Meteorologist Classic is an open source, weather client for macOS. It retrieves data from weather services and displays it conveniently in the menubar. Get the latest weather reports for any location around the world, automatically. Click the badge above for the project repository.

Requirements

• macOS v10.6 or later
• Internet connection

Notes

The original Meteorologist started as a math undergraduate student’s pet project, debuting before macOS’s Dashboard feature. Even after the student graduated and Dashboard appeared with a weather widget, the code was maintained by community volunteers. A computer science graduate student helped with maintenance and began a modernization effort, but the new code was incomplete. Then the weather data source shut down, and the last community volunteer could not fix the code.

This beloved weather app has a loyal fan base, and I decided to contribute my two cents to open source by transitioning from end user to developer. I adapted the back end to interface with weather services using modern, REST APIs. I even extended backwards compatibility to macOS v10.4, including a PowerPC prototype to satisfy my curiosity on full backwards compatibility. Compatibility below v10.7 is due to the custom JSON parser I wrote.

The latest development is a major rewrite to use modern Apple frameworks and techniques while maintaining backwards compatibility to macOS v10.6. While some new features, such as asynchronous networking and Apple geocoding, are significant for efficient operation, my personal favorite is drag and drop for the magical illusion it represents. It is a programming hassle, akin to jumping through hoops; but Apple’s UI adds a simple flair, and I wish more programs evoked that feeling of magic.