[Kolano]

Originally Posted by gguruusa

The problems with the web distribution approach are: how to include copyrighted works, bandwith, and end user customization. Until someone comes up with a way around the copyrighted works problem, don't expect a web based solution.

• Copyrighted works: Both the current and any future web based distribution approach have this same issue. Generally, we do our best to tread lightly.
  
• Bandwidth: With appropriate caching, a web DL based could save bandwidth by limiting DLs to just the components a particular set of installs required, and/or by distributing the DLs more (i.e. getting OEMs from their authors rather than PPCGeeks).
  
• End user customization: The easy solution here is the enable a local file store as part of the solution. It's not clear how one might customize a web based install, but presuming some local caches were used one could edit those files. Much of this would depend on the sort of update/healing the web DL process provides. Generally, improved methods of packaging/editing OEMs could address this.

For now I think most of the update efforts are focused on providing better ways to set and transfer selections across runs (i.e. without manual edits of option.xml files)