PICARD-1045 adds the ability to automatically and manually check for program updates, along with associated configuration settings. Picard release packagers should be able to completely hide this functionality and configuration settings from the user for the packages they produce.

The trigger mechanism for disabling the appropriate portions of the code needs to be determined. Some of the possible methods include:

• Include a specified file (e.g.: PACKAGER.txt) in the application root directory, and have Picard check for the existence of the file.

• Have the packager append a specified line of code to one of the Picard source files (e.g.: picard/__init__.py or picard/const/__init__.py) with the setting. (Not recommended because packagers would have to modify the Picard code.)

• Add a new ini-type file (e.g.: picard-runtime.ini in the application root directory) to allow setting of this and possible future runtime options.

The trigger mechanism needs to determined by the Picard development team after considering input from the people who package Picard for distribution.