[Sparkle] Keeping downloaded files?

[Ricky Buchanan]

I just had to re-install OS X and all my apps for non-relevant  
reasons.  I usually keep the downloaded files for any installed app  
that I use to help with re-installing if needed, and this has worked  
fine in the past but now most of my commonly used apps auto-update  
with Sparkle I don't ever *get* the downloaded files anywhere that I  
can save them in case of later catastrophe.  I ended up installing  
the old programs and letting sparkle update them all, but after I'd  
done it I realised that if (when) this happened again I'd be in the  
same predicament all over again... is there any way at a USER level  
to keep a copy of the downloaded updates separate from the automatic  
stuff?

I understand this is different in the USA/Canada at least, but here  
my download limit is 20gb/month shared between my flatmate and myself  
on a 256k DSL line, but I have 500+ gb of hard drive space ...  
bandwidth is a much more limiting factor than drive space, and I hate  
wasting a whole bunch of the stuff downloading stuff that I have  
already downloaded and just can't access.  Yes, Software Upgrade  
drives me nuts for the same reason but I figure it's easier to get  
Sparkle to add an advanced option than SU :).

I realise that most users won't want this option, I am not suggesting  
it happen by default.  My two suggestions are either a hidden pref to  
save copies of downloaded appcast files to directory X, or if Sparkle  
downloads everything to the one directory and just doesn't leave it  
there could I set up a Folder Action on that folder with a "Copy file  
to ..." action to grab myself a copy before things are deleted? That  
would only work if nothing else used the directory though, I don't  
want a copy of everything dumped in the tmp directory.

I am not a coder, but I regularly install programs to trial for  
ATMac, and I beta test a lot of stuff so I hose my system regularly  
doing Things Best Not Done. Having a way to easily put the system  
back together from scratch would really help.

Thanks for a great framework,
r
[Please excuse mistakes/brevity, typed via on-screen keyboard due to  
disability]
-- 
ATMac - Assistive Technology for Mac Users - http:// 
atmac.livejournal.com/