Keeping applications up to date

I’m not very good at it: perhaps I should try one or both of these?

Windows: Hippo Update Checker

Mac: App Update Widget

5 Responses to “Keeping applications up to date”

  1. SilentBob Says:

    In a similar vein, but I think it’s only concerned about security issues rather than the latest version of software, you can go to the Secunia website and use their Software Inspector (if you’ve got Java installed): http://secunia.com/software_inspector/

    Hippo sounds interesting, but (like most other tools) it only tells you about updates and where to look, it won’t install them for you. That’s why I like Microsoft Update, and more (Microsoft) applications will apparently be appearing on there too.

    Obviously everyone is behind some of the app management tools that are available with many Linux distros, such as the Advanced Packaging Tool (apt-get can potentially make life a lot easier for managing Linux, as many newbies don’t know how to configure make make install).

  2. yamahito Says:

    I don’t think it not installing things for you is necessarily a bad thing. A link to the download page would be nice, though.

  3. Minotaur Says:

    It’d be a godsend if something like BSD’s ports system (on which portage is based, of course) were available for other operating systems. Of course, that’d then require install programs to be standardised and well-behaved, which a great many really aren’t.

  4. yamahito Says:

    Chris!

    I think there are a couple of ports or ports-like systems for the mac…

    Darwin Ports
    MacPorts (no idea if that one is what I think it is or not - not enough description!)

    Then of course, there’s ‘gentoo for the mac’ - essentially portage:

    Gentoo for Mac OS X

  5. yamahito Says:

    Another one for the mac: AppFresh

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