I want to give the idea of an online update system,
which should replace the actual update system and cycle.

The idea is based on a small tool, in which the user puts in his user and password data.
The tool connects to the conitecserver and logs in into a database and validates the users data.
In the 3dgs folder would be a file, which has a version table inside, and the tool
checks this table and compares the versions with the versions given in the online database.
Maybe it could also give a few lines of short text with fixes listed, like:
-changed exit() to sys_exit()
-improved text functions
-new MED import filter
-...

Then the user clicks "Download" and the tool will download all the new files and replace the existing ones in the 3dgs folder.
With this method, it would be possible to release updates more frequently, as even small changes can be spread (like only a new acknex.dll)
without having a large expenditure on the administration side, and also bugs could be fixed much faster then acutally,
where it sometimes takes over a half year between the update releases.

And on the security side there shoulnd be more risk then with the current solution,
as only users with a valid userdata could access the database, like at the moment,
and you could easily remove or "ban" accounts.

old_bill