Accessing and loading software components of a development package on a computer while other software components of the package are loading

• US 20060156271A1
• Filed: 01/10/2005
• Published: 07/13/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 01/10/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Goncharenko, Dmitry G., Pietraszak, Michael E.
• Granted Patent: US 7,716,666 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 717/100
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/60 Software deployment

Abstract

Enabling developers to access software components of a software development set while the set is loading on to the computer. A user interface may provide a visual representation of the software set being loaded on to a computer, including displaying the contents of the software set. Contents of the software set may be displayed before the contents have been loaded on to the computer. A user may be enabled to select, from the visual representation, a software component of the loading set that has not yet been loaded on to the computer. In response, the selected component may be loaded on to the computer, for example, using a separate, higher-priority process or thread from the one loading the software set. The selected component may be loaded asynchronously, irrespective of the particular synchronous order in which the software components of the software set are being loaded.

Claims

1. A method of loading at least a portion of a software development set on to a computer, the software development set including a plurality of software components, the method comprising acts of:

(A) initiating a loading of the software components of the software development set on to the computer in a particular order;

(B) receiving a user input specifying a selection of one of the software components that has not been loaded yet as part of the act (A); and

(C) in response to the act (B), loading the selected software component on to the computer, irrespective of the position of the selected component within the particular order, prior to the completion of the loading of the software development set.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising an act of:

(D) displaying a visual representation of the software development set as the software development set is being loaded on to the computer in a particular order, including displaying one or more of the software components included in the software development set.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising an act of:

(E) enabling a user to select one or more of the software components from the visual representation.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising acts of:

(D) enabling the user to perform, prior to a completion of the loading of the software development set on to the computer, one or more operations on the software development set and/or one or more of the software components of the software development set.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein at least one of the one or more software components is the selected component.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising an act of:

(D) continuing to load software components of the software development set on to the computer, concurrently to the performance of the act (C).

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the computer has a finite amount of processing resources and is operative to perform a plurality of threads and/or processes in parallel,

wherein the act (C) comprises executing a first thread or process on the computer, and the act (D) comprises executing a second thread or process on the computer, and

wherein the first thread or process and the second thread or process are executed in parallel and the first thread or process has priority over the second thread or process in allocation of processing resources on the computer.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the acts (A), (B) and (C) are implemented using a version of Microsoft®

Visual Studio®

available from Microsoft Corporation.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising an act of:

(D) enabling and/or disabling one or more operations corresponding to the selected software component.

10. A system for loading at least a portion of a software development set on to a computer, the software development set including a plurality of software components, the system comprising:

a loading module to initiate a loading of the software components of the software development set on to the computer in a particular order, to receive a user input specifying a selection of one of the software components that has not been loaded yet as part of the act, and to load, in response to receiving the user input, the selected software component on to the computer, irrespective of the position of the selected component within the particular order, prior to the completion of the loading of the software development set.

11. The system of claim 10, further comprising:

a user interface to control a display of a visual representation of the software development set as the software development set is being loaded on to the computer in a particular order, including displaying one or more of the software components included in the software development set.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the user interface is operative to enable a user to select one or more of the selected software components from the visual representation.

13. The system of claim 10, further comprising:

an editing module to enable the user to perform, prior to a completion of the loading of the software development set on to the computer, one or more operations on the software development set and/or one or more of the software components of the software development set.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein at least one of the one or more software components is the selected component.

15. The system of claim 10, wherein the loading module is operative to continue loading software components of the software development set on to the computer, concurrently loading the selected software component.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the computer has a finite amount of processing resources and is operative to perform a plurality of threads and/or processes in parallel,

wherein the loading module is operative to control that a first thread or process executes the loading of the selected component on the computer and a second thread or process executes the continued loading of the software components on the computer concurrently to execution of the first thread or process, and to control that the first thread or process has priority over the second thread or process in allocation of processing resources on the computer.

17. The system of claim 10, wherein the loading module is implemented using a version of Microsoft®

Visual Studio®

available from Microsoft Corporation.

18. The system of claim 10, further comprising an editing module to enable one or more operations corresponding to the selected software component and/or disable one or more operations corresponding to the selected software component.

19. A computer program product comprising:

a computer-readable medium; and

computer-readable signals, stored on the computer-readable medium, that define instructions that, as a result of being executed by a computer, control the computer to perform a process of loading at least a portion of a software development set on to a computer, the software development set including a plurality of software components, process comprising acts of;

(A) initiating a loading of the software components of the software development set on to the computer in a particular order;

(B) receiving a user input specifying a selection of one of the software components that has not been loaded yet as part of the act (A); and

(C) in response to the act (B), loading the selected software component on to the computer, irrespective of the position of the selected component within the particular order, prior to the completion of the loading of the software development set.

20. The computer program product of claim 19, the process further comprising an act of:

(D) displaying a visual representation of the software development set as the software development set is being loaded on to the computer in a particular order, including displaying one or more of the software components included in the software development set.