Storing optimization for customization resources

#Operating systems and other programs are often customized to use particular resources in response to the needs, preferences, and/or characteristics of each user. For example, on many mobile phones, the operating system can be customized to display messages in the most prevalent natural language in the user's geographic location or the user's preferred natural language, and can be customized to use color schemes associated with a mobile carrier used by the user. Such customization involves selection for use among customization resources of a wide variety of types, including language packs, wallpapers, applications, etc.

#In order to make a wide variety of resources available for selection by a user or on a user's behalf, such operating systems and other programs are typically shipped with a full complement of such resources.

#This summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form that are further described below in the Detailed Description. This summary is not intended to identify key factors or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used to limit the scope of the claimed subject matter.

#FIG. 1 is a network diagram showing an environment in which the facility operates in some examples.

#FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing some of the components typically incorporated in at least some of the computer systems and other devices on which the facility operates in some examples.

#FIG. 3 is a flow diagram showing example acts that may be performed by the facility in some examples to manage customization resources for the subject program.

#Applicants have identified significant disadvantages with conventional approaches to resource customization. In particular, by including and indefinitely maintaining a full complement of customization resources, the operating system or other program consumes a significant amount of storage space on the device on which it is installed, precluding the use of this space for other purposes that would be useful to the device's user, such as installing additional programs, storing a larger quantity of photos or other data, etc.

#In order to overcome these disadvantages, the inventors have conceived and reduced to practice a software and/or hardware facility for optimizing the storage on a device of customization resources for an operating system or other subject program (“the facility”). While there is adequate storage space on the device, the facility maintains a full complement of customization resources. The facility causes to be included in reports of free space presented to the user the space on the device occupied by customization resources that are not currently selected for use. The facility monitors the actual free space available on the device, and dynamically deletes unselected customization resources in order to provide space needed by the user for other purposes.

#In some examples, the facility maintains a prioritization of customization resources that it uses to determine an order for deleting the customization resources not selected. In some examples, after deleting customization resources, if and when additional actual free space becomes available—such as when the user deletes or moves data, uninstalls programs, etc.—the facility retrieves deleted customization resources from an external source, such as from a cloud server. In some examples, the facility maintains a prioritization of customization resources that it uses to determine an order for restoring deleted customization resources.