Bodega 1.3 available, a fun alternative to the Mac App Store
With most Mac users happily anticipating the availability of the Mac App Store on January 6, many seem to forget that there has been an App Store for Mac for quite some time -- Bodega.
Bodega is an app discovery and download gateway from Freshcode. The app can be downloaded by anyone for free, and the store is constantly stocked with new apps from a variety of Mac developers. The update provides bug fixes as well as performance and feature improvements, while maintaining the fun "corner store" look and feel that has been a trademark of Bodega.
Ahead of the release of the Mac App Store, Freshcode is pushing Bodega to developers as an alternative with many advantages:
No approval process for apps, although they must not be blatantly offensive or contain illegal content or information
No restrictions on APIs used within apps
Developers keep 93 percent of the sale price as revenue, compared to the Mac App Store's 70 percent
There's no need to write a special version of an app to be included in Bodega
No developer program charges or costs
It appears that the Mac marketplace may soon have a surplus of App Stores, since Cydia's Jay "Saurik" Freeman is also developing a similar store. For Mac users, finding and purchasing apps is going to be as easy as clicking an icon -- or several of them. TUAW readers can get a taste of Bodega by downloading the app here.
Editor's note: Bodega is going to thrive with the advent of the Mac App Store.
