Application Enhancer

Application Enhancer (APE) is a software program released by Unsanity for Apple's Mac OS X operating system. Application Enhancer provides a framework that allows third-party developers to write "haxies" for OS X. It also provides a daemon to load haxies when certain applications are launched. These haxies, or plugins, are known as application enhancer modules, or APEs. Once the APE is loaded by the daemon, the module modifies the behavior of an existing application. Examples include allowing the classic Mac OS WindowShade behavior, or adding/removing OS X's brushed aluminum theme to all applications.

Application Enhancer is freeware, but modules may be distributed as freeware, shareware, or commercial software. A license for the Application Enhancer SDK (required by developers to deploy haxies) is $100 for shareware products and $1000 for commercial products. [ [http://unsanity.com/haxies/ape/sdk/ APE Software Development Kit Info] ]

Controversy

Application Enhancer modules are a source of controversy amongst software developers. They make changes to the operating system that Apple neither intended nor planned for. Furthermore, they complicate the environment other applications run in as well as the operating system itself. Many developers (such as Bare Bones) advise users to remove Application Enhancer modules, the Application Enhancer framework, and the Application Enhancer daemon before contacting customer support for help with their applications.Fact|date=October 2007

Application Enhancer modules are also a source of controversy amongst system administrators who regularly run into stability issues on computers running the Application Enhancer framework.Fact|date=October 2007

Leopard compatibility issues

With the release of Mac OS X Leopard several users began to report problems with their upgraded systems.Fact|date=September 2008 The problems occurred when using the "Upgrade" option rather than the "Erase and Install" or "Archive and Install" option with APE 2.0.1 (not at that time the latest version). Symptoms included hour long "blue screens" (known as the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_Screen_of_Death#cite_note-8 'Blue Screen of Death'] ) on restart and systems hung inoperable for hours at a time. Users gradually discovered the error and were able to fix it by booting into single user mode and removing all vestiges of the Application Enhancer framework. On 27 October 2007 Unsanity alerted mailing list subscribers of the issue and advised them to have the latest version of the Application Enhancer framework installed prior to installing or upgrading to Leopard. [ [http://www.tuaw.com/2007/10/28/unsanity-urges-customers-to-make-sure-ape-is-current-before-upgr/ "Unsanity urges customers to make sure APE is current before upgrading to Leopard"-TUAW] ]

References

External links

* [http://www.unsanity.com/haxies/ape Application Enhancer]
* [http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=306857 Apple's solution for the "Blue Screen" problem after Leopard upgrade, 27 October 2007]
* [http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9044418 Older APE 'may' blue-screen Leopard upgrade, admits developer, 28 October 2007]