What does scanning VST plugins actually mean?

[Richard_Synapse]

A modern DAW could simply store all the info online in a database, such that scanning plugins (with the occassional annoying hangs or crashes) becomes obsolete in most cases. Only problem is this would require sending data to the DAW developer's server whenever a new plugin is found. Some users may not like this, others won't ever update their DAW and/or use an offline studio PC. So the local scanning is safer, even though it is not the best solution.

Richard