Ask HN: Rate my app: PNGSquash

After running PNGSquash on a directory containing 10 PNGs totaling 456KB (which had already been optimized with pngcrush from the command line), it shrunk them to 432KB using the smallest squash level. The processing time was around 4m20s on a MacBook Pro with 3GB RAM.<p>A similar tool is ImageOptim <a href="http://pornel.net/imageoptim/en" rel="nofollow">http://pornel.net/imageoptim/en</a> , an open souce GUI for the following PNG / JPG optimizers: AdvPNG, OptiPNG, PngCrush, JpegOptim, jpegtran, and optionally PNGOUT.<p>Just curious about PNGOUT - did you get permission to bundle it with your app? Their license <a href="http://www.advsys.net/ken/utils.htm#pngoutkziplicense" rel="nofollow">http://www.advsys.net/ken/utils.htm#pngoutkziplicense</a> seems pretty restrictive: "Redistributing, repackaging, or reusing the PNGOUT or KZIP executable is prohibited without the express consent of Ardfry Imaging, LLC, and a formal business agreement."

Nice app. I use pngout from the command line, so this might save me some typing.<p>Feature suggestion: Tell me which of the 4 compressors gave the best result.<p>Also, since the point of testing 4 png compressors is to get the smallest size possible, why not use "smallest" as the default setting?

I compared ImageOptim and PNGSquash and PNGSquash made both files about 4KB smaller than ImageOptim did, both were using the highest optimization settings for smallest file size. I had PNGOUT installed too.<p>I like PNGSquash and I think I'll use it to optimize all my images. The only features I'd like included that ImageOptim does have are the ability to drag a folder into the window, so I don't have to pick out the pngs from a project I'm working on, and an auto-updater. Growl support would be nice as well.<p>For an auto-updater framework I like Sparkle a lot: <a href="http://sparkle.andymatuschak.org/" rel="nofollow">http://sparkle.andymatuschak.org/</a><p>Also, I agree with weaksauce's comment, you could just have the user download and install pngout separately, just tell them to drag it to /usr/bin and look in that folder for it, that's the usual location for it anyways. ImageOptim does this already.

Can we get something that works on linux or windows?<p>Although I guess I can just chain the 4 compressors myself on the command line...

I'd love to, but I can't:<p>- You linked me to a source control repository instead of a product page.<p>- There's a download button, but it seems to want to give me source code.<p>- reading comments here, it seems that the source is actually only compilable on a Mac.<p>In short, you have not produced an App. Even if I wanted to use your product, and had the right system to use it on, I couldn't.<p>If you want this to be software the people use, you'll need to register a domain name and build a site for it. That site will need to describe what it does (which, incidentally, your github description fails to do), and provide me with a prominent Download button that links to an installer or at least an executable.<p>Once you do that, please post it back here, and I'll be happy to give you feedback.