Tuesday, September 12th 2017
Tiny App Checks NVIDIA Driver Updates
A tiny open-source app named simply "TinyNvidiaUpdateChecker" by "ElPumpo" could make GeForce Experience look bulky and redundant, if all you use it for is keep up with driver updates. With practically each new AAA game release, NVIDIA and AMD tend to put out graphics driver updates. Among several useful features such as optimizing your game settings or making them portable, the GeForce Experience app keeps your GeForce drivers up to date. On the downside, it has drawn criticism over its user privacy, the need to register as a user and log-on at each system startup; and for its unnecessarily big memory footprint as the app keeps running in the background.
The open-source app, along with its source-code and a pre-compiled binary, are available on GitHub. It's a little rough on the edges, but could be worth it for its tiny memory footprint. On the flip-side, this app doesn't run on in the background, and you have to manually run it to look up updates, something you might as well look up online in your browser. The API that makes this app work could be pulled by NVIDIA any time, as it looks to promote GeForce Experience. Alternatively, you can subscribe to E-Mail notifications by TechPowerUp by clicking on the "Get Notified" button in our download pages, for your favorite driver updates. We're completely web-based and you won't need to trust apps to look up your driver updates.DOWNLOAD: TinyNvidiaUpdateChecker by ElPumpo
The open-source app, along with its source-code and a pre-compiled binary, are available on GitHub. It's a little rough on the edges, but could be worth it for its tiny memory footprint. On the flip-side, this app doesn't run on in the background, and you have to manually run it to look up updates, something you might as well look up online in your browser. The API that makes this app work could be pulled by NVIDIA any time, as it looks to promote GeForce Experience. Alternatively, you can subscribe to E-Mail notifications by TechPowerUp by clicking on the "Get Notified" button in our download pages, for your favorite driver updates. We're completely web-based and you won't need to trust apps to look up your driver updates.DOWNLOAD: TinyNvidiaUpdateChecker by ElPumpo
41 Comments on Tiny App Checks NVIDIA Driver Updates
If the purpose of this small tool is to make checking for updates easier, then let's go all the way, not do it half-assed.
Now that I think about it, this program actually makes things worse.
Not only do I need to manually create a scheduled task (which, granted, is done once, but it still requires time which is enough for several manual checks) but I also need to now keep checking for update to this program as well. So instead of checking for updates for one piece of software (the driver) I am now checking for two.
On the other hand, if I create a bookmark of the NVIDIA GeForce's drivers page, all I would need to do is open it with a single click, then click the "START SEARCH" button (since the website remembers the last search). That's it. It takes 5 seconds.
How is this program more convenient or easier? I see it as a... sidegrade, if anything. Not an actual improvement.
The main problem with GFE is the required login now, and it enforcing all sorts of features you NEED to opt out of, it also takes (cpu) resources that I want to put towards pushing more FPS. I did use GFE when I used my SHIELD for its easy networking and game streaming, but that annoyed me too. It just feels clumsy and unnecessary, a similar waste of time as pushing every driver update.
GFE would become useful if they actually used it as NVCP as well and it would interact nicely with the per game settings.
You don't have to use the task scheduler, it's enough to paste a shortcut of the application in one of the startup folders with the --quiet command line argument. It'll run everytime you login and will only require user action if an update is found!
Like I said, with a simple bookmark checking for a newer version of a the NVIDIA driver takes only several seconds. How does your program improve things?
I guess TPU was having a slow news day or something so that this somehow made the front page.
And don't worry about whiners, if you do, you'll never get any development done ;)
Also, complaining about users on an internet forum being clueless? Where is this world going?
Also, the wiki is not even close to being sufficient. The descriptions of the commands are unclear.
For example: the description of the "--quiet" command is "run quiet". How is that any clearer? What does quiet mean for this program? Maybe it could have said something like: Granted, that's a bit more words but provides a clear explanation of the behavior when using the --quiet option. My guess was correct but I couldn't be sure until I tested it (I had to update my driver as well to be sure).
Another example: the "--force-dl" option is also a mystery based on the description "force download of drivers". I was assuming that it would directly download the driver without informing or asking the user, possibly even directly to a pre-determined folder (Downloads for example).
However, it turned out that this option displays the same dialog window that is displayed when there is a new version, except it displays even if the installed driver is up-to-date.
I'm not saying this behavior is completely unexpected or illogical. I'm saying that based on the description in the wiki one cannot be certain exactly what would happen without actually testing it.
Also, the tutorials are not completed yet.
I understand that being a one-man-show can be quite hard, and that it takes time, and that the tutorials are not high priority, so I'm not complaining that the tutorials are missing per se. My point is that you scolded me for not reading the wiki when it doesn't contain much, and what is there is unclear. I find this rather arrogant.
I realize that nowadays it's common to just say nice things about stuff, and avoid harsher language, since many people are becoming more sensitive or don't handle criticism well, and take things more personally then they actually are, but I myself consider criticism to be quite important. In this case it may come off a bit snarky but it's still criticism nonetheless.
I simply questioned the usefulness of this program as it is objectively dubious, at least at the moment. I'm not saying it cannot or shouldn't improve. Quite the contrary, there should be an alternative to GeForce Experience! However in its current state this program does way too little to be practically useful, unless maybe in certain, very specific situations. Like I said, opening the GeForce website for a manual check takes several seconds.
I believe software in general should be designed around the user, to make his/her experience better: perform the same tasks faster and/or automate them, and/or make things easier and more convenient. Currently this program does none of that.
For starters I would like to see a GUI. I know all the cool kids are using CLI but there is no reason not to have a GUI, it's part of that "making things easier and more convenient" thing.
Here are some suggestions/options to add:
- an option to create a scheduled task, maybe even a choice between a few (e.g. daily, weekly, monthly) so the user doesn't have to do that;
- ask the user if the user wants to view the release notes PDF file (like it is now) or just download it instead;
- an option to automatically download the new version and/or the release notes PDF file without asking;
- an option to select the download folder;
- an option to switch between asking to run the installation or extracting and performing minimal installation without having to edit or re-create the configuration file;
- an option to choose where the configuration file would be stored;
- an option to run as a background process or service;
- ability to show tray notification instead or in addition to the dialog boxes (by the way, the buttons look like they are from Windows 9x);
- ability and option to self update (i.e. install the newer version automatically);
- change (or add the option) the extraction of the "minimal installation" to be in a sub-folder;
- ability to install the driver silently (regular or "minimal");
- support for using different archivers for extraction (not just WinRAR) or, better yet, include an executable or library with the program (7-Zip);
- multiple actions upon discovery of a new driver version, for example:
- Do nothing
- Download only
- Download and run
- Download and extract
- Download and install silently without a reboot
- Download and install silently with a reboot
- Download and queue a (silent) installation with or without a reboot
[INDENT][INDENT]Elaborating on that last one: downloads the driver but delays the installation until a later (pre-determined) time or after the system has been idle for a certain period.[/INDENT][/INDENT]
/Hawaii
But thank god for white knights with low standards like you to swoop in and save the day. :)
Also, feel free to submit pull requests if you have anything to add.
I'm not a whit knight with low standards (my standards about code quality are pretty high, tyvm), but a developer that understands iterative development: you get the core functionality working first, then you add the bling-bling.
The problem with the tool is that in its current state it is virtually useless as it doesn't make checking for updates, much less installing them, any faster, easier, or more convenient. I would hardly call functionality that makes using the tool actually worthwhile "bling-bling".
I already explained in detail what my issues with the tool are, and I even provided suggestions for improvement, which is more than what other people in the thread have done, I might add.
And again, I'm not putting the blame entirely on the developer, even though his early attitude wasn't particularly endearing. TPU jumped the gun by publishing the news for this tool.