Software Update - Lets Not Think Differently
I’ve been thinking about Software Updates.
Apple (and other OS producers) have auto software update mechanisms for their own products.
Sites like VersionTracker and MacUpdate provide info for third-party updates and even provide software that will notify and download new versions for you (if you pay them a subscription.) Cheapskates like me can not pay and just subscribe to their RSS feeds. Developers must submit their own update data to these sites through an on-line form. That is they have to submit the data to both sites separately (and there are other, more obscure, sites if you want to be complete.)
Other enterprising developers have created 3rd-party software update tools - like Renew and Extended Software Updater. Renew is shareware and developers must submit their data through a form on the renew website.
Seeing a pattern?
Developers are unlikely to adopt many of these channels because it’s too repetitive - and programmers are lazy - if something is repetitive, get a computer to do it.
So That’s what I suggest:
Get computers to do it all - let’s make software update an open standard.
Here’s the plan:
1 - developers add another entry to their applications’ info.plist that is a URI.
2 - this URI points to an address on the web. At this location is an XML file.
3 - the XML file contains standardised meta-data about the current version of the application.
4 - Sites such as VersionTracker and MacUpdate should accept URIs of these files as updates. They can use the data from the XML file to update their databases.
5 - Update Application developers can now have an open market where they know that they get all apps update info without having to beg the developers to support their app.
6 - Because of the standardisation all update apps will be “compatible” - so users can choose whichever update app suits them.
7 - App developers only have to create one XML version file and then send the URI of that file to the Update web sites - sending a URI is a lot less pain than filling in a form several times. This could even be extended - developers could have RSS feeds for their XML Version files - and the update sites could subscribe to these feeds.
CyberZorn says:
Have you seen MacPAD?
http://db.tidbits.com/getbits.acgi?tbart=07463
April 26th, 2004 at 7:19 pm
Dale says:
Nice concept….
Where’s the magical app???
April 27th, 2004 at 11:44 am