MacPAD
MacPAD – PAD files come to the Mac?
Some time ago I joined ASP (Association of Shareware Professionals) as I liked the look of the work they were doing and I heard it was a good place to pick up tips and advice. However, the ASP is dominated by Windows people so I tend to ‘lurk’, read the posts, and see what is going on in the Windows world (if you are a shareware developer then I can recommend the ASP as they are an invaluable resource of advice and expertise).
One thing that impressed me at the ASP was something called the PAD files. The idea is that your create an XML file that is stored on your website and you register the location with software/news sites. The sites then examine the files at regular intervals and update their records to reflect the release of software updates if they detect a change. Great idea! However, support of PAD for Mac developers, both in terms of programs to produce PAD files and Mac sites that supported PAD file input, was nonexistent. Until now…..
This week saw the release of MacPAD by the folks over at MacShareware. The story has been on a number of Mac newssites and has featured in TidBITS. At present the file format is only supported at MacShareware and I hope that other software sites such as VersionTracker and MacUpdate pick up the idea and that it spreads to the Mac newsites.
What does this mean for the Mac community? I can see three benefits to different groups in the Mac world:
- The developer : The developer only has to update one file and this is propagated to all the software sites and the news sites.
- The users: The users benefit from news that is automatically updated (and is therefore up-to-date) at the download and the news sites. Also, software could easily include ‘automatic notification’ of new versions by checking back to the PAD file.
- The sites: News and download sites are up-to-date and automatically refreshed as required. Information flows to the sites in a regular and controlled format. Less hassle for all!
Today, MMISoftware created PAD files for all its products (including the ‘One Trick Ponies‘) and has registered them at MacShareware.
