[plt-scheme] Version Check

From: Neil Van Dyke (neil at neilvandyke.org)
Date: Thu Apr 27 18:27:31 EDT 2006

For what it's worth, I agree with Anton on this.

The underlying requirements/needs right now seem to be conflicting,
before we get to GUI design details.

I think one hard requirement is that radioing back to the mothership, in
any form, MUST NOT occur without explicit user permission.

If we want to be formal about it, we can further define things like
"user" in this context, but you get my point.  I think is a matter of
emerging CS/engineering standards of conduct.

Regarding one precedent offered in favor of tracking, that some users'
OS platforms already do it: (1) that doesn't make it a good idea; (2)
there might actually be explicit user consent in some cases; (3) I think
there's a difference of user awareness and expectation between the
user's one "OS" and that of the N layered applications that are
installed over time from myriad sources.

I'd be delighted to see DrScheme employ a combination of opt-in
automatic update checking and opt-in plt-announce email list
subscribing.  The DrScheme interface could encourage both of those, to
hopefully get good user coverage.  Additionally, the bug-reporting
mechanism can always offer to check for new versions, even if the user
has already declined to automatically check for new versions.

-- 
                                             http://www.neilvandyke.org/


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