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normansandbox · Sep 17, 2006, 07:44 PM

First before you comment, please drop all the bs about os x being virus free!!!!!! If you are here to complain about how os x will never see viruses then this is not for you. I ask you please do not comment.

Ok Now

I've been thinking about this for a long time. I have always wondered how fantastic it would be if Apple would included a 3rd party software update system in some future release of Os X. I believe this is a awesome idea because with me for instance I use a lot of programs that can check for updates. Firefox, ClamXav, Opera, Google Earth, PgP, and many others, but I hate loading each porgram then clicking "checking for updates." This gets to be a real pain when you have many programs you want to update. Just think how much easier it would be if there was a 3rd party SuS that could check for updates for all programs tied into this feature.

I thought of this more and more when I saw Apple's keynote speech for August where they chatted about 10.5 release. One of the features in Leopard was the "to dos" feature which was intergrated with Mail but, intergrated with the whole system so they could show in iCal or even your own apps for you developers out there. Could Apple be working on such a feature for Leopard of future releases??

Great idea but, my concerns would be, does Apple actually want a third party software update system? For some reason, lets just say a virus has ran wild on macintosh systems and the "enter credentials for allowing apps to install has been bypassed," wouldn't the 3rd party SuS be a haven for allowing hackers to automatically updated their malicious code and could this by why Steve Jobs does not want this feature? Maybe something else?

Your thoughts on this idea and any questions associated with.

mduell · Sep 17, 2006, 08:28 PM

The closest OSX has is Fink, but it's not very good/complete compared to the variety of freenix application install managers (apt, emerge, or even rpm).

msuper69 · Sep 17, 2006, 08:36 PM

mitchell_pgh · Sep 17, 2006, 11:10 PM

While it sounds like a good idea... it just isn't. The software developers should build in a feature to their software that goes out (with the users permission) and checks to see if there is an update.

EXAMPLE: Transmit by Panic. When there is an update, it tells you there is an update (you don't have to click anything) and has a button that you click to download the new version.

I think it would be too daunting a task for apple and there would be too much liability.

Big Mac · Sep 17, 2006, 11:24 PM

I think it would be fine if third parties got together to create a secure SU framework for third party applications. But it's not Apple's responsibility to do it. Apple has more important things to expend resources on.

Catfish_Man · Sep 18, 2006, 01:48 AM

Sparkle

Flexible, free as in speech and beer (and yet usable in non-OSS apps), easy for both developers and users.

If someone wants to add delta updating to it (maybe using zsync?), I'd be very pleased, but that's pretty much the only thing I'd change about it.

macintologist · Oct 31, 2006, 03:28 PM

If I were a developer I'd add Sparkle to my software in a heartbeat

Salty · Nov 1, 2006, 01:20 PM

Cyberduck and Adium both will update themselves. I don't see why this is a problem for other developers to do.

ghporter · Nov 1, 2006, 02:06 PM

As Big Mac mentions, a secure third party updater is the key to this working, and it looks to me that such would require enough intertwining with OS X that once all the business deals necessary for the level of cooperation needed for sufficient security that the "third party" wouldn't be so independent anymore. I think the best way for this to actually work would be for the third party to work out a deal wherein they supply Apple with the updates and then Apple distributes them. Either way, this isn't going to happen anytime soon. Too much background work just to get it going...

Chuckit · Nov 1, 2006, 03:09 PM

Originally Posted by Salty

Cyberduck and Adium both will update themselves. I don't see why this is a problem for other developers to do.

I hate having every piece of software update itself, quite frankly. It's like every time I turn on the computer, four things are bouncing in the Dock for some minor update. I guess it's better than nothing, but geez, as a user it's annoying.