AppFresh: Keep your apps fresh!
I have a lot of mac applications on my mac and I dont get a chance to use them all on a regular basis. But one thing that drives me crazy is when I open up an application that I have not used for a while, and I need to update it! This can get frustrating if you are an impatient person like I myself. But AppFresh allows you to update all your applications on your mac at the same time. It really is just a matter of doing them all in one go.
When you first open up AppFresh, it will scan all the applications on your mac to check for updates. In doing this they will display in a list stating there Name, Status and Status Description. There “Status” is what version the application is on, take for example 1.3 and there “Status Description” will either state “Update available” or “Up to date”. In other words just telling you if they need to be updated or not. You also have the options to delete an application from AppFresh so that it will not keep checking for its update. Not only does AppFresh keep your mac applications up to date, but also with your Application plugins, Widgets and preference panes. You can update all of your applications that need updating in just one click of a button thanks to AppFresh.
AppFresh works by using osx.iusethis.com to check for updates of all applications that are not natively supported. It also shows information about all applications based on the excellent iusethis database. But for all of apple’s main applications such as iMovie, iTunes and iPhoto, AppFresh works with Apple’s built-in Software update.
Another interesting feature from AppFresh is that when you are selected on an application, in the right sidebar it will display all the application’s information. It will state; its Name, Version, If an Update is available, Its size (if you download it), When it was released and what License it’s under. But also it lets you see the Description, Release and Comments in more detail.
My favorite feature from AppFresh would have to be the way it organizes everything into categories. Such as “Types”, this consists of Everything, Applications, Plugins, Widgets, Preference Panes, System Updates. But the most interesting Category would be “Vendors” which consists of Apple, Microsoft, Adobe and Third Party. I just find it interesting to find what apps on my mac come from which vendors.
Overall AppFresh is a fantastic application and it is another freeware app! There is nothing to complain about due to it does exactly what it states to do. It is not an application you need to use that often but opening it up once a week can save you a lot of work. There is no excuse to not give it a shot due to its Free!
