Apollo and Auto-Update

This feature in Apollo is awesome. When you start up your application you can have it check online to see if a newer version of the program exists. If it detects that there is a newer version then you can download the AIR file locally and in your application call the update method. It will immediately close the program update and then re-open it. This makes it great for updating your program without forcing the user to go and download a new version manually.

One of the concerns that people have with Apollo is the fact that it creates a very easy medium for viruses. I can see how people are concerned about this. Not only is it very easy to create a program that can edit your local files, but on a whim a previously harmless application can force a critical update (doesn’t ask the user if they want to upgrade) and all of a sudden become malicious software.

I guess general users will just have to be more cautious about installing application from un-trusted sources.