The Carbon Footprint of dropping installer caching...

[topbanana]

As most of us know, the defining feature of Patch My PC was its ability to cache all the installers it downloaded, in a definable path.

This allowed you to run updates on one of your many computers, downloading all the updates once, and then move on to the next, and the next computer, where PMPC would then simply find the already downloaded, cached installer in its cache folder, perhaps on your network share, on the usb stick pmpc is on, etc...  and it would immediately start installing the software updates, or the newly ticked software you wanted to add.

This not only saved time, but it also saved on bandwidth, data.
Some of the apps were hundreds of MB in size.

So with this new version of PMPC, this functionality has been axed.  It can't do it.

Now our task of installing the app on a new pc, or a fresh windows install, or just updating all the apps takes a lot longer.  And it uses up bandwidth of the internet connection you're on.  And it costs data, which is still limited for many, many users, and even costs them money per MB!

And of course, this downloading of the installer EVERY time, on you many PCs adds a carbon footprint.  As Time & Electricity cost energy.
And i don't know about you, but there's a lot of reporting in the news these days about CO2 Emissions... Something that we should apparently be aware of, we should try to reduce...

Did the management consider the carbon footprint when they ordered the axing of the caching function?

It's not just PMPCs defining feature.  It also has real world consequences.

We look forward to the return of this functionality.

[Michiel (Patch My PC)]

Hi, thanks for your suggestion! A Feature and Application Request has already been submitted for this, so feel free to upvote it:

Re-add the option for Don't Delete App Installer Files

[topbanana]

Hi, thanks for your suggestion! A Feature and Application Request has already been submitted for this, so feel free to upvote it:

Re-add the option for Don't Delete App Installer Files

How can you suggest that we VOTE for the feature you already had???  You deleted it!
You caused us to use more data downloading the installer multiple times from the internet.
You caused us to add more load to the software author's download server.
You caused us to add more traffic to the internet.
You caused us to add more traffic to our own networks.
You caused us to use more electricity repeatedly downloading the same files over and over and over again.
You caused us to waste more time waiting for the installers to download again, and again and again.
You caused us to increase the carbon footprint of installing, maintaining, updating software.

You caused this.
And you suggest that we 'vote' for it???

[Justin Chalfant (Patch My PC)]

Hey there,

Thank you for taking the time to share your frustrations. I completely understand why you feel this way, and I want to acknowledge the points you've raised. The feature you are referencing in v4 was a key part of Patch My PC for many customers, and it's clear it provided significant value to your workflow.

The decision to not include this functionality in the initial release of v5 wasn't about undervaluing it. It was a matter of prioritization during the rebuild process. That said, we hear your feedback loud and clear, and we are taking it seriously.

One challenge with reintroducing a download-only mode is that v5 is now portal-based. This makes the implementation a bit trickier since the app itself needs to be installed. That being said, we absolutely recognize the value of this workflow and are evaluating how we can best support similar use cases moving forward.

We encourage you to upvote the idea here: https://ideas.patchmypc.com/ideas/PATCHMYPC-I-5108. This helps us gauge how broadly this feature is needed and prioritize development efforts accordingly.

Could you also help us understand your specific use case? How many computers are you downloading this for, and are you using Patch My PC in a company with many computers? The more details we have, the better we can assess how to bring back this functionality in a way that works best for you.

We truly value your feedback and regret any inconvenience this has caused. It helps us improve and deliver a better product.

Hi, thanks for your suggestion! A Feature and Application Request has already been submitted for this, so feel free to upvote it:

Re-add the option for Don't Delete App Installer Files

How can you suggest that we VOTE for the feature you already had???  You deleted it!
You caused us to use more data downloading the installer multiple times from the internet.
You caused us to add more load to the software author's download server.
You caused us to add more traffic to the internet.
You caused us to add more traffic to our own networks.
You caused us to use more electricity repeatedly downloading the same files over and over and over again.
You caused us to waste more time waiting for the installers to download again, and again and again.
You caused us to increase the carbon footprint of installing, maintaining, updating software.

You caused this.
And you suggest that we 'vote' for it???

[topbanana]

Hey there,

Thank you for taking the time to share your frustrations. I completely understand why you feel this way, and I want to acknowledge the points you've raised. The feature you are referencing in v4 was a key part of Patch My PC for many customers, and it's clear it provided significant value to your workflow.

The decision to not include this functionality in the initial release of v5 wasn't about undervaluing it. It was a matter of prioritization during the rebuild process. That said, we hear your feedback loud and clear, and we are taking it seriously.

So this gives us hope that it will return?
And sooner rather than later, please?
In the mean time, i'll keep using v4.

One challenge with reintroducing a download-only mode is that v5 is now portal-based. This makes the implementation a bit trickier since the app itself needs to be installed. That being said, we absolutely recognize the value of this workflow and are evaluating how we can best support similar use cases moving forward.

'Trickier'... but it's obviously possible.  So we look forward to you returning it to us.

We encourage you to upvote the idea here: https://ideas.patchmypc.com/ideas/PATCHMYPC-I-5108. This helps us gauge how broadly this feature is needed and prioritize development efforts accordingly.

Most of your users probably don't even know this ability existed in v4!  As it wasn't a default option, as it deleted the installers by default.  Only us in 'the know' knew to turn on this feature, and how valuable it was!
But the fact remains, all software updaters should have this option, and on by default.  It's sick how much data, traffic, time, electricity is wasted by installers being downloaded over and over and over and over and over again on everyone's networks.
The reason you restore this feature, is not because it's gotten lots of votes, it's because this was YOUR defining feature, and it is the CORRECT thing to do!
Please prioritise it for the correct reasons.

Could you also help us understand your specific use case? How many computers are you downloading this for, and are you using Patch My PC in a company with many computers? The more details we have, the better we can assess how to bring back this functionality in a way that works best for you.

I'm an ex IT guy, but supporting my 3 or 4 laptops, and also the guy that all my mates, mates of mates bring their pc/laptops/everything to fix.  Plus i reinstall my OSs quite often, so i land up using PMPC a fair bit.
I'm also living on an island, where we use mobile data a lot still, only a few have fibre internet.  So downloading data costs money!  And it's not as fast as living in a city, with multi-gigabit internet.  So it costs time.
So PMPC has saved me a lot of time and money.

Also, as is also requested, we need a portable version.
The way i use PMPC 4v is to use a network share, or usb stick, just run the .exe file, check that it's pointing to the share, or the stick and then select and install, or just update from there.  Obviously, if a newer version is needed, it's downloaded and is added to my network share.  Great!
For the portable version, having to specifically set the options to set the download folder, and the do not delete options is annoying.  It'd be best if it just defaulted to the current directory pmpc is in, or at least let us set a pmpc.ini file such that we can set it to current directory, or a relative path, so that if the ini file is there, it'll always run this way.  We need it to be truly portable.  v4 is partially portable.

And please restore the categories.  It still seems malicious that they were deleted from v4.  There's simply no logical reason to remove them, other than to make it harder to use.
Now that you have over 500 apps listed, it's beyond a joke.

We truly value your feedback and regret any inconvenience this has caused. It helps us improve and deliver a better product.

Thank you for replying, directly addressing this feature 'loss'.
Losing the ability to do something you've been relying on for years is depressing.

[topbanana]

We now have the issue that the latest beta build hunts down our v4 PatchMyPC.exe and nukes it!

I didn't ask it to delete it for me.
It didn't aske me if i wanted to delete it.

Please don't delete the working version of your software from your user's PCs.
Especially before you've reached feature parity with the new version!!!

This adds to the frustration.

[Justin (Patch My PC)]

We now have the issue that the latest beta build hunts down our v4 PatchMyPC.exe and nukes it!

I didn't ask it to delete it for me.
It didn't aske me if i wanted to delete it.

Please don't delete the working version of your software from your user's PCs.
Especially before you've reached feature parity with the new version!!!

This adds to the frustration.

Hey @topbanana, thanks for sharing this. If you're on the beta channel, we noted in our FAQ that it automatically migrates v4 to v5 and replaces the old file. You can turn off beta updates if you want to stick with v4 for now.

We have your suggestions on our UserVoice site, and we're considering many requests for v5. We will stop supporting v4 later this year, so it won't get updates anymore. We appreciate your feedback.

https://patchmypc.com/product/home-updater/#will-home-updater-version-4-portable-automatically-update-to-version-5-msi

[topbanana]

We now have the issue that the latest beta build hunts down our v4 PatchMyPC.exe and nukes it!

I didn't ask it to delete it for me.
It didn't aske me if i wanted to delete it.

Please don't delete the working version of your software from your user's PCs.
Especially before you've reached feature parity with the new version!!!

This adds to the frustration.

Hey @topbanana, thanks for sharing this. If you're on the beta channel, we noted in our FAQ that it automatically migrates v4 to v5 and replaces the old file. You can turn off beta updates if you want to stick with v4 for now.

A newer version that is NOT yet at feature parity, should NOT uninstall the old version.  At least not without asking the user!
A beta version should not be introducing this removal feature!
A newer version that switches from a pseudo-portable model (PMPC-HU didn't have an installer, just the .exe that stored where we wanted, ran it from there)... This new installed version should not be silently hunting down and deleting the portable version! (yes i know its location will be in the registry).

The v4 version still works as we NEED it to.
Do not take this away from us, until you have something better to replace it.

Software should increase in functionality, increase in usability, increase in efficiency.
NOT degrade its functionality, degrade its usability, degrade its efficiency... Like removing categories, removing installer downloading/using, giving the UI 4 line spacing making it look like an app for pre-schooler tablet users with Homer Simpson's fat fingers!

You had a very good app that did a specialist job in a very efficient way.
At the moment, you have a beta of your next version, that only has a subset of its functionality, and a degraded UI/UX.
It should be offered to us as a beta test program, with clear description of what's implemented so far... And then pushed to production ONLY when it is ready.  This is how software development should be done.
And it just looks like the devs, or more likely managers calling the shots, never actually used PMPC-HU, so they didn't know what it did, how it worked, why it was so popular, what its advantages were over the competition.  If they did, then it only leaves us more in shock.

This is what makes your users frustrated!

[Justin (Patch My PC)]

Hey @topbanana, I hear your frustration, and I appreciate you taking the time to share your thoughts. We've already captured your feedback on UserVoice, and we're considering many of these points as we continue to develop v5.

We've been clear in our communication that the beta migrates v4 to v5, and the decision to do so aligns with our goal of moving forward with a more modern architecture. We understand that change can be frustrating, especially when certain features are still in development, but v4 will not be supported long-term.

At this point, I don't think further back and forth here is helpful, so I'm going to lock this topic. Please continue to follow updates on UserVoice for feature progress.

Thanks again for your feedback.