Camino Disk Image. I find that the graphical instructions at the top take some time to decipher.
Firefox makes it much clearer. I just wish they use the real link to Applications folder.
Interarchy presents clear instructions both in graphics and text. It also conveniently includes a link to the Applications folder.
SnapNDrag includes company logo, textual instructions and 3 additional documents.
Gizmo Project has strong background and clear instructions in both text and graphic.
Opera includes instructions in multiple languages.
Skype has unique fuzzy graphics.
DevonThink is a complex product. You can tell it by looking at the disk image.
Adium added background to make sure you focus on the application.
OmniPlan includes text instructions. Looks simple and clear.
Delicious Library has stylish background that matches the overall program and website design.
Democracy Player looks great and places the focus in the right place. The only problem — the application icon blends in so perfectly — it is hard to separate it from the background picture. Also, I found that I ignored and did not see the text instructions for quite a while.
iTheater tried to replicate the best features of Adium's disk image design. Unfortunately, the background looks way too pretty and it draws a lot of attention away from the application itself — I just kept staring at the nice background.
GraphicConverter supports 11 languages: English, German, French, Danish, Swedish, Japanese, Italian, Spanish, Russian, Chinese and Czech!
AppZapper follows the winning formula: large application icon, live link to the Applications folder and extra instructions in text.
I love the “shortcut” to the brain in VisualHub.
DayLite is using package installer. I'd prefer a simple drag-n-drop, if possible. Package installers remind me of Windows — you never know in what corners of your hard drive the installer put the files.
Civil Netizen has the arrow wrong way?
MailTemplate is using the disk image to advertise MacTank.net hosting service. It also launches the package installer automatically when the disk image is mounted.
The Q — QEMU-based emulator for Mac OS X:
Redesigned disk image in 1Passwd 1.5. You need to see the original design to really appreciate this.
Disk Image of CoverFlow (it is now a part of iTunes 7):
Mira's disk image nicely matches the overall website and application design.
Version Tracker Pro 4.1. Disk image is open, now what?
Fetch: large product logo at top might be distracting from the application itself. It is nice to see the instructions on how to run the application after it was installed.
There is so much love in AlarmClock:
By the way, disk image files can be used to distribute not only the applications but other digital products as well. For example, this is the disk image of Rapid Weaver template from Bonsai Studio:
And here is the Rapid Weaver itself:
Comments (43)
The one for Delicious Library isn’t bad.
Posted by Trevor | September 9, 2006 12:17 AM
Posted on September 9, 2006 00:17
Thanks! I added the Delicious Library disk image screenshot.
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September 9, 2006 12:28 AM
Posted on September 9, 2006 00:28
democracy player is nice.
Posted by Kryszpin | September 9, 2006 5:08 AM
Posted on September 9, 2006 05:08
I found the Camino instructions quite simple actually - just drag into your Applications folder and eject the disk image. The pictures are also great because they work no matter what language you speak.
Posted by Aaron | September 9, 2006 4:32 PM
Posted on September 9, 2006 16:32
@Kryszpin - Thanks! I added Democracy Player’s screenshot.
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September 9, 2006 4:40 PM
Posted on September 9, 2006 16:40
I like the ones that actually have a working Applications folder shortcut in the same DMG so you basically just drag it 2 inches and you are done. Maybe have a way of including an eject button in the DMG as well.
Posted by Matt Yohe | September 9, 2006 8:50 PM
Posted on September 9, 2006 20:50
Is this some sort of joke? It’s a background picture and in some cases an alias. How in God’s name did this make it’s way do the digg front page - if a software designer can’t figure this out they’re not designing software in the first place.
Posted by Trev | September 9, 2006 9:01 PM
Posted on September 9, 2006 21:01
GraphicConverter has an interesting, over the top DMG background.
Posted by Quentin | September 9, 2006 9:02 PM
Posted on September 9, 2006 21:02
This is great. The funny thing is that I just downloaded Democracy this morning and when I was looking at the DMG thought “I wonder if there is a gallery of the best DMG implementations.”
Maybe I am psychic. Maybe I should play the lotto. I think I will just go take a nap.
Interesting entry!
Posted by Eric | September 9, 2006 9:43 PM
Posted on September 9, 2006 21:43
Use Filestorm for the great looking DMG files! Filestorm http://www.mindvision.com/filestorm.asp
Posted by Steve K. | September 9, 2006 9:51 PM
Posted on September 9, 2006 21:51
I downloaded AppZapper today and noticed it had a very nice DMG - This post was actually quite timely
Posted by Eru | September 9, 2006 9:53 PM
Posted on September 9, 2006 21:53
Check out the one for DayLite 3… it’s quite well-done.
www.marketcircle.com
Posted by Phunky MOnkey | September 9, 2006 9:56 PM
Posted on September 9, 2006 21:56
How about the one for Visualhub?
http://www.visualhub.net/
Posted by Sam | September 9, 2006 11:19 PM
Posted on September 9, 2006 23:19
Thank you for the comments. I added GraphicsConverter, AppZapper, DayLite and VisualHub.
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September 10, 2006 12:45 AM
Posted on September 10, 2006 00:45
How can anyone pretend to be an auhority on Mac software dstribution when they use the word “shortcut” to refer to an alias - even if it is sarcasm in the case of VisualHub.
Posted by chad | September 10, 2006 2:27 AM
Posted on September 10, 2006 02:27
There is very little content in this article. Some applications include a link to the Applications directory. Others have background images. Not worth my time.
But strangely, worth my time to leave this comment.
Posted by Evan | September 10, 2006 2:36 AM
Posted on September 10, 2006 02:36
I like the one for Q (kberg.ch)
Posted by Kroc Camen | September 10, 2006 3:30 AM
Posted on September 10, 2006 03:30
Giving credit where credit is due, I believe that Rainer Brockerhoff’s XRay was the first program to be distributed with an Applications link on the DMG. The technique became much more widespread following the release of Fetch 5 in 2005, and the publication of Ben Artin’s article on the subject:
http://www.macdevcenter.com/pub/a/mac/2005/09/02/easy-access-to-application-folder-from-a-disk.html
The latest Fetch disk image is improved from the one in the article, and I think we’re still the only ones to use a custom read-me icon on the in order to make it less prominent than the application.
Posted by Jim Matthews | September 10, 2006 9:25 AM
Posted on September 10, 2006 09:25
Aaron, I must say the instructions confused the hell out of me. Camino was the first app I tried putting on a Mac, and I tried moving camino onto the graphical instructions at first, clicking the graphic to see if it’d do something… In text saying “move to application folder” would have been much more useful.
Posted by Anonymous | September 10, 2006 12:44 PM
Posted on September 10, 2006 12:44
I made the democracy disk image, originally the wallpaper was brown and the TV was orange very retro, but PCF wanted it blue :(
If you move the TV there is a little surprise behind it.
Posted by Tom Woodhams | September 11, 2006 5:58 AM
Posted on September 11, 2006 05:58
Heya,
Pretty timely given yesterday’s iTunes announcement—you ought to include a screen cap of CoverFlow’s DMG.
Just days before the stand-alone app was integrated into iTunes, the developer put out one final release. It came wrapped in a DMG worthy of this gallery—it’s sweet. Check it out:
http://static.flickr.com/98/242821316680af5d06co.png
Peace,
J.
Posted by Jonah | September 13, 2006 10:56 PM
Posted on September 13, 2006 22:56
camino’s one was specifically made to be international ( you know ,people not speaking english) and no need to create tens of translated dmg
that’s why there are no text.
—
great idea to have made that page.
of course it’s not about ideas for developper (“duh! a link!”) , no no , it’s about DESIGN , how to show the application, how to explain or add nice polish to the “discovery” of the application.
thanks.
Posted by michel | September 14, 2006 1:37 PM
Posted on September 14, 2006 13:37
For me, the App folder alias is critical. App Zapper is the best on this page, in my opinion. Folder alias, big icon, and strong composition that leads the eye to the application.
Posted by Elliot | September 14, 2006 4:27 PM
Posted on September 14, 2006 16:27
Acquisition gets my vote for the worst .dmg ever. Unclear, small and obnoxious.
PS, why doesn’t Apple make it easier for “regular” people to use .dmg? My parents and friends who are recent switchers are still baffled by the concept of a disk image.
Posted by Marc D. | September 14, 2006 4:35 PM
Posted on September 14, 2006 16:35
This article is a GREAT idea! Love those dmg’s. If I remember well, Watson was pretty well-designed, too. I don’t know if it still exists. If not, I might have it somewhere on an archive CD.
Posted by MrVx | September 14, 2006 4:52 PM
Posted on September 14, 2006 16:52
Regarding Camino, in a word, internationalisation. To have included text instructions would mean recreating the image for every language it supports! The icon route is so much less english specific!
Posted by Jon Hicks | September 14, 2006 4:52 PM
Posted on September 14, 2006 16:52
great stuff
Posted by jon Stieglitz | September 14, 2006 5:02 PM
Posted on September 14, 2006 17:02
I just wrote a little automator plug-in that appears in my contextual menu call “Move/Copy to Applications.”
Posted by Zack Kitzmiller | September 14, 2006 5:02 PM
Posted on September 14, 2006 17:02
Last year, while still with ATI, I created the disk image for the Remote Wonder application (which I also designed and was project manager for). It was very quickly done, but clean and elegant in my opinion anyway. It’s a drag install.
With my own company I’ve also created a DMG background for our application mira ( http://twistedmelon.com ) It’s bright, light and friendly.
The file is an installer package as it’s installing a System Preference Pane and a login item. It doesn’t throw files all over the system however and includes a built-in uninstall that can remove every trace of itself.
Posted by Bruno | September 14, 2006 5:55 PM
Posted on September 14, 2006 17:55
I really like it when installers include a link to the Applications folder. Makes it real simple.
What I don’t like is when they include extras and don’t tell you what to do with them, or where to put them. I installed Garage Sale the other day, and it had a folder with a bunch of extras in it. No mention on where to put them, and the folder had a generic name (can’t remember what) so I couldn’t just drag it to the Applications folder…it would get lost in the shuffle. Worse, the actual installation instructions said to eject the disk image after dragging the application icon to the Applications folder. No mention of the extra folder anywhere…
Posted by Tony | September 14, 2006 6:43 PM
Posted on September 14, 2006 18:43
Great idea, Roustem.
It’s sad that some people are bagging this page. This page is very useful. It’s a great single point of reference for designers and developers to come and find out what users like when it comes to DMGs.
My own thoughts on DMGs are the inclusion of an alias to the Applications folder is the best thing that ever happened to these DMGs.
A lot of DMGs open without a sidebar. Unless your Finder already has other windows open, that means to “Drag the icon to your application folder” requires first opening a second window, or clearing the desktop (F11) so you can see your drives.
When I was a newbie, installing applications that way was very daunting.
Whereas now with the Application alias, it’s easy as.
Posted by Chris Howard | September 14, 2006 6:46 PM
Posted on September 14, 2006 18:46
I’m quite proud of the design and usability of the HoudahSpot disk image. I think it would do well by your standards: http://www.houdah.com/houdahSpot
Posted by Pierre Bernard | September 14, 2006 6:53 PM
Posted on September 14, 2006 18:53
Nice info.
What about some of the ways they make they DMG files to have such a good layout?
Posted by jamus | September 14, 2006 9:59 PM
Posted on September 14, 2006 21:59
Path Finder has a pretty nice one, too.
http://www.cocoatech.com/
Posted by Barry | September 14, 2006 11:00 PM
Posted on September 14, 2006 23:00
Rapidweaver is pretty good.
Posted by Richard. | September 14, 2006 11:00 PM
Posted on September 14, 2006 23:00
Check out Yahoo! Messenger for Mac, very nice and simple DMG design.
http://messenger.yahoo.com
Posted by Freddy | September 15, 2006 1:20 AM
Posted on September 15, 2006 01:20
Jim Matthews: thanks for remembering ;-).
I now see that most people are simply putting in a Finder alias (to /Applications) instead of a symlink… I’m not so sure this is a good idea. It works quite well in Tiger, but it will store your boot disk name at the very least, and perhaps even break if the user has a secondary volume which has that same name.
Posted by Rainer Brockerhoff | September 15, 2006 1:04 PM
Posted on September 15, 2006 13:04
There’s one tremendous omission in the CoverFlow DMG. Drag to what?
Posted by Scott F | September 15, 2006 1:29 PM
Posted on September 15, 2006 13:29
SuperDuper! installation instructions in its DMG file:
To install or update:
Drag to Applications and run!
… above the SD! app icon.
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September 16, 2006 3:25 PM
Posted on September 16, 2006 15:25
I think this is a good one—it’s for GrowlCamino, and really tells you everything you need to know.
http://flickr.com/photos/falsefridays/245222291/
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September 17, 2006 4:33 AM
Posted on September 17, 2006 04:33
The other day I wrote up a little Automator workflow I call “Drop Kick”.
I’ll post it here later http://universityofmac.com/2006/07/
Its pretty simple, you place Drop Kick inside the DMG in loo of the Applications Folder Alias. It automatically copies the App to the appropriate folder and ejects the disk image.
I’d love to see it rewritten as an Applescript. Obviously the developer could also add some extremely annoying features like opening their web page automatically. Or really cool ones like adding their RSS feed to a folder name “Drop Kick” inside your RSS Reader.
Hope you like it.
Posted by Kern Jackson | September 26, 2006 2:23 PM
Posted on September 26, 2006 14:23
Sorry to bump, but I put the wrong address, and I think the idea might have legs.
http://universityofmac.com/2006/09/26/drop-kick/
Posted by Kern Jackson | September 26, 2006 3:03 PM
Posted on September 26, 2006 15:03
I thought it was really interesting collection and was pleased to see our site designer, Bonsai Studio, featured.
With all the variations, it just goes to show that the “Mac” way isn’t really that defined after all.
Unless you are a power user, why don’t software developers just have a default, “click the icon to install in Applications folder and eject it, all in one move”?
That would blow a bit more “Mac is simple dust” everywhere.
Posted by Ed | December 6, 2006 7:18 AM
Posted on December 6, 2006 07:18