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Apple Releases Sherlock 3 SDK

Posted by pudge on from the go-go-gadget-sherlock dept.

stevenprentice writes "Ken Bereskin's Radio Weblog just announced, 'Big news on the Sherlock 3 front. We've released an SDK that allows you to build your own Sherlock channels. The user interface of your channel is built using Interface Builder and the logic of the channel can be written in JavaScript and/or XQuery. You need to have the Mac OS X Developer Tools installed along with the 10.2.2 update and the SDK adds a technical reference on building a channel, a Project Builder template, the Interface Builder palette and a sample channel to help give you a jump start.'" It took them long enough, but better late then never.

24 comments

  1. Important link... by 3-State+Bit · · Score: 4, Informative

    For those of us wondering, here's an important link left out of the write-up.

    It's quite revolutionary.

    1. Re:Important link... by Twirlip+of+the+Mists · · Score: 3, Funny
      Cecil: Goodness! I had no idea! For you see, I have been on Mars for the past decade. In a cave. With my eyes shut, and my fingers in my ears.

      Bob: Touche, Cecil.

      ;-)

      --

      I write in my journal
  2. Not Really Clear by rixstep · · Score: 1

    I'm not really clear on this - Apple is distributing an update to PB/IB inside of 10.2.2? This doesn't sound right. R.

    1. Re:Not Really Clear by Twirlip+of+the+Mists · · Score: 4, Informative

      No, Apple included an update to Sherlock inside 10.2.2. If this kit depends on anything in 10.2.2-- I haven't found anything that indicates that it does, exactly-- that's probably it.

      --

      I write in my journal
  3. Late? by node+3 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    "It took them long enough, but better late then never."

    Late? Sherlock 3 has been out for less than 3 months. I suppose the Sherlock team could have waited until Sherlock 3 and its SDK were both ready.

    Of course, then Jaguar would have just been released.

    I'll take later on some things if it means earlier on others. As cool as the SDK is, it's kinda useless without the actual app itself. However I've found Sherlock 3 to be quite useful without the SDK.

  4. Slashdot by bats · · Score: 5, Interesting

    So Pudge, where's the /. channel already?

  5. TV listings with HD info! by Twirlip+of+the+Mists · · Score: 5, Interesting

    I'm not sure if I'll have the time or the motivation to do this myself, but I really would like to build a Sherlock channel for TV listings, similar to Watson's TV channel, but including information about whether a program is available in HDTV or not. The web sources for such info aren't that hot; TitanTV, the best-known, is slower than ass and a pain to use.

    Maybe some enlightened reader with free time and energy will take this idea and run with it.

    --

    I write in my journal
    1. Re:TV listings with HD info! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      >>The web sources for such info aren't that hot; TitanTV, the best-known, is slower than ass and a pain to use.

      Sorta like Sherlock. I haven't found ANY use for that program. It's like a meta-browser or something, but my regular browser works just fine.

    2. Re:TV listings with HD info! by Twirlip+of+the+Mists · · Score: 5, Interesting

      I use Sherlock almost every day. I keep an eye on a number of stocks, and Sherlock shows me their activity and news about them. I use the Yellow Pages feature regularly. The killer for me was the map feature: every entry you find comes with driving directions and a map automagically. Same with the movie browser; Sherlock shows me a list of theaters in my city and the movies playing at them. Click a movie and the trailer starts downloading automatically. Finally, the flight info tracker is critical to anybody who travels even occasionally. It's really neat that it gives you a real-time map of the plane's location as it's in flight, too.

      And all of this without advertising. It's schweeeet.

      --

      I write in my journal
    3. Re:TV listings with HD info! by Triv · · Score: 2

      As great as all that is, it shows how much of the internet we without broadband are missing. Yeah, I can conveniently grab the trailer for "Awsome New Movie 3", assuming my definition of conveniently is waiting three hours for the download.

      I wish broadband didn't cost a small fortune. :(

      Triv

    4. Re:TV listings with HD info! by runenfool · · Score: 2

      Most of what Sherlock does (not all) can be done better in Watson. http://www.karelia.com

      Its worth the small cost. It would be neat if Watson could support sherlock plugins just in case it takes off.

  6. Re:SDK? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Interesting

    What, did you just think Mac software emerged from dirty rags via spontaneous generation?

    SDK's have been available for every new mac technology at least since the early 90's. Eventually the winners get merged into the OS.

    One could argue that Apple pioneered the modern SDK with the Mac Toolbox, which it shipped in ROM in 1984. The Mac *was* a SDK.

  7. Re:Parsing your clause by Morky · · Score: 1, Flamebait

    Neither of you passed 7th grade grammar. THAN is used in a comparison, THEN is related to time. If you're wondering, yes, I'm a dick.

  8. Good SDK, Bad SDK... by absharp · · Score: 2, Insightful

    The release of the SDK is great - and yeah I think better late than never! But the documentation could use some beefing up (well, err, as could the rest of the OS) - for people that want to do channels other than pure web searches, like LDAP lookups, the help just isn't there...

  9. Can't beat Watson by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Interesting

    Actually, the plug-ins are not Cocoa bundles like watson's they're scripts ( can you spell S-L-O-W? )

    Watson's SDK is sooooo superior.

  10. Sherlock Request by thatguywhoiam · · Score: 5, Insightful
    Could someone with a clue (and some spare time) come up with versions of some of the channels that are missing for Canadians?

    Note to Apple: we have electricity now, and everything. Really.

    --
    If Jesus wants me it knows where to find me.
  11. Newbie all around by HomeGroove · · Score: 1

    I'm looking to get into programming (currently, I'm just a poor web designer...html, javascript, php) and I thought this might be a good way. Any good pointers? I DL'ed the SDK and was completely lost (I found the examples in the dev folder..yes I installed dev tools). Anybody?

    --

    ----
    Spam subject of the moment: Offshore account secrets -nashville disrupt

  12. Well, neither searches Canadian movie listings... by Trillan · · Score: 1

    And considering how busy I am, I think I'd rather write a script than a Cocoa bundle.

  13. I plan to. by Trillan · · Score: 1

    Now that the SDK is out, I hope to get a few basic ones together. Hopefully someone will beat me to it though! :)

  14. Has anyone successfully written... by themexican · · Score: 1

    a new plugin using the 3.0 SDK. Also has anyone successfully imported an old plug. I'd love to check out the results.