The present information processing apparatus, in accordance with an operation input from an administrator, registers related information that relates to a predetermined application to be installed onto the information processing apparatus, and, in accordance with the registered related information, presents guide information for installing the predetermined application to a user via an operation screen of the information processing apparatus. Upon accepting a user input based on the guide information, installation information for installing the predetermined application is obtained from an installer provision server, and installation of the predetermined application is executed.

An information processing apparatus includes: an external apparatus control unit controlling an external apparatus in accordance with data output from a task executing a processing program defining processing for outputting data to be processed by the external apparatus; and a determination unit determining whether a version of the processing program is newer than a known version, wherein in a case where the version of the processing program is determined to be the same as the known version, the external apparatus control unit executes processing defined in advance for the known version, and in a case where the version of the processing program is determined to be newer than the known version, the external apparatus control unit executes processing defined in advance for the unknown version.

An information processing apparatus having print data generation software and print software installed thereon, the print data generation software having been obtained at a first timing, the print software being different from the print data generation software and obtained at a second timing different from the first timing, launches the print software in a case where print setting information set by a user using a setting screen provided by the print software includes a setting that matches a launch condition for the print software.

A system and machine-implemented method for providing a software update within a network comprising plural computing devices. A subset of the plural computing devices is identified for installation of the software update. The software update is provided to the computing devices within the subset for installation. After providing the software update, a software version or a connectivity status is obtained for at least one of the computing devices within the subset. A determination is made that the software update is invalid based on the obtained software version or connectivity status.

Provided is an electronic device that includes an update-processing unit that updates a control program for the device based on an update program that is recorded on a recording medium. The electronic device includes a USB interface and an update-control unit. Devices can be connected to the USB interface. The update-control unit determines whether or not a device is connected to the USB interface when the power is turned ON, and when a device is connected, waits when it is not possible to immediately determine whether or not that devices is the recording medium.

A method and an electronic device for sending and receiving data are provided. The method of the electronic device for sending and receiving data includes detecting a communication event of other electronic device, if detecting the communication event, sending information of an application running on the electronic device, to the other electronic device, receiving information of an application running on the other electronic device, from the other electronic device, determining an application execution screen by comparing the application information of the electronic device with the application information received from the other electronic device, and displaying the determined application execution screen.

An additive manufacturing system may include an additive manufacturing apparatus on which a process of producing a three-dimensional object from a material can be performed; an additive manufacturing process controller operatively associated with the additive manufacturing apparatus; and a first memory device operatively associated with the additive manufacturing process controller. The first memory device may include first and second stable release process programs each comprising a first subset of operations executable by said process controller. The system may include a second memory device comprising another stable release process program comprising a second subset of operations executable by said process controller. The system may include a selector configured to choose one of the stable release process programs to run on said process controller when producing a three-dimensional object on the additive manufacturing apparatus.

An image forming apparatus which is started in a plurality of modes and improved in reliability of the firmware update function. An image forming apparatus includes a storage unit that stores standard firmware for a normal operation and safe firmware for updating the standard firmware, in respective different storage areas. A standard firmware update section updates the standard firmware. Proper operations of the standard firmware update section and the safe firmware update section are verified before updating them, respectively. When the verification of the operation of the standard firmware update section is successful, the standard updating section is caused to perform the update of the standard firmware. When the verification of the operation of the safe firmware update section is successful, the safe firmware update section is caused to perform the update of the safe firmware.

There is provided a device including an installer configured to install a program in the device, the program belonging to one or more classes of a plurality of classes of functions, and a determining unit configured to determine, for a specific class to which a specific program to be installed belongs, whether a number of programs available in the device reaches an upper limit number corresponding to the specific class in a storage unit configured to store, for each class, an upper limit number of programs to be available, wherein the installer is configured to vary a process related to installation of the specific program depending on a determination result by the determining unit.

An image forming device includes a storage device, firmware for the image forming device, and a prohibition control unit configured to execute control relating to prohibition in the image forming device. The firmware includes prohibition information indicating the prohibition, and the prohibition control unit holds use prohibition information indicating the prohibition to be used when executing the control relating to the prohibition in the image forming device. After the prohibition control unit sets the prohibition indicated in the prohibition information included in the firmware into the use prohibition information, when a setting file indicating the prohibition to be set in the image forming device is stored in the storage device, the prohibition control unit updates the use prohibition information with the prohibition indicated in the setting file on the storage device.