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Jun 3, 2021 at 19:16 comment added Christopher Schultz This was just a comment on your post to add context to what you had already said. This is the conventional way to distribute MacOS software (outside the store), and it's because it offers advantages over other bundles (e.g. ZIP and tarball).
Jun 3, 2021 at 15:32 comment added zakinster @ChristopherSchultz I agree with you, but I'm not sure what you're replying to. I didn't mentioned .tar.gz in my answer because that's not something I see a lot on macOS, except for ported linux software but I specifically use Homebrew for this purpose (much quicker to do a brew install xxx than a wget xxx; tar -xvf xxx; mv xxx /...).
Jun 2, 2021 at 20:43 comment added Christopher Schultz DMGs are a way more user-friendly format than .tar.gz. Application bundles (.app "files") are entire directories and can't be compressed or downloaded conveniently. Having to "run an installer" a la MacOS "package bundles" or "Windows Installers" always seemed stupid and heavy-handed to me. I run one program so I can run another program? Huh? Allowing users to download "virtual thumb drives" seems perfectly natural to me, and I'm a programmer and *NIX system administrator.
May 31, 2021 at 15:46 comment added zakinster @mmmmmm The last section was aimed at people looking for a package manager (especially useful for software developers) for their own use. It was not intended for app developper to consider as a distribution channel to rely on for their own app. I tried to avoid the confusion in the last edit.
May 31, 2021 at 15:37 history edited zakinster CC BY-SA 4.0
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May 31, 2021 at 15:22 comment added mmmmmm If you are a developer note that most users don't have Homebrew as it is command line - stick to .dmg or App Store etc
May 31, 2021 at 15:20 comment added mmmmmm dmgs used for apps are usually read only so the app is copied not moved from the dmg
May 31, 2021 at 14:55 history edited zakinster CC BY-SA 4.0
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May 31, 2021 at 14:50 history edited zakinster CC BY-SA 4.0
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May 31, 2021 at 14:39 history answered zakinster CC BY-SA 4.0