Install me, baby

There are two delivery extremes for software in this world: there is the Panic way and the Adobe way. The first relies on a simple ZIP archive, that, for most users, gets unpacked and moved out of the way automatically. The second on a slew of installers, updaters and package managers that do everything they possibly can to get in your way. In-between stand a range of methods, with Apple's very own practices being a sound middle point.

Now, rest assured, this is not a rant against Adobe. They are, after all, free to package their applications as they desire and make their lives as painful as they wish. I'm sure there is great fun in maintaining their installers and updaters and I do not wish to deprive them of that pleasure.

This being said, I do wish the Mac had a more standard delivery system. In the early ages of Mac OS X, we were using SIT archives. Then, StuffIt went the way of the dodo with a little help from Apple — a very wise move in many ways —, and the industry settled quite comfortably on the complex DMG-based system we know today. Various refinements were brought to the images, such as the ability to "web-enable" them or to display licenses upon mounting the virtual drive but one cannot say they made for a very rewarding experience.

In fact, most casual users around seem to have about three or four mounted images on their desktops and use them to launch their applications. The next Mac OS X update is usually the occasion for them to "lose all their applications" since the images are neatly unmounted when the computer restarts.

Today, it appears we are divided between three schools of thought. The folks at Panic believe the user should be able to put applications where he or she pleases and just compress them. This results in applications being installed in strange locations but entirely alleviates the proprietary formats and virtual volume inconsistencies. The people at Apple believe in Installers that take much more time but at least place the proper files in the proper place for Software Update to do its job later — something Panic obviously needs not worry about for now. The installer folks at Adobe are still investigating the possibility of bringing Mac OS 9 back.

It seems to me now would be a good time to standardize things a bit. My preference goes to the Panic school of thought for easy delivery, fast installations and freedom of choice. All it needs to be perfect is the ability for Mac OS X to recognize an executable — which it already has — and suggest that it be moved to the Applications folder automatically. Like BBEdit, the applications could, on first launch, require a password to install components around the drive: good bye, packages!

Obviously, this may not be practical for the largest applications out there with multiple dependencies. It wouldn't hurt, however, to try!