Software Installation Guidance via Equivalent Experience Replay
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Solution Overview
Problem
In software installations across multiple computing devices, users often face inefficiencies and failures due to lack of experiential information, leading to varying results even on identical or similar hardware, as each device lacks understanding of other installations' experiences.
Innovation Solution
A computer-implemented method that detects current software installations, captures successful installation data, identifies equivalent installations, and reproduces the installation process using selected options, command line inputs, screen images, and replayable input sequences, either automatically or manually, to assist in successful software deployment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If users install software without experiential information from equivalent installations, then each installation is independent and simple to implement, but installation success rate decreases and inefficiencies increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by capturing and storing installation data (options, command line inputs, screen images) from successful installations on known devices before other equivalent devices need to perform the same installation. This pre-captured data is then reused to guide subsequent installations, eliminating the need to re-discover successful installation paths and significantly reducing installation time while improving success rates.
Solution Approach 2:
The system creates copies of successful installation experiences by capturing installation data from one device and reproducing it on equivalent devices. The captured data (replayable input sequences, selected options, command line inputs) is copied from the source device's successful installation record and applied to target devices, allowing rapid replication of proven successful installation patterns across multiple equivalent devices.
2Productivity
If software installation is performed manually without guidance, then the process is simple and direct, but user frustration increases and efficiency decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The system introduces an intermediary component that acts as a guidance system between the user and the installation process. This intermediary provides replayable input sequences, selected options, and visual guidance based on captured successful installations, mediating the interaction between user and software installer. The intermediary translates complex installation procedures into guided, step-by-step instructions that users can follow, improving efficiency without significantly increasing operational complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The system enables self-service by allowing successful installation experiences to automatically guide subsequent installations. The captured installation data from known devices serves as self-generated guidance that automatically adapts to equivalent devices, eliminating the need for expert intervention or complex manual procedures. The system serves itself by using its own successful installation records to improve future installations.
3Reliability
If installation data is captured and stored from known devices, then experiential information becomes available for reuse, but system complexity and data management requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system extracts only the essential installation data needed for reproduction (selected options, command line inputs, replayable input sequences) from the complete installation process on known devices. By extracting and storing only these critical elements rather than entire installation logs, the system reduces data management complexity while maintaining the reliability benefits of having reusable installation experience data.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes parameters by transforming raw installation data into structured, reusable formats (replayable input sequences, categorized options, standardized metadata). This parameter transformation organizes the captured data into manageable, queryable structures that can be efficiently matched to equivalent devices, reducing system complexity while improving reliability through better data organization and retrieval.
Data Source
AI summary
A computer-implemented method, a computer system and a computer program product assist a software installation through information about equivalent experiences. The method includes detecting an installation of a software application on a computing device. The method also includes obtaining successful installation data, where the successful installation data includes information about a prior installation of the software application on a known computing device. In addition, the method includes identifying an equivalent installation in the successful installation data, wherein the equivalent installation comprises the prior installation of the software application having a common characteristic to the current installation of the software application. Lastly, the method includes reproducing the equivalent installation on the computing device.