put it back to what worked. Plus their approach upgrades by the component, keeping all files of a component consistent in version and preventing a chance of having mismatched files with different APIs called/available.
erkinalp
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Re: ReactOS updater

Post by erkinalp »

But then Z98 or whoever said that Microsoft does
This model is replaced by cumulative updates and full component replacement by late 2016.
-uses Ubuntu+GNOME 3 GNU/Linux
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Darune Albane
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Re: ReactOS updater

Post by Darune Albane »

Do it like how linux mint does it much better then windows
erkinalp
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Re: ReactOS updater

Post by erkinalp »

Since ReactOS cannot receive Windows updates, software updater need not be compatible.
-uses Ubuntu+GNOME 3 GNU/Linux
-likes Free (as in freedom) and Open Source Detergents
-favors open source of Windows 10 under GPL2
PurpleGurl
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Re: ReactOS updater

Post by PurpleGurl »

No, it doesn't have to be compatible, but using a similar model would be helpful for compatibility with ourselves (don't want to mix files that were patched as a set), stability, and to reliably revert incompatible updates. I once gave a naive strategy for doing it, claiming it would be faster than the windows way, but that could sacrifice the rollback option. Doing it in packages or on a per component basis would insure that files get replaced or rolled back in compatible sets.

Yes, trying to run Windows Update and going to Microsoft for it would be problematic, and likely impossible. First, you might not make it past WGA. Then you'll likely not be able to get the files due to age. But even if that were to work, it might hose the installation. We try to be like Windows 2003 as much as possible, but incompatibilities between a number of XP/2003 files may remain.
erkinalp
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Re: ReactOS updater

Post by erkinalp »

We are open source, though. You can choose any particular revision of any fork. There is no "service pack"s like Microsoft Windows had. Mixed versions are user's problem (see GPL disclaimer, NO WARRANTY)
-uses Ubuntu+GNOME 3 GNU/Linux
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karlexceed
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Re: ReactOS updater

Post by karlexceed »

On a somewhat related note, I'd love to see a diff between the 0.4.8 and 0.4.9 boot CDs.

It could give some insight into just how many files change between releases - i.e. what files would need to be replaced for a "version upgrade" (not counting registry changes, etc).
shunesburg
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Re: ReactOS updater

Post by shunesburg »

karlexceed
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Re: ReactOS updater

Post by karlexceed »

karlexceed wrote: Tue Sep 11, 2018 8:25 pm I'd love to see a diff between the 0.4.8 and 0.4.9 boot CDs.
So I went and did it. Not sure how much this really illustrates, but it's interesting nonetheless.

I used Ubuntu and rsync with the command:

Code: Select all

rsync --delete -n -aPc /disk1/ /disk2/
Here's the differences between the 0.4.8 and 0.4.9 ISOs:
https://paste.ee/p/ChAYt#s=0

And, after installing in VirtualBox with the same hardware and completing the second-stage setup, I compared the contents of the VDIs:
https://paste.ee/p/ChAYt#section2
PurpleGurl
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Re: ReactOS updater

Post by PurpleGurl »

erkinalp wrote: Tue Sep 11, 2018 7:45 pm We are open source, though. You can choose any particular revision of any fork. There is no "service pack"s like Microsoft Windows had. Mixed versions are user's problem (see GPL disclaimer, NO WARRANTY)
That is a non sequitur to what I was saying. Of course we are open source, which has nothing to do with what I was saying. Nor am I saying there must be service packs. Update packages are not service packs. This thread is about making an updater that's loosely like what Windows has, with the same API hooks. For instance, I don't know if Windows Update is the only thing that needs BITS (Background Intelligent Transfer Service).

What the devs and I have been saying is that the Windows way is to group files per update. Devs may work on files in groups and all the changes need to be patched together. It would be nice if our updater would somehow sync to at least our last release unless newer files are found. The most logical way is to do it on a component basis. You generally don't want to upgrade an EXE without upgrading relevant DLLs if they have changed. So in the future, we'd want to replace them in groups similar to Windows update in case one group of files causes regressions or incompatibilities.

I naively thought that the best way to do it would be to checksum everything you have compared to checksums on the site and replace those that are different. And you could have a checkmark to sync with last official or last available. Then it can download everything, create batch tasks or whatever, reset, replace on reboot, register if necessary, then load. But Z98 told me how shortsighted that is. Windows replaces in groups of files that are related (except security packs). That way, you can remove one incompatible set without removing others. That would be handy with ROS for anyone trying to use it as their everyday OS (against our recommendations), since if a change breaks something on their PC, they can keep the other component changes, thus keeping the changes that help them.

And unrelated, but similar in logic, is the Windows Restore Service. It doesn't matter how ours work, if we ever have one, since there is no use to try to restore from a Windows Restore volume. That would corrupt things for sure. But the same APIs should be available, even if they work completely differently, in case software wants to create a restore volume. The format is immaterial. Just somehow transfer the old files to their own folder, lock/protect it, etc. They likely could be (1) compressed into single files with the tree preserved, (2) moved in situ, or (3) moved to a single folder, given a secondary extension and an index to be able to restore their locations, etc. That doesn't really matter as long as the standard APIs exist. Then user software can call it just like on Windows.
Last edited by PurpleGurl on Fri Jan 17, 2020 3:32 am, edited 1 time in total.
feldrim
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Re: ReactOS updater

Post by feldrim »

For preventing duplication I'd like to share my ideas on this reddit post. initially I have written down these on the related Wiki page's Discussion part, yet I needed feedback for the naive suggestions and created the post.
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binarymaster
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Re: ReactOS updater

Post by binarymaster »

feldrim wrote: Thu Jan 02, 2020 12:12 pm initially I have written down these on the related Wiki page's Discussion part, yet I needed feedback for the naive suggestions and created the post.
We don't use our wiki for communication and talks (don't expect any replies on it), we use forums and the chat. Reddit is okay too, but better use official communication ways. :)
feldrim
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Re: ReactOS updater

Post by feldrim »

binarymaster wrote: Thu Jan 02, 2020 8:29 pm
feldrim wrote: Thu Jan 02, 2020 12:12 pm initially I have written down these on the related Wiki page's Discussion part, yet I needed feedback for the naive suggestions and created the post.
We don't use our wiki for communication and talks (don't expect any replies on it), we use forums and the chat. Reddit is okay too, but better use official communication ways. :)
Thank you for your reply.
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