14 DAY TRIAL // Apple has released a software update for users of a Macintosh computer and an Apple TV addressing reliability connections between iTunes and the set-top-box. The update, available only via the Software Update mechanism, weighs in at a meagre 959Kb.
Via the built-in Software Update application, Apple notifies Mac owners that a certain “Bonjour Update 2010-001 is now available.” The company behind the Mac operating system reveals that, “This update improves the reliability of connections between iTunes and Apple TV.”
No additional details are provided. Customers are required to select the update from the list of available updates, and hit the “install” button. At this point, the installation process is carried out by the operating system automatically. A reboot will not be necessary for the new software to be successfully applied, so users can continue to employ their Macs.
Bonjour is Apple's trade name for its implementation of Zeroconf, a service-discovery protocol. The service locates devices – printers, other computers etc. – and the services that those devices offer on a local network using multicast Domain Name System service records. Built into Apple's Mac OS X operating system from version 10.2 onward, Bonjour can be installed onto Windows PCs as well. Components typical to the software may also be included within other software such as iTunes.
Released under a terms-of-limited-use license by Apple, Bonjour is freeware for regular users. However, developers and software companies that wish to implement it in a software package need a licensing agreement, in some situations.
Bonjour is also used by iTunes to find shared music, iPhoto to find shared photos, iChat, Adobe Systems Creative Suite 3, Proteus, Adium, Fire, Pidgin, Skype, Vine Server, and even the Elgato EyeTV, to share local recordings with multiple clients. A Bonjour Browser also exists. It is a Creative Commons-licensed Mac OS X application that displays all services declared using Bonjour.