This makes your app more self contained though; and as Norman mentioned above your app will also be more resistant to accidentally being broken by the user fiddling with files. A self contained, self repairing app is far easier on the user so they don’t have to reinstall every time something happens.
The distribution method is like the packaging. It should be created for the target market.
If you make a kid’s toy you can’t put it on shelves in a brown box it will never sell. But if you make server equipment there’s not really a need to have bright colorful packaging with a plastic window to see the inside.
If your client is an average user, DMG presents itself as a professional method for distribution. You can make the window look nice, and the app can set itself up so installation seems fast. If your client is an IT department, they might like an installer better because it sets up all the system level items and places files with one authorization for a department worth of devices.
I personally don’t trust installers as a user. With Apple .pkg files you can inspect the files and locations they get put with cmd-i but there’s nothing that tells you what the preflight and postflight scripts do. This actually pissed me off the other day, as a meeting / screensharing tool installer did everything in the preflight script. I then spent some time after chasing down the files it placed - because idiots.
Okay, so I’ve posted App Wrapper 3.6 today and it ships on a DMG. On the DMG I’ve included an “Install App Wrapper” icon, which is basically an Apple Script to copy the application to the Applications folder and then gives you the option to open the application or reveal it in the folder.
I don’t think it’s going to be to everyone’s liking, and I would have liked the script to do far much more, but meh.
Please allow me a question:
I have just noticed today that Chrome warns about my downloaded dmg’s as possible “harm my computer”, very similar as in Windows but as far as I remember after signing the Windows installer Chrome accepts it.
The dmg is also signed using the last App Wrapper.
Is this new from Chrome? Can I prevent it to happen with my dmg’s?
[quote=281434:@Alejandro Fresno Meyer]Please allow me a question:
I have just noticed today that Chrome warns about my downloaded dmg’s as possible “harm my computer”, very similar as in Windows but as far as I remember after signing the Windows installer Chrome accepts it.
The dmg is also signed using the last App Wrapper.
Is this new from Chrome? Can I prevent it to happen with my dmg’s?
Thanks.[/quote]
Here as well. Very annoying.
I can’t seem to figure it out.
Are you linking to the file directly or are there some javascript other redirects involved?
edit: I don’t think it’s an Appwrapper thing (I don’t use AW) because it happens with all my .dmg’s now. I don’t always see the message but when the download is finished, it often takes another 30 seconds up to a minute before the download is ‘released’ by Chrome.
On OS X the standard is, that users drag the application from the DMG to the Applications folder. So if you need to install something in Application Support, create that database on the first run of the application. Everything else will irritate OS X users.
I have just redownloaded it again and now it doesn’t shows any warning or question ???
I use a direct link but also use a php script to redirect, never got this warnings in Mac except today. I believe Google has his own reputation system (like MS smart screen) and sometimes throws this messages, it is not related to the signature.