Download Services

Nowadays the internet can be the source for many downloads, including anything from entertainment to printer manuals. With the increase of internet users more and more things are being downloaded straight from the internet. Furthermore,  users  can also share files between each other with programs such as 4shared although using these sites requires initiative some files may contain viruses.

Software- Boxes of software are becoming hard to find, all Downloading software requires no packaging or manual set up, everything can be downloaded separately via the desktop source.

With the download of software there is a wide range of advantages, the main advantage is allowing people to purchase and download software anywhere in the world this is so much more simple and its more convenient. Other advantages are the environmental factors that are being saved  by using software downloaded via CD’s and the internet have resulted in saving packaging and therefore saving the software company money, this is usually why they usually tend to be cheaper online. However it does also have its disadvantages if downloading software via the internet downloads that are relatively big and take a long time to download can take even longer with slow internet this is one huge aspect that can affect users downloading software online.

In my experience with downloading software, I Downloaded the new Norton 360, they software was installed in seconds and was alot quicker as there was no manual or large amounts of packaging. However in some respects users maybe put off with having no manual as they have no resource booklet to findout information about the software.

 This picture displays the information that appears in the beginning of the process of downlaoding.

Cloud Computing- A cloud service has three distinct characteristics that differentiate it from traditional hosting. It is sold on demand, typically by the minute or the hour.  A user can have as much or as little of a service as they want at any given time, and the service is fully managed by the provider and as well as improved access to high-speed Internet have accelerated interest in cloud computing. A cloud can be private or public. A public cloud sells services to anyone on the Internet. (Currently, Amazon Web Services is the largest public cloud provider.) A private cloud is a proprietary network or a data centre that supplies hosted services to a limited number of people. When a service provider uses public cloud resources to create their private cloud, the result is called a virtual private cloud. Private or public, the goal of cloud computing is to provide easy, scalable access to computing resources and IT services.
The primary potential advantage of cloud computing is the significantly lower cost required for data processing services when compared with the older model of establishing and maintaining software and its associated hardware on an internal system. The use of a cloud system removes the need for the potentially large capital and operating costs associated with purchasing or leasing such software and hardware and shifts the costs to a usage-based model. This can also substantially simplify a company’s software and hardware structure and the associated costs. A cloud-based system can also substantially increase the mobility and freedom of your employees and consultants, as it no longer matters where they are located. As long as they have an Internet connection and can access the cloud, they can utilize the same software packages and do the same work as if they were all in a physical office location. Obviously the advent of easy access to high speed broadband Internet connections has helped to make cloud computing a viable option.
Cloud computing has its risks and disadvantages, however. Its dislocated nature, which is an advantage in many cases, can also be disadvantageous because the user loses control over the software application and becomes dependent on the provider to maintain, update and manage it. If something goes wrong, the user does not have direct access to the software and must depend on the provider to fix the problem. If the provider is unresponsive or unable to fix the problem quickly, the user can experience significant issues. For example, problems would occur if your company uses a cloud-based payroll software system and that system goes down the night before payroll is due. These problems would quickly become much worse if the provider is unwilling or unable to fix the problem and reliable backup services are not available. Similarly, if your company becomes dependent on a cloud-based software application and the provider is unable or unwilling to continue to provide that application, you will quickly encounter trouble. This trouble would quickly become more serious if the provider was not required to give notice of the cessation of the application in time to allow your business to locate an alternative. In today’s turbulent economic climate, cloud providers may encounter financial problems or bankruptcy, either which could seriously impair or eliminate the provider’s ability to continue to provide the cloud services to your company.  Remember that these financial problems can happen quickly, and you will often have limited recourse in these situations.


Patches-A patch can be an upgrade (adding increased features), a bug fix, a new hardware driver or update to address new issues such as security or stability problems. While most patches are free to download, ultimately the developer will determine which versions of their software will be updated for free (older releases of a program usually get fewer updates). In some cases, only registered users may get certain upgrades, and at other times the only way to upgrade is to purchase the newer version at a discounted upgrade price (and requiring a reinstallation of the program). Typically, a patch can be installed over the top of an existing program, but again this will depend on the supplier and the nature of the patch. Unless otherwise stated, patches and updates on this site are for PCs using English language settings.
Upgrades- occur automatically on desktops. Software upgrades appear without confirmation, if software requires an update it doesn’t always tell you, some updates do however require a confirmation. There are a wide range of advantages and disadvantages on software upgrades.
Advantages

1.       Ease of use – the user usually doesn’t have to do anything at all during software updates that occur automatically. And ease of use makes it efficient, which is a key consideration for IEs.
2. Effective – viruses change almost hourly, so all protection software updates must occur weekly, sometimes daily. For software like this, the system has to get automatic updates as quickly as possible to be effective. And that is the beauty of automatic software updates; they remain effective via their automatic checks and updates. For security patches, automatic updates are critical.
3. Software point releases become seamless with automatically updating software. This is far easier than asking a distributed user base to install new software on all of their systems.
4. Standard – the code for programming in software updates is standard; check location/server X for updates, download if there is one. Implementing an automatic software update is a standard software feature, and frequently deemed a necessity.

Disadvantages

1.       If the user’s system isn’t on, the update doesn’t happen.
2. If a user’s system is on but not on network, the updates don’t occur.
3. If there are over-rides on the date and time the user can have the checks and downloads occur, they may keep forestalling critical updates. Thus flexibility results in ineffectuality.
4. If users install freeware that then decides to update, the automatic update may include a licensing agreement which the company does not want liability for.
5. The latest and greatest software update may be incompatible with the existing software image, and cause compatibility problems when the update occurs.

I believe that automatic upgrades are a good an effective way of upgrades being updated, it saves time and hassle of agreeing to confirmation and if its benefiting the desktop software then the upgrade is crucial wherever its updated automatically or being signed to confirmation.