Project: Open Software Update

• one app to find them all, and in the darkness bind them.
  • open to anyone. dependent on no one.
  • like mac os x’s Software Update
  • extensible
• simple plugin interface
  • format
    

    <?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
    <application>
    	<name>Delicious Library</name>
    	<host>delicious-monster.com</host>
    	<updateInfoURI>http://delicious-monster.com/softwareUpdate/update.xml</updateInfoURI>
    </application>
    			

  • optional nodes
    

    <updateFrequency>daily</updateFrequency>
    <updateFrequency>weekly</updateFrequency>
    <updateFrequency>monthly</updateFrequency>
    
    <requiredMinimumVersion>2.0</requiredMinimumVersion>
    <requiredMinimumUpdated>20040118</requiredMinimumUpdated>
    			

  • plugins by users or developers (partying together)
• server side : update.xml

• single app
  

  <host name="delicious-monster.com">
  	<application>
  		<name>Delicious Library</name>
  		<updated>20041118</updated>
  		<version>1.0.5</version>
  		<updateURI>http://delicious-monster.com/downloads/DeliciousLibrary.dmg</updateURI>
  	</application>
  </host>
  			

• multiple apps
  

  <host name="ranchero.com.com">
  	<application>
  		<name> NetNewsWire</name>
  		<updated>20041022</updated>
  		<version>2.0b6</version>
  		<updateURI>http://ranchero.com/downloads/NetNewsWire2.0b6.dmg.gz</updateURI>
  	</application>
  	<application>
  		<name>MarsEdit</name>
  		<updated>20041116</updated>
  		<version>1.0b12</version>
  		<updateURI> http://ranchero.com/downloads/MarsEdit1.0b12.dmg.gz </updateURI>
  	</application>
  </host>
  			

• optional nodes
  

  <updateFrequency>daily</updateFrequency>
  <updateFrequency>weekly</updateFrequency>
  <updateFrequency>monthly</updateFrequency>
  
  <requiredMinimumVersion>2.0</requiredMinimumVersion>
  <requiredMinimumUpdated>20040118</requiredMinimumUpdated>
  
  <endOfLife>true</endOfLife>
  <endOfLife>false</endOfLife>
  			

download prefs

• respect server side unless overwritten client side by user
• update frequency : all items

• daily
• weekly
• monthly
• manually

enable / disable : item specific

auto download : item specific

auto download : item specific

admin password : save in keychain (BOOL)

auto open files

• resolve decompression

• if zip, gz, tar, et al : decpress internally
• if sit, sitx : farm out to stuffitexpander

replace old version

backup older version pref (BOOL)

keep originals pref (BOOL)

issues to work out

• inital lastUpdated date for each app

• from the app’s ‘date modified’ data?
• sounds like good enough to me

xml namespaces

• are namespaces necessary?
• beneficial?

benefits

• for users

• easy maintainence
• stay up to date
• open to all apps
• growl notifications

for developers

• can easily migrate existing check for update systems
• inexpensive deployment
• inexpensive maintainence
• inexpensive bandwidth
• keeps user base up to date

Originally published at: http://sbb.me/b3YQ7