I've had some problems with all the changes to IMDB, so I thought, gee I'll just do an online update (tools -> preferences -> internet connection). Since I'm running the latest version of PVD, I got the message "no updates available".
Given that PVD "knows" what plug-ins I'm using it would be very useful if it would check for current versions of those as well. This would open a (small?) can of worms in that scripts and skins also get updated, and some only work with particular PVD versions. I would assume that an update request means I want the newest of everything, so that would simplify it. The files could be downloaded into the PVD main directory, PVD would be restarted, and a stub program could move them into the appropriate directory prior to the main program linking to them.
Does the ONLINE UPDATE check for new versions on every start-up, if I leave it checked? That would be a good way to keep me updated without checking my version numbers. It would also assist in trouble-shooting efforts since this could be enabled by default (plug-ins & scripts, anyway).