Hi
I have a desktop application for Linux, Windows and OSX that after several years now has a healthy download count etc. But other than the download counts I have no way of determining usage patterns. e.g repeat use, what features a user uses it for mostly, what volume of work they did with it etc etc.
I realise there are ethics around data usage but that is a separate matter (making it obvious, getting a tick box agreement etc). What I need to know is the technical methods of achieving it. I know tools like Firefox etc do this but I don't know how it is done. I know for Android and iOS there are ways to do it in a more built-in fashion, but my question relates to application development with Lazarus for the desktop.
So my question is a) is there a package that facilitates this kind of functionality and b) if not, how are others achieving it? I'd like to collect probably a GUID of machine name (to generate uniqueness), frequency of repeat use by the same machine or person, perhaps the IP address, time of use, duration of session use. Any pointers would be appreciated.
Thanks
(PS I did ask this question several years ago but I now cannot find the thread! So I am sorry to ask again)