Patent ID: 8219983

Claim:
A computer-implemented method for providing guidance on a potential health impact of software changes, the method comprising: identifying, at a computing device comprising at least one processor, a software change, the software change comprising at least one of: an application-software change; a system-software change; requesting, at the computing device, health-impact information for the software change from a server; receiving, at the computing device, a health-impact information for the software change from the server, wherein the health-impact information received from the server identifies a potential impact of the software change on the health of the computing device, wherein the server determined the potential impact of the software change on the health of the computing device by analyzing information obtained from at least one additional computing device on which the software change has previously occurred; determining, at the computing device based on the health-impact information received from the server, whether to allow the software change to occur on the computing device.