[Bf-committers] RfE: Better OS X support for the official blender binaries

[Jochen Schmitt]

On Sun, Nov 04, 2012 at 11:31:10AM +0100, Ton Roosendaal wrote:
> 1) DMG or zip?
> Here's my take: you open the zip, and yo can use Blender immediately. You can drag it to the Application folder on the list view easily, or to any other location you want. The unzipped folders allow you to keep different releases around too.
> Disk images also cannot be deleted  or stored (it needs special eject command even). Our zip also contains extras (Blender player, other files) interesting for people to check on...
> 
> Most of all: the core philosphy of Blender is that it should run without any install requirement. You can download the zip, and use Blender from the extracted folder for as long you need it. I know of Blender users in studios and companies who don't have the rights to install software themselves even (in Dreamworks, Lockheed Martin, etc). I prefer not to communicate to users that they should install Blender anywhere, it's up to them to decide it.
> 
> It seems to me that the main argument for dmg is just 'convention' - looks nicer integrated. That's a pro... but the cons weight more for me :)

Sorry, even if you have a DMG file you have to chocices to start blender:

1.) Directly in the DMG file by dauble-clicking the Blender.app file.

2.) Copying the Blender.app file to the Applications folder, so you can start
blender for example via the launchpad.

The second method may be for users, which wants to work with blender on a
day-to-day base in opposite of the first one, which may be useful for users
who only wants to try out blender without any system-wide modifications.
 
> 2) I was contacted long ago by Apple for this, will send them a followup how to get this sorted out.

AFAIK you have to be a member of the Mac developers prograsmm which is avaliable
on http:// developer.apple.com. After you are a member of this programm, you
should be able to generate a developer ID.

Best Regards:

Jochen Schmitt