An introductory view of Visual Patch 2.0 from the ground up. Learn all about Visual Patch 2.0 and see everything it can do. Create secure full-history or binary patches quickly and easily!
-About Indigo Rose -What is Visual Patch? -About Binary Diff erencing -How it Works -Product Positioning -Competition -Key Differentiators
Indigo Rose Corporation
-Maker of software deployment and development tools since 1991 -Business is built upon dependable software and unheard of customer support -Thousands of developers use our products in millions of distributions worldwide -Located in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
What is Visual Patch?
-A software development tool for creating self-applying patch files -Lets you patch software from one version to another in a secure and efficient manner -Uses binary differencing algorithms to create the smallest patch files possible
Binary Patching
- Creating a binary patch involves performing a byte-by-byte comparison between the original file and the new file, and then encoding the differences into a difference file
- Each difference file contains the actual bytes that are different in the new file, along with a number of instructions that describe which bytes need to change, and which bytes are the same. This information is said to be encoded into the difference file.
- When the patch is applied, the difference file is decoded, and the instructions are used to build the new file by copying the "unchanged" data out of the old file, along with the "changed" data that was encoded into the difference file.
Benefits of Binary Patching
- SMALLER FILES: Since only the differences are included in the patch, space savings can be up to 99 % over including the entire file in an installer.
- REDUCED BANDWIDTH: Smaller patch files result in reduced bandwidth costs.
- SPEED OF DELIVERY: Smaller files means that customers are able to download patches faster.
- SECURE: The best way to protect information during transmission is to never transmit it in the first place. By only transmitting the data that has changed, patches reduce the risk of third-party interception.
- DATA INTEGRITY: A patch can't update something that isn't there. If a user doesn't already have your software installed, they won't be able to apply the patch.
How Does it Work?
Software developer creates versions and subversions of Visual Patch analyzes software over time.
Key Differentiators
-Easy to use. -Very flexible.
-Provides customizable, skinnable user interface capabilities within the software.
-Advanced existing folder location detection. -All in one package ? no need to develop custom interfaces or use third party installers as shells for patch.
Summary
Visual Patch
-Creates small, secure patches for your software. -Is an all-in-one development tool for patch creation and user interface.
-Very easy to use. Intuitive file list interface makes it easy to see what files will be patched.
-Reasonable price makes it a viable solution even for small software development companies.
