# Updater block and Windows Update under threat?

<datetime class="hidden">2004-03-12T00:00</datetime>
<!-- category -- mostlylucidcouk, Imported, Security, .NET -->

As I've posted many times, I'm a relative novice when it comes to all things WinForms, [this post](http://yro.slashdot.org/yro/03/11/02/2159241.shtml?tid=126&amp;tid=155&amp;tid=185&amp;tid=95&amp;tid=99) on [Slashdot](http://www.slashdot.org) got me thinking, isn't 'Updating an Application over the Internet' exactly what the [Updater Application Block](http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/default.asp?url=/library/en-us/dnbda/html/updater.asp?_r=1) and Windows Update do, not to mention every antivirus vendor on the planet. The US really has to get all this nonsense with software patents sorted before it grinds the whole industry to a halt!