The evolution of software distribution: where did we come from and where are we heading?

With the installation of Ethernet into dormitories in the early to mid-1990s the University of Pennsylvania was suddenly faced with the daunting task of helping 7,000 students connect to its network, and install software that would help them get the most out of the Internet.Over time, consolidation of network interface hardware coupled with advancements in operating systems and software have helped Penn's End-User Software Interface (EUSI) evolve from a boot disk containing DOS NIC drivers, a minimal TCP/IP implementation, and a few key applications such as Telnet and FTP, into the PennConnect CD. In its current state, the PennConnect CD is a sophisticated software installation CD that employs an intelligent interface to guide users through specific tasks. Students install software and learn about computing in a way that is specific to student life at Penn, while faculty and staff are sent down paths relevant to their needs. These various routes are determined by data collected via the CD's interface.With the academic computing landscape changing at an ever-increasing rate, with high-speed Internet connections becoming nearly ubiquitous, with security vulnerabilities mandating more frequent upgrades to supported software, and with customers demanding the most current information on a 24 x 7 x 365 basis, is the relatively static software CD destined for extinction? This presentation will chart the history of software distribution at Penn and hopes to spur discussion about how some of the current realities of academic computing are shaping the plans for future methods of software distribution.