Interesting, but ...... - tkzero

a) it doesn't do anything unless you tell it/let it. You can disable the automatic checking facility entirely, allowing you to do your own update checks manually (or not at all if you don't want to). Even when auto checking is on, it doesn't ever install anything without your knowledge, and it gives the option to ask again later or completely skip a version, so you won't hear about it again until the next update. Seems entirely reasonable to me.

b) and when it does update, how does what Sparkle does differ from any other installer? The only real difference is that Sparkle will allow the app to know where to get the new version itself, rather than the more traditional way of apps just going "oh, I'm sensing that there's something new somewhere; here's the homepage, so you can go hunting for it."

Like many others, I'm not a developer so I don't know how easy Sparkle is to work with, I'm just looking at this from a user's point of view, and I agree that it's a great addition for developers to include in their product (one of those nifty bonuses like Growl, WebKit or iLife Media Browser support). It endows third-party apps with an update facility that's familiar and consistent across different applications, and I hope more developers pick it up. There's a few who could really stand to make some changes to the way they issue updates, as a user, I hope they include Sparkle in their shortlist.

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Monday, December 17 2007 @ 09:53 AM PST