Adaptively shrinking software

• US 8,635,590 B1
• Filed: 10/07/1998
• Issued: 01/21/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/07/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: Open Invention Network LLC
• Inventors: Ogilvie, John W. L.
• Primary Examiner(s): DENG, ANNA CHEN
• Application Number:
  US09/167,899
• Time in Patent Office: 5,585 Days
• Field of Search: 717/11, 717/1, 717/122, 717/100, 717168-178, 717110-113
• US Class Current: 717/110
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/33 Intelligent editors
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/70 Software maintenance or management
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/44521 Dynamic linking or loading; Link editing at or after load time, e.g. Java class loading

Abstract

Methods, articles, signals, and systems are provided for adaptively shrinking software. The software includes one or more adaptive features. A tracking facility tracks use of the adaptive features, and when it is determined that a given feature is unwanted or unnecessary in the software configuration preferred by a given user, a separation facility separates the feature from the rest of the software. The feature is then archived or deleted. In this manner, resources such as disk space are conserved, program load time and memory requirements are reduced, and user interfaces and supporting code are tailored to meet the needs of particular users.

Claims

1. A method for adaptively shrinking a software program, comprising the steps of:

maintaining a plurality of adaptive feature records corresponding to a plurality of removal candidate features, wherein each record of the plurality of adaptive feature records includes a usage history and a separation criteria corresponding to a feature of the plurality of removal candidate features, the separation criteria includes when the corresponding feature of the plurality of removal candidate features is unused, unneeded, or unlicensed;

monitoring to determine when at least one of the plurality of removal candidate features of a program is invoked;

based on determining when the at least one of the plurality of removal candidate features of the program is invoked, updating a usage history corresponding to the at least one of the plurality of removal candidate features;

identifying, using a computer system, a first removal candidate feature of the at least one removal candidate features of the program based on when the first removal candidate feature was invoked and a separation criteria corresponding to the first removal candidate feature; and

selecting the first removal candidate feature for removal from the program based on identified the first removal candidate feature was not invoked since after installation.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the identifying step further identifies at least one feature that was invoked a short time after installation and not invoked since based on the separation criteria.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises identifying at least one feature of the program that was tagged for removal by a user.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the identifying step further identifies at least one feature that was never invoked after installation based on the separation criteria.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the identifying step further identifies at least one feature that requires hardware that is not present on the computer system based on the separation criteria.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of removing from the program at least one selected feature which is implemented as an adaptive feature.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the removing step comprises archiving at least one adaptive feature.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the archiving step transmits the adaptive feature over a network to a remote computer system for storage.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein the removing step comprises deleting at least one adaptive feature.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the selecting step selects a permanent feature and the method further comprises the step of re-implementing the selected permanent feature as an adaptive feature.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the selecting step selects an adaptive feature which includes a tracking facility and a separation facility.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the selecting step selects between features according to their relative priorities.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the identifying step is triggered when available storage space passes a predetermined threshold.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the identifying step is triggered when user interface complexity passes a predetermined threshold.

15. A computer system comprising a shrinking means for adaptively shrinking software, wherein the shrinking means:

provides a plurality of adaptive feature records corresponding to a plurality of features of the software, wherein each adaptive feature record of the plurality of adaptive features records includes a usage history and a separation criteria corresponding to a feature of the plurality of features of the software, the separation criteria includes when the corresponding feature is unused, unneeded, or unlicensed;

tracks to determine a pattern of invocation of at least one feature of the plurality of features;

based on the pattern, determines when the at least one feature of the plurality of features is invoked, updates a usage history corresponding to the at least one of the plurality of the features;

automatically identifies a first removal candidate feature of the at least one feature of the plurality of features of the software based on the pattern of invocation and a separation criteria corresponding to the first removal candidate feature; and

selects the first removal candidate feature for removal from the software based on identified the first removal candidate feature was not invoked since after installation.

16. The system of claim 15, in which the shrinking means comprises a feature usage tracking facility and a feature separation facility.

17. The system of claim 16, in which the shrinking means further comprises an adaptive feature licensing facility.

18. The system of claim 16, in which the shrinking means further comprises an adaptive feature distribution facility.

19. The system of claim 16, in which the tracking facility comprises a means for promoting security and integrity of the tracking facility.

20. The system of claim 16, in which the separation facility comprises a means for compressing at least a portion of an adaptive feature.

21. The system of claim 15, in which the shrinking means comprises a local shrinker on one computer and a remote shrinker on another computer, and the computers are connected by a network.

22. The system of claim 15, in which the shrinking means comprises a roaming shrinker agent.

23. The system of claim 15, in which the software comprises a visible adaptive feature.

24. The system of claim 15, in which the software comprises a hidden adaptive feature.

25. The system of claim 15, in which the software comprises an adaptive feature group.

26. The system of claim 15, in which the software comprises demonstration adaptive features which remove themselves if not licensed after a trial period ends.

27. The system of claim 15, in which the shrinking means comprises a permanent feature of the software.

28. The system of claim 15, in which the shrinking means comprises a user configuration record.

29. The system of claim 15, wherein the shrinking means comprises a means for determining that usage of a set of features by a particular user has stabilized.

30. The system of claim 15, wherein the shrinking means recognizes a “

minimize”

command.

31. The system of claim 15, wherein the shrinking means tracks at least one adaptive feature in a plurality of programs.

32. The system of claim 15, wherein the shrinking means prioritizes adaptive features for removal from the software.

33. A non-transitory computer storage medium having a configuration that represents data and instructions which will cause at least a portion of a computer system to perform method steps, the method steps comprising the steps of:

receiving a plurality of adaptive feature records corresponding to a plurality of removal candidate features of a software program, wherein each adaptive feature record of the plurality of adaptive feature records includes a usage history and a separation criteria corresponding to a removal candidate feature of the plurality of removal candidate features, the separation criteria includes when the corresponding removal candidate feature of the plurality of removal candidate features is unused, unneeded, or unlicensed,

tracking an invocation log for at least one removal candidate feature of the plurality of removal candidate features,

based on the invocation log, determines when the at least one removal candidate feature of the plurality of removal candidate features is invoked, updates a usage history corresponding to the at least one removal candidate feature of the plurality of the features,

identifying a first removal candidate feature of the at least one removal candidate feature based on the invocation log for the at least one removal candidate feature and a separation criteria corresponding to the first removal candidate feature, and

selecting the first removal candidate feature for removal from the software program based on identified the first removal candidate feature was not invoked since after installation.

34. The storage medium of claim 33, wherein the identifying step further identifies at least one feature that requires a license that was not granted based on the separation criteria.

35. The storage medium of claim 33, wherein the identifying step further identifies at least one feature that is outside a stable set of used features based on the separation criteria.

36. The storage medium of claim 33, wherein the identifying step further identifies at least one feature based on demographic information about a user based on the separation criteria.

37. A computer system comprising a non-transitory computer readable storage medium having instructions operable to provide:

an inter-shrinker signal embodied in a network connection for transferring adaptive feature selection information for a plurality of automatically monitored adaptive features, wherein the adaptive feature selection information includes a usage history and a separation criteria corresponding to each feature of the plurality of automatically monitored adaptive features, the separation criteria includes when the corresponding feature of the features is unused, unneeded, or unlicensed,

the inter-shrinker signal tracks an invocation log for at least one automatically monitored adaptive feature of the plurality of automatically monitored features of a adaptively shrinkable program,

based on the invocation log, the inter-shrinker signal determines when at least one automatically monitored adaptive feature of the plurality of automatically features of a program is invoked, and updates a usage history corresponding to the at least one automatically monitored adaptive feature of the plurality of automatically monitored features of the adaptively shrinkable program,

the inter-shrinker signal identifies a first removal candidate feature of the at least one automatically monitored adaptive feature of the plurality of automatically monitored adaptive features of the adaptively shrinkable program based on the invocation log and a separation criteria corresponding to the first removal candidate feature, and

the inter-shrinker selects the first removal candidate feature for removal from the adaptively shrinkable program based on identified the first removal candidate feature was not invoked since after installation.

38. The computer system of claim 37, wherein the inter-shrinker signal includes at least one adaptive feature interface portion.

39. The computer system of claim 37, wherein the inter-shrinker signal includes at least one adaptive feature code portion.

40. The computer system of claim 37, wherein the inter-shrinker includes at least one managed computer identification.

41. The computer system of claim 37, wherein the inter-shrinker includes at least one manager computer identification.

42. The computer system of claim 37, wherein the inter-shrinker includes at least three computer identifications.

43. The computer system of claim 37, wherein the inter-shrinker includes at least one digital signature.

44. The computer system of claim 37, wherein the inter-shrinker includes at least one indication of the licensing status of an adaptive feature identified in the signal.

45. The computer system of claim 37, wherein the inter-shrinker includes at least one separation criterion for an adaptive feature identified in the signal.

46. The computer system of claim 37, wherein the inter-shrinker signal includes at least one status for an adaptive feature identified in the signal.