When purchasing modules, users expect their plugins to be available in Rack as soon as possible. Currently, they must restart Rack to obtain these updates. Rack v2 will query the VCV Library server periodically to check for updates so the user doesn’t have to restart.
I believe 60 seconds is a reasonable frequency to contact the VCV Library server. If the payment processor and plugin purchase system take 5 seconds to add the plugins to your VCV account, it will take an average of 60/2 + 5 = 35 seconds to show the update notification dot in Rack.
Given that one of my internet friend’s first reaction to trying out VCV was sincere annoyance at being asked to login, I think you should mention somewhere like the FAQ whether the frequent server polling entails any telemetry - that’s how incessant network activity is generally interpreted by the sort of nerd who monitors which applications use the network
Given that the library updates at most once/twice a week, I guess one check at startup and add the option to manually query for update in menu is perfectly fine.
With an option to check for updates there may be many queries to the server at the same time weekly. Whereas querying every so often could possible have less impact as there is nothing to return if you’re up to date.
I agree that having an option to check for updates might be nice to have; but this thread is about purchases of paid plugins.
In current version there seem to be no distinction in the query for updating/adding plugins, and the mechanism is the same for adding free/paid plugin… Or do I miss your point ?
There is no distinction between free and premium in terms of the content you get, you either subscribed by purchase or did not. In which case manually checking would be first off topic to this discussion and second most likely block the download of a purchase.
If a new user makes a purchase not knowing there is manual check there could be many emails asking ‘where is my purchase?’
Maybe, but again this could be indicated in the library with a “Now you can click on ‘Update Plugins’” inside VCV to retrieve your purchase", or “Now you can restart VCV”, I believe most users, who, for 98% are used to install vst inside a DAW, would understand that, wouldn’t they ?
And even if it’s “not heavy” i still prefer audio program not to access periodically the network if it can be avoided to prevent any glitch.
But I guess if it can be easily deactivated, it’s not a big deal.
atm I need to restart VCV for any update from the library,
as I understand purchases of modules as the same as updates, for me it is natural to restar VCV.
And I don’t like my DAW or other musical software to have permanent i-net connection.
And I know many musicians that also don’t want their DAWs etc. to have i-net connections.
As one such nerd, quite I agree, that’s exactly how I usually interpret such behavior. As such a nerd who has already decided to trust VCV Rack, I’d still prefer that it not check for me. My likely response would be to start, let it check once for updates, restart, then disallow further connections - in other words, auto-checking would have negative value for me, compared to the current arrangement.
I think the usecase trying to be solved is this one.
I’m working on a patch, watching a video for ideas and the video uses a cool, maybe free maybe paid, module that I don’t have, so I go add it from the website.
Now I need to shut down Rack to get that module to show up, much nicer for me if I can click “Check for updates” and then pull it in.
(Though once Rack pulls it in, it will require a restart anyway, which is frustrating).
Considering the hassle involved with adding a real module to a real rack, that I would find frustrating, having to restart rack to do the same is a trivial non issue, for me at least