Patent ID: 7735079
Filing Date: 2010-06-08
Classification: G06F

Abstract:
1. A computer program product comprising a computer-readable storage medium having computer program logic embodied therein for managing software application compatibility, the computer program logic comprising: an information control module for storing compatibility information for a plurality of software applications, the stored compatibility information provided by a given software application during installation of the software application on a computing device, the stored compatibility information being updatable and describing for the software application how to resolve compatibility problems with other software applications currently installed on the computing device, wherein the compatibility information is stored as one or more compatibility files for one or more of the plurality of applications, and wherein the compatibility files are placed in directories associated with the applications; a registration module for registering the compatibility files by placing keys for the compatibility files in a registry; a search module for searching for the stored compatibility information during installation of a first software application on the computing device, wherein the search module reviews the keys in the registry to search for the compatibility files; a testing module for analyzing the stored compatibility information to determine whether the installation of the first software application on the computing device is compatible with the plurality of software applications installed on the computing device; and an installation control module for regulating the installation based on the compatibility analysis result.