Filed under: Software, Internet Tools, Open Source
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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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Mark Rowe said 8:19PM on 1-13-2009
Updating WebKit is a little more complicated than updating a typical application as WebKit.app is only a launcher for Safari. By the time the application icon appears in the dock the WebKit application itself is no longer running, having been replaced by Safari.
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Max said 11:15PM on 1-13-2009
Umm. No.
Dave said 11:32PM on 1-13-2009
@Max: Meet Mark Rowe
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
http://bdash.net.nz/
Mark Rowe
I'm a software engineer at Apple Inc., working on Safari and WebKit. I'm from New Zealand, but am currently living in Cupertino, California.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Better luck next time old chap.
Alex said 8:30AM on 1-14-2009
So does it work for WebKit or not? I find it annoying to get a message every day, that my WebKit is out of date.
How do I even install Sparkle?
Bassir said 8:28PM on 1-13-2009
What's the difference between using WebKit, and using Safari?
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Dave said 11:41PM on 1-13-2009
@ Bassir: Good question, and one that a lot of people are unclear on.
Webkit is basically the Framework upon which Safari (and a growing number of other browsers and applications) are built. Think of it as the rendering engine. So Safari (the application) contains Webkit (the rendering engine). The application Webkit is an advanced open source build of that engine. It supports some bleeding edge features that haven't yet made it into regular non-beta browsers yet.
You'll sacrifice a little stability for an understanding of how to best use emerging browser technology. As a developer, I can honestly say, I cannot live without it.
Danny Cohen said 8:37PM on 1-13-2009
TIGHT! This is very welcoming.
WebKit is like a public beta for the next version of Safari. It adds some bells and whistles. Fun to play with.
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Beanie said 8:37PM on 1-13-2009
We're looking at you Onyx!
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Hawkman said 9:03PM on 1-13-2009
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.
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Maldaen said 9:59PM on 1-13-2009
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!
KA said 11:39AM on 1-14-2009
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.
Michael said 9:20PM on 1-13-2009
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.
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dude said 11:31PM on 1-13-2009
Wrong. WebKit.app contains a WebKit framework and a script that launches the real Safari linked to the new WebKit framework.
Luigi193 said 10:08PM on 1-13-2009
OMG THIS IS EPIC!
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Riyonuk said 10:13PM on 1-13-2009
I agree, software update SHOULD be open to 3rd parties.
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Jonathan said 2:34AM on 1-14-2009
Might as well open it 42nd parties too while they're at it.
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Shunnabunich said 4:23AM on 1-14-2009
FRIGGING FINALLY. *Now* I can start using WebKit.
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Wim37u said 7:13AM on 1-18-2009
Does it share Safari's recent RSS vulnerability?
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KA said 11:42AM on 1-14-2009
Yes. The venerability is in Safari, which is launched by the WebKit app, not WebKit itself, as Mail does not suffer from this venerability.
Airgroom said 10:05AM on 1-14-2009
Finally.
I've been using NightShift, and been waiting for this forever.
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