WebKit adds some Sparkle

Sparkle, Andy Matuschak's software update framework for Cocoa applications, is no stranger to TUAW. Now, it's found its way into WebKit, the developmental version of Safari. This feature, often requested on the WebKit mailing lists, allows WebKit to update itself with the click of a button.

Sparkle has become a standard for Mac applications. I tend to shudder a little bit every time an application has the smarts to tell me there's an update, but then sends me to a web page to download it. Not because I'm lazy, just because I know there's a better way. There are several variations cropping up, including one from Google. I haven't worked with the newcomers, but I can testify that Sparkle is so utterly simple to implement that developers who fail to do so should be scolded repeatedly until they capitulate (see WebKit). A hearty thanks, though, to the WebKit team, from all of us who surf the bleeding edge of browser development.

Thanks to Chris Pirillo for the tip!

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Source: http://webkit.org/

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Sparkle, Andy Matuschak's software update framework for Cocoa applications, is no stranger to TUAW. Now, it's found its way into WebKit,...

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Oliver

Wow... I finally have no need for

NightShift.app,

farewell old friend

January 18 2009 at 6:20 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

Airgroom

Finally.
I've been using NightShift, and been waiting for this forever.

January 14 2009 at 9:59 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

Jens Christiansen

Does it share Safari's recent RSS vulnerability?

January 14 2009 at 5:22 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

1 reply to Jens Christiansen's comment

.Trashes

Yes. The venerability is in Safari, which is launched by the WebKit app, not WebKit itself, as Mail does not suffer from this venerability.

January 14 2009 at 11:42 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

Shunnabunich

FRIGGING FINALLY. *Now* I can start using WebKit.

January 14 2009 at 4:23 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

Jonathan

Might as well open it 42nd parties too while they're at it.

January 14 2009 at 2:30 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

Riyonuk

I agree, software update SHOULD be open to 3rd parties.

January 13 2009 at 10:13 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

Luigi193

OMG THIS IS EPIC!

January 13 2009 at 10:08 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

Michael

WebKit is not a browser. It's an engine. What you download from the site is the latest developmental version of WebKit with a Safari-like user interface front-end that has and uses its own internal versions of the engine, rather than the version currently installed on your system, which are used by several applications, including Safari, Mail, and Help.

January 13 2009 at 9:20 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

1 reply to Michael's comment

dude

Wrong. WebKit.app contains a WebKit framework and a script that launches the real Safari linked to the new WebKit framework.

January 13 2009 at 11:31 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

Hawkman

Good news! Sparkle beats the pants off any other third-party update methods, but my heart still sinks whenever I see the dialog, because it's always at the moment I want to use the application in question.

If only Software Update were open to 3rd parties, so that I could get multiple updates at once, at convenient times and with background downloading... Pipe dream, I know.

January 13 2009 at 9:03 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

2 replies to Hawkman's comment

Maldaen

I'm kind of surprised it's not, personally. I mean, it would really streamline things for the end-user, and while people are updating their apps, OH LOOK, Mac OS X updates you keep NOT DOING, might as well get those, too!

January 13 2009 at 9:59 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

.Trashes

Apple's excuse is that OS updates should look different from application updates. Which doesn't hold ground two seconds when there's an iWork update available.

January 14 2009 at 11:39 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

Beanie

We're looking at you Onyx!

January 13 2009 at 8:37 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply