Deploying & Maintaining Smart Client Apps using ClickOnce

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With a good number of customers the first install is done by the customer's system admin who rolls out an app to all the users in one shot (typically via group policy based msi deployments). Then as time goes on the updates are distributed either by providing a newer msi or by a separate "is update available" functionality typically comes with installshield, installaware, wise etc.

Click-once seems well-equipped to handle updates, by notifying the end user upon app startup if a new version is available. But what about the initial rollout - can it be done silently to a large number of users without requiring any end user interaction?

ClickOnce is design on different paradigm then traditional app model.
ClickOnce is per-user base app deployment, manifest based deployment, support full isolations of apps and support cache and run if I mention few. So ClickOnce may not work like “traditional” way to IT pro / admin but there is a way (maybe better for some case) to achieve IT pro / admin activities

If I understand correctly many IT pro / admin rollout first deployment for number of reasons from using bandwidth during night to setup ready to go machine that doesn’t need network connection and more.
But when you use ClickOnce you should remember that those issues may no longer apply hence reduce reason to do the massive first time rollout.

ClickOnce suggestions are make people to Visit centralized branded website (like ITweb) when they want to use the application
You can still deploy shortcuts in the desktop using SMS or other management tools if visiting Webpage is not desirable
And let user to trigger the first time install

If you know for sure that users will go offline when they are ready to use the app then copy distribution to the local store (any place) and let shortcut to point that – still can get update from server when connected.

ClickOnce may not work for every situation but for many future environment it should delivers a lot.

Thanks

PS. This is my personal opinion

Isn't clickOnce basically a Microsoft-ized version of Java Web Start? Granted, Sun did a horrible job of promoting desktop Java, but still... Rich Client app that is downloaded from a server... Sounds very familiar.