Built-in Application Updater

[bitigchi]

Currently native Haiku applications are mostly distributed through the Haikuports repository. Updating these applications are always a two-step process, and requires authors to submit a recipe.

Updating applications easily outside of Haikuports, and make both open source and proprietary application distribution easier from an author's web site or other sources, a built-in software updater will come handy. For reference, macOS developers use a de-facto standard third party library named "Sparkle", and it makes updating applications very easy.

"What's wrong with recipes?" you might say. Well, it limits the author's free ability to update applications, and Haikuports currently does not allow closed-source applications by default. It's possible to distribute package files freely, but the Haiku package management also limits user freedom to be able to manage and run applications from anywhere in the system, and limits the applications to a single location. This is not desirable behaviour for some, and limits user freedom on the system greatly. Also it is not easily possible to notify the user for a new version, other than doing it manually through a server check.

[nephele]

The package command is available to package applications, there is no need to use recipes if you don't want to. we already support auto-updating based on remote repos.
I fail to see what more is needed.

but the Haiku package management also limits user freedom to be able to manage and run applications from anywhere in the system, and limits the applications to a single location

This isn't true, you can install applications anywhere you want, and our find_dir stuff will make sure it works too for any different config dirs or whatever the app should use. (Haikuporter works exactly like that, it just installs applications into a different dir to get a reliable build enviroment)

Also it is not easily possible to notify the user for a new version, other than doing it manually through a server check.

Already works, SoftwareUpdater shows you that new versions are available, please don't add anything into running applications for this.

[bitigchi]

The points you mention are irrelevant to the topic (and blatantly ignorant), and offers a different paradigm. Please research first before feeling yourself committed to comment on everything.

[pulkomandy]

If you want to use a package manager/updater, Haiku provides one already and is not going to provide another one.

If you don't want to use it, Haiku will not provide a way to update your apps.