14 DAY TRIAL // Thanks to a recent update announced by the folks at Freshcode, the spotlight is back on Bodega, the company’s alternative to the Mac App Store. Bodega 1.3 is free to download and use, and requires Mac OS X 10.5.8 or later.
An app discovery and download gateway for Mac apps, Bodega 1.3 “addresses various bugs and other reported issues, as well as provides across-the-board feature and performance enhancements,” according to the makers of the program.
The update arrives just three days before the scheduled release of Apple’s own solution for distributing Mac applications in a simple and secure manner - the Mac App Store.
However, “For Mac developers everywhere, Bodega serves as a perfect addition to their channel and product sales strategies,” the company believes.
“Bodega provides regular, consistent access to a large and growing audience base directly from Mac desktops around the world.”
The software vendor is pushing a number of key benefits onto those who may decide to include their Mac products in Bodega, rather than in Apple’s Mac App Store.
For starters, programmers don’t have to stand on the edge of their seats hoping to see their title approved.
“As long as applications are not blatantly or obviously offensive, and contain no illegal content or information, they're welcome in Bodega,” Freshcode writes in a note that specifically targets developers.
There’s also no policy in place to restrict any APIs used within apps.
Even better, developers get to keep 93 percent of the sale price as revenue.
“For each sale taking place in Bodega, Freshcode charges the developer 7% of the application's sale price,” Freshcode reveals. “For every one of their products sold, the developer retains 93% of the sale price.”
Compared to the Mac App Store's 70 percent, Bodega is already starting to sound like a better alternative.
The list of benefits continues - there are no developer program charges or costs.
In fact, Bodega helps developers push updates to existing users of their respective apps by automatically checking for application updates for all Sparkle-endowed applications that are found on the user's hard drive.
“If an update is available, Bodega helps with the download and installation,” Freshcode explains.
Those enrolled with Apple will need to use iTunes Connect to submit an update and that too will be thoroughly checked to see if it can be approved.
On the other hand, Apple’s system will always ensure there is no “blatantly or obviously offensive” content within any update (not just 1.0 releases).
Softpedia readers can download the latest version of Bodega using the link below.
Readers are encouraged to share their impressions about the software before the official Mac App Store launch.
If we get enough comments from you, we’ll use them in a follow-up report that pits Freshcode’s shackle-free system against Apple’s Fort Knox-style approach.