Rubbing Smart Crash Reports shiny
I talked this up in a big way before, and won't rehash it here, and I don't really do the xyz has a new version out deally.
However, I do think it's worth noting this one, as Smart Crash Reports could end up being a big deal for developers and having the platform improve in general.
Its out of beta and available for download, complete with a spiffy new icon which some people say looks like a beetle trying to have sex with a paper airplane which may or may not be a bad thing depending on your views regarding beetle-on-paper action.
Go get it, and hope you see an app you like on the supported list soon. It's also worth checking over some of the Q&A on their site to bone up on some of what it's doing a bit. There's a real chicken and-the-egg problem with something like this, where developers need users to have it, so if you can, help lay the damn egg.
Posted by drunkenbatmanSeptember 23, 2005, at 05:36 AM
Comments (10)
Posted by: Kool at September 23, 2005 05:47 AM
I just added it to my application. It took me more time to read how to do it than to actually implement it. And since it took about 5 minutes to read the documentation, that's telling. :-)
I really like how applications can now install this Smart Crash Reports easily by adding to 2 files to their Xcode project and 2 lines of code to their app's delegate.
The only problem I've seen with it is that it checks a little bit to early if an internet connection is available. If the connection is lost *after* the Crash dialog is shown, the Crash Reporter will hang when sending. But that's such a minor bug...
Now I really should get to finish my app and get it out in the wild! Well... the first beta that is! :-)
Posted by: Kool at September 23, 2005 06:42 AM
> There's a real chicken and-the-egg problem with something like this, where developers need users to have it, so if you can, help lay the damn egg.
Maybe not clear from my previous comment, but the chicken-and-the-egg problem is solved now that developers can install this onto the machines of their users from within their application.
Posted by: Dab Saul at September 23, 2005 08:51 AM
Hrm no source is included.
Guess I won't be able to add it to my program, not that I couldn't do this myself AND be compatible with 10.3.
Posted by: Evan Schoenberg at September 23, 2005 09:02 AM
For any app which hasn't already implemented crash reporting, this is awesome. I don't see any advantage in it over a home-build scheme if you already have one, though... and come on, Colin, you know Laura's burning duck is awesome.
Posted by: mikeash at September 23, 2005 10:56 AM
Hrm no source is included.Guess I won't be able to add it to my program,
What, you're not allowed to include anything which doesn't have the source code available? Are you saying that your Mac apps don't link against any of Apple's closed-source libraries or frameworks?
not that I couldn't do this myself AND be compatible with 10.3.
A lot of people could do this. "Could" doesn't count for anything. Unsanity did it, and that's what really counts.
Posted by: Colin Barrett at September 23, 2005 11:01 AM
Colin, you know Laura's burning duck is awesomeOh, abso-fuckin-lutely. I was very sad to see it go. We should hide it somewhere or something :)
Posted by: Dan Saul at September 23, 2005 12:59 PM
Mikeash, you know, ever since I first met you in IRC you've been an presumptuous ass.
My point is being that there is no possible way for me to validate the code that is distributed by them. This is the simple problem.
I have no need to verify the integrity of the code that is included with OS X due to the yet again simple fact that Apple wouldn't screw themselves in the ass.
Got it?
Posted by: nougatmachine at September 23, 2005 03:43 PM
Kool: If I'm reading you right, you're saying it's now possible for developers to include all the functionality in their apps, so that end-users can use this without having to install a SCR client program on their own? If so, that's great. If not...well, I can't say it's entirely useless, as certainly a bunch of people will go to Unsanity's web site and install it. However, you still would get less crash reports then if everyone could use it without any extra effort.
On the other hand, maybe you'd only get useful crash reports from the kind of people who are smart enough to know about the SCR client anyway, and this weeding out of less knowledgeable users is a good thing.
Posted by: mikeash at September 24, 2005 05:09 AM
It is possible for developers to include SCR in their apps in the form of an installer. SCR itself remains a separate entity, but developers are allowed to distribute it, and SCR comes with an extremely convenient API that allows apps to install it painlessly.
Sadly, it doesn't look like Adium is going to get this any time soon. We just overhauled our crash reporter to make it much less intrusive and easier for users. It'll be in the next major version. Sadly, this means that Smart Crash Reports are probably not going to make it in to Adium any time soon. Although, if there was something SCR could do that we don't/can't, I think the right people might be persuaded to take a closer look.