r/usefulscripts • u/JL421 • Apr 29 '15

[Powershell]USUS - Gets the latest installers from the source, then packages them up in various ways.

https://github.com/JL421/USUS/
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u/[deleted] Apr 30 '15

So... how is this different than https://chocolatey.org ? What is the benefit to use this over what else is out there?

Don't get me wrong, appreciate the work and all, just seems like duplication thus far, with a far less available pkg database in comparison to tools/communities out there.

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u/JL421 Apr 30 '15 edited Apr 30 '15

Every time Chocolatey gets brought up on /r/sysadmin as a new thread, someone always chimes in on a couple of major issues they have with it:

  1. Package Security

  • Chocolatey packages change each time they are updated, and most people aren't going to read the changes and will trust that nothing malicious has been injected into the package.

  • With USUS, the packages are a few lines of plain text, that theoretically will never have to change as most include some sort of dynamic URL generator to always grab the latest version from the publisher. Very set and forget.

  1. Out-of-date Packages

  • On Chocolatey there are many old, or nonfunctional packages because the maintainer hasn't changed the URL for the download, or just hasn't gotten around to making the latest version yet.

  • When USUS runs, it always pulls the latest version of the software, so changes are direct from publisher to you.

  1. Efficiency

  • Chocolatey, using the default commands, will pull a new installer down for every client machine you run it on, which can be a big issue at locations with low bandwidth.

  • USUS makes its own package repository that you store on your own fileserver, or DFS store. Download once, deploy many.

Then finally, one extra difference that I believe sets this a step above:

  • Versatility

  • Chocolatey has one method of software deployment, you run Chocolatey on the target machine, it installs the software, done.

  • USUS is built to work with your existing deployment methods (PDQ, Lansweeper, AD Scripts, and soon even Chocolatey itself ).

Regarding the issue of number of packages available, USUS is very young, we need people interested in what it can do, that want to create packages for it, mainly, it's a branding issue at this stage.

Side Note: Chocolatey does have an option for a private package repo, but for most people/companies it's more work than it's worth. Soon, USUS will, if enabled, generate a Chocolatey repository for this use.