Get Iplayer for Windows

[dinkypumpkin]

On 13/08/2011 14:59, Nick Ludlam wrote:
> There's a port of Sparkle to Windows, which may be worth a look, as Sparkle is so lovely to implement on OS X.

Yep, Sparkle is mighty handy for Mac apps.  The get_iplayer installer 
already uses a simple update mechanism that isn't terribly dissimilar, 
though.  I don't know if there are other (free) contenders, but I had a 
look at WinSparkle a little while back.  It might present a somewhat a 
nicer UI (with display of release notes, etc.), but essentially it 
doesn't offer any more functionality than the installer already has.

I think it would only make sense to go the WinSparkle route if the 
installer were a standalone bundle containing all the dependencies and 
scripts.  The alternative is to run separate appcasts for each 
dependency and bake that into the installer.  That might create more 
complexity than is worthwhile.  Plus, Winsparkle would need to be hacked 
a little bit to work in that context.  It may not be worth the trouble 
for apps that don't change very often.

OTOH, a standalone installer might actually be a good idea.  It 
shouldn't need frequent updates, but it does mean that someone would 
need to own the installer and the appcast that goes with it, as well as 
make the initial changes necessary to Sparkle-ify the installer.  It 
might be interesting, but I'm not sure my love for get_iplayer extends 
that far.  I've had decent results with NSIS over the years, but the 
combination of building installers and working on Windows sometimes 
seems like trying to build a piano with a crowbar, a bread knife, and a 
spoon.