Google releases Update Engine for Mac

Stephen Withers
Wednesday, 01 October 2008 12:19

Business IT - Open Source

Various players have come up with update mechanisms for Mac software. Now Google's trying its hand.

The shift from distributing software and associated updates on physical media to to pushing it out over the Internet meant there was room for someone to offer a standardised update process.

Several developers have tried over the years but none have really established a strong position.

Google's Update Engine is said to be capable of updating Cocoa applications, preference panes, screen savers - indeed any type of file, even if root access is needed. It also handles updates to multiple products.

Like Apple's Software Update, Update Engine checks with a server to see if any updates are available, and downloads and installs any that are.

The first thing the server sends is one or more 'tickets' - XML files that describe currently available updates for various products. The Engine evaluates these tickets to determine whether an update is required.

If so, the necessary updates are downloaded and installed according to a script that's part of the downloaded disk image.

Google provides an EngineRunner tool that can be embedded in an application, or the functions provided in the framework can be accessed via an API.

Released under the Apache License 2.0, Update Engine is available from Google Code.