Catalog-Based Software Component Management

Abstract

Multiple software component identifiers are maintained in a catalog of an operating system running on a device. Each of these software component identifiers corresponds to one of multiple software components installed on the device. The catalog is accessed in response to a request regarding one of the multiple software components, and the request is responded to based at least in part on information included in the catalog. Additionally, two or more versions of a software component that are installed on the computing device can be identified. Which one of the two or more versions of the software component is an active version of the software component to be run is determined. In response to requests for information regarding the software component, information regarding the active version of the software component is returned.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . One or more computer storage media having stored thereon multiple instructions of an operating system that, when executed by one or more processors of a device, cause the one or more processors to:
 identify two or more versions of a software component that are installed on the device;   maintain, in a first portion of the operating system, one or more software component identifiers of each of the two or more versions of the software component;   select, from among the two or more versions of the software component, a specific version of the software component for inclusion in a second portion of the operating system; and   return, in response to a request regarding the software component, information regarding the specific version of the software component based, at least in part, on the second portion of the operating system.   
     
     
         2 . One or more computer storage media as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the specific version of the software component is an active version of the software component. 
     
     
         3 . One or more computer storage media as recited in  claim 1 , wherein to select the specific version of the software component for inclusion in the second portion of the operating system is based on a set of rules. 
     
     
         4 . One or more computer storage media as recited in  claim 3 , the set of rules including a versioning rule or a duplicate rule. 
     
     
         5 . One or more computer storage media as recited in  claim 3 , the set of rules including a policy rule. 
     
     
         6 . One or more computer storage media as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the first portion and the second portion are associated with a catalog of the operating system. 
     
     
         7 . One or more computer storage media as recited in  claim 6 , wherein multiple catalogs are on the device, and wherein each of the multiple catalogs corresponds to one of multiple accounts of the operating system. 
     
     
         8 . One or more computer storage media as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the one or more software component identifiers includes an identifier of a publisher of the software component or an identifier of a digital signature of the publisher. 
     
     
         9 . One or more computer storage media as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the software component includes a manifest storing metadata describing the software component. 
     
     
         10 . A device comprising:
 one or more processors; and   memory storing instructions which, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform acts comprising:
 identifying two or more versions of a software component that are installed on the device; 
 maintaining, in a first index of an operating system of the device, software component identifiers of each of the two or more versions of the software component; 
 selecting, from among the two or more versions of the software component, a single version of the software component for inclusion in a second index of the operating system; and 
 returning, in response to a request regarding the software component, information regarding the single version of the software component based, at least in part, on the second index of the operating system. 
   
     
     
         11 . A system as recited in  claim 10 , the acts further comprising repeating the identifying, maintaining, and selecting for each of multiple software components that are installed on the device. 
     
     
         12 . A system as recited in  claim 10 , wherein the single version of the software component is an active version of the software component. 
     
     
         13 . A system as recited in  claim 10 , wherein the software component includes one or more resource files. 
     
     
         14 . A system as recited in  claim 10 , wherein the software component includes a manifest storing metadata describing functionality exposed by the software component. 
     
     
         15 . A system as recited in  claim 10 , wherein the software component includes a manifest storing hash values generated by applying a hash function to one or more files of the software component. 
     
     
         16 . A system as recited in  claim 10 , the acts further comprising, in response to a new version of the software component being installed on the device, repeating the identifying and selecting. 
     
     
         17 . One or more computer storage media having stored thereon multiple instructions of an operating system that, when executed by one or more processors of a device, cause the one or more processors to:
 maintain multiple software component identifiers in a first index of a catalog of the operating system, each of the multiple software component identifiers corresponding to one of multiple software components installed on the device;   determine, for one or more of the multiple software components, which one of two or more versions of the software component is an active version of the software component; and   identify the active version of the software component in a second index of the catalog, the second index including a subset of the multiple software component identifiers.   
     
     
         18 . One or more computer storage media as recited in  claim 17 , wherein the instructions further cause the one or more processors to:
 access the catalog in response to a request regarding one of the multiple software components; and   respond to the request based at least in part on information included in the catalog.   
     
     
         19 . One or more computer storage media as recited in  claim 17 , wherein each of the multiple software components includes one or more files and a manifest. 
     
     
         20 . One or more computer storage media as recited in  claim 17 , wherein to determine which one of two or more versions of the software component is the active version of the software component is based on a versioning rule, a policy rule, or a duplicate rule.