Live Disc – the Future of Software Installs?
James Gill / January 4, 2008
More and more, we are getting used to getting new software by downloading from the web.
Downloading, as opposed to going to a shop, purchasing a CD or DVD with ridiculous amounts of packaging, bringing it home, putting it in our computer, and hitting “Install”.
I have been wondering how long it will take until the major manufacturers of software such as Microsoft and Apple start releasing their major applications, and even operating systems as downloads. There are several problems with this method of distribution however, including piracy, and the fact that, believe it or not, not everyone has an internet connection yet.
Rogue Amoeba have come up with a solution that could take care of the problem faced by many software manufacturers: Live Disc.
Live Disc isn’t terribly revolutionary, it’s just using the idea of updating your software online in a new way. When you put the CD in your computer, and install an application from it, the Live Disc application will first check to see if there are any later versions on Rogue Amoeba’s server. If there is a later version, it will download that first, and then the install process will begin.
The beauty of this idea is that it works great for people who have an internet connection (they get the latest copy), while those that don’t have the internet can still get a recent version of the software just as they would before.
If you are attending Macworld this year, be sure to come by Rogue Amoeba’s booth (#2738 in the South Hall), and grab a free disc to see Live Disc in action.
What’s your opinion on Software in the internet age? Is it time companies stopped selling boxed software once and for all, or is the packaging part of the purchase for you?
valzilla2cool said,
January 4, 2008 at 20:04 ()
Downloading software is only more convenient if the filesize is relatively small. There are also a number of difficulties with purchasing large packages as downloads. First, it would take ages to download. Second, if you lose the file and need to reinstall it and the company does not offer you the file anymore, you're out of luck. Third, in the case of downloading operating systems there are obvious problems with using a file rather than a disc (most obvious ones being what on Earth happens if the installation gets interrupted or after the first step of formatting the hard drive).
What's the difference between live discs and installing a program normally and then updating it? Surely the former is more annoying as it forces you to wait while it updates rather than letting you use the program.
Software manufactures will never stop making boxed software. If they offer downloads it will be in addition to packaged material.
G said,
January 5, 2008 at 02:36 ()
Val, I hear what you're saying, and I agree that it is still advantageous to have an actual disc in some cases.
However, to say that software manufacturers will "never" stop distributing on CDs is somewhat naive- as the web integrates ever more with our offline software, it is not hard to see increasing numbers of download only apps. This is the case already with the majority of small third party Mac developers, and can easily become a trend among larger distributers.
A perfect example of a successful, download only app is iTunes. No one kicked up too much fuss when they stopped including an iTunes install disc with the iPod nano.
Jenn said,
January 5, 2008 at 05:19 ()
"A perfect example of a successful, download only app is iTunes. No one kicked up too much fuss when they stopped including an iTunes install disc with the iPod nano." --- While I agree with you, a part of me has to disagree with you as well. I look at it this way: just because somebody has the internet doesn't mean they're on some super-fast T3 (or greater) connection. There are still places out there that only have dial-up. And for those on dial-up, a small app like iTunes isn't a huge fuss. When it comes to larger products though, such as offering the Windows OS as a download- that would be nearly impossible to get on a dial-up connection.
My theory is that companies should continue to sell boxed/CD's as well as downloads. Give your customers a choice.
G said,
January 6, 2008 at 16:55 ()
Jenn, I absolutely agree with you. My article is more thinking about the future: in a few years perhaps, we may see boxed software becoming the secondary source of revenue to the primary: downloads.
Oh, and I agree - choice is (almost always) a good thing ;-)
valzilla2cool said,
January 7, 2008 at 20:45 ()
@Jenn
It is tempting to call iTunes a 'small app' but it really isn't. It's 50MB which would most of the day to download on 56k