Virtualized Setup-Free Application Package
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional software installation methods lead to system instability, increased attack surface, and complexity due to 'cruft' accumulation, file version collisions, and difficulty in managing upgrades, as they modify the registry and require complex setup programs.
Innovation Solution
A virtualized installation method where a software application is packaged with a subset of its file system and registry, allowing it to run without modifying the system's registry or performing a traditional setup, using a package file that maps requests to its contents without extracting files or altering the system's configuration.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If traditional setup programs are used to install applications, then applications can be deployed on the system, but system stability deteriorates due to cruft accumulation and registry modifications
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the application installation into a portable package containing all necessary files and a virtual registry, isolating it from the host system. This segmentation allows the application to run independently without modifying the host registry, thereby maintaining system stability while enabling easy deployment.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a virtual copy of the registry within the portable package rather than modifying the actual host registry. This virtual registry copy contains all necessary configuration data and can be isolated from the host system, preventing cruft accumulation and maintaining system stability across multiple installations and upgrades.
2Adaptability or versatility
If multiple applications share common files and components, then resource utilization improves, but system stability deteriorates due to file version collisions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments shared components into the portable package's virtual file system, allowing multiple applications to access common resources through the virtual registry without actual file collisions on the host system. Each application gets its own isolated copy of shared components within the package.
3Adaptability or versatility
If shared components are registered for one application, then component availability improves, but security deteriorates due to increased attack surface
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments component registration into the virtual registry within the portable package, isolating registered components from the host system's shared components. This isolation limits the attack surface by preventing malicious web pages from accessing vulnerable shared components registered in the host registry.
4Ease of manufacture
If traditional installation methods are used, then applications can be installed on the system, but device complexity increases due to setup program requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the setup program complexity from the deployment process by encapsulating all installation logic, file copying, and registry configuration into a pre-built portable package. The host system only needs to load the package and initialize the virtual registry, eliminating complex setup procedures.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent performs all complex setup actions during package creation before deployment. The virtual registry and file system are pre-configured within the portable package, so the host system only needs to load the pre-prepared package rather than performing complex installation operations at deployment time.
5Reliability
If applications are installed and upgraded traditionally, then functionality is maintained, but loss of time increases due to synchronized changes required
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments application functionality into isolated portable packages, allowing upgrades to be performed by simply replacing the package rather than synchronizing changes across multiple files and registry entries. This segmentation enables rapid upgrades without time-consuming coordination.
Data Source
AI summary
A setup-free software application and related operating techniques are described herein. The setup-free application is contained within a package file that does not appear as a program file to the computing system. When the package file is opened, the computing system virtualizes the “installation” of the setup-free application without copying application files to the actual file system and without making any modifications to the actual registry. When the setup-free application is running, operating requests (such as file read requests, registry read requests, and file write requests) are directed to the contents of the package file. Such redirection away from the actual file system and away from the actual registry enables the computing system to run the setup-free application from the package file.