895538 - Support packaged app updates on desktop

Status: RESOLVED DUPLICATE of bug 898647

(Firefox Graveyard :: Web Apps, defect, P1)

Description

[Marco Castelluccio [:marco]]

I think we need to figure out the UX first.

Comment 1

[Myk Melez [:myk] [@mykmelez]]

Note that we'll want to support hosted app updates too, although we can work on that in a separate bug.

Comment 2

[Myk Melez [:myk] [@mykmelez]]

See bug 898601 for hosted app updates.

Comment 3

[Myk Melez [:myk] [@mykmelez]]

Madhava: we could use some UX input on this bug!

Our goal is to add an "app update" capability to the desktop webapp runtime, which would complete the runtime's support for the app lifecycle (install -> use -> update -> remove).

In general, the desktop runtime has been designed to integrate closely with each desktop OS's native app experience.  For example, on Mac, an app installs an icon in the Applications folder, runs when you double-click the icon, and is removed by dragging the icon to the Trash; while on Windows it installs an entry in the Start menu and an icon on the Desktop, runs when you select the entry or double-click the icon, and is removed via the Programs and Features Control Panel item.

But desktop OSes haven't typically provided app update until recently (with the Mac and Windows 8 app stores), so desktop apps like Firefox often implement their own update flow, and we've considered doing the same, making each app check for updates for itself periodically.

Alternately, we could build update into Firefox, with something similar to addon update, although it isn't entirely consistent with the model we've employed to date.

Or we could try to integrate with OS update flows, although I'm not sure how possible this is, given that our apps are not distributed via the OS app stores; and it leaves out users of older versions of those OSes.

I'm happy to provide more context if needed, here or face-to-face; just ask!

Comment 4

[Marco Castelluccio [:marco]]

Done in bug 898647.