Path Finder Updated to v5.0.9

2/24/09 By

Path Finder is a file browser that has a streamlined, beautiful new interface, lots of new features, and tons of improvements and fixes throughout. It has been completely rewritten and optimized for Mac OS X 10.5 and represents over a year and half of hard work.

(Via Mac Update.)

I began using Path Finder myself a little over 3 weeks ago, and already find it to be one of the most indispensable applications I own. And that’s coming from a hard-core Finder wonk. With a plethora of cool features–both obvious and hidden–this app won me over quick, which is not an easy thing to do when it comes to shareware.

If you haven’t looked at Path Finder recently, I recommend you do–just to see what you might be missing.

Filed Under: Software Tagged With: , ,

What Is An Upgrade Worth To You?

1/17/09 By

I officially made Jim Mitchell Design a licensed business a little over six months ago. Up until then, it was always an under the table, pay me in cash sort of operation (and yes, I paid my taxes on it). When I decided I wanted to take it to the next level, there were natural expenses that came with doing so, which meant buying licenses for software packages I had previously done without.

One of those licenses was for QuickBooks Pro 2007 from Intuit. I’d researched all the other accounting packages for the Mac, and felt QBP was the better choice out of them all (though none were really up to Mac standards). Even though it was a little pricier, I plunked down my $199 and decided to live with it.

Today, Intuit released QuickBooks Pro 2009 for the Mac. I thought to myself “Cool, time to upgrade. Hopefully it’s a better Mac application. It couldn’t be more than a minor investment.” It turns out I was sorely mistaken. After trying to navigate the “updated” Intuit site for more than 15 minutes looking for some kind of upgrade information (Seriously Intuit. Your site is a HUGE pain to find anything on and renders like crap on modern Mac browsers), the only reference I could find was “upgrade starting from $179.”

Wait. Are you serious? I paid $199 for a brand-spanking new license only six months ago. Now you want me to pay another $179 to “upgrade?” Well, no that’s not really the case. Intuit wants me to buy their product all over again, because they’re offering the exact same product to NEW customers for the same $179 it would cost me to upgrade.

Did I miss something here? Me–an existing customer–pays $378 ($199 + $179). Joe the Plumber–a new customer–pays $179 for the exact same product. Intuit == Fail.

While I understand there are costs involved in developing new software, and those costs need to be covered by new sales, I’m of the mind that expecting existing customers–the ones that initially provided you some of the capital to pay those software developers to update your new version (I’m sure the code base wasn’t started from scratch)–to pay full price for an only marginally better product amounts to no more than corporate greed. Needless to say, unless Intuit informs me to the contrary, I will not be upgrading my license for QuickBooks Pro 2007. Times as they are, that would be stupid for my bottom line.

But it got me thinking. What’s appropriate when it comes to software upgrades? Free for life? Full price at each update? Or keep track of a user base and pro-rate upgrade amounts? Personally, I opt for the latter. I really feel Intuit should have recognized that I was a customer with less than a year of use, and offered me some kind of price break. Apple does it with their OS upgrades (sort of), so I don’t think it would have been hard to do. They have my contact information, and the date I purchased the original license. But instead, they chose to snub me and run the risk of losing my business–which they have. In addition to using QuickBooks Pro, I’ve been a long time users of TurboTax. Once this tax season is past me, I will be looking for an alternative software solution for the 2009 tax year.

What’s your take on software upgrades? Should they be free, full price, or pro-rated?

Filed Under: Software Tagged With: , ,

More On Leopard Mail.app Freezes

12/23/07 By

This is a follow up to the bit I posted last week about Mail.app hanging — usually at login/startup/wake, but then at other times for no reason in particular. My original post blamed the problem on iCal syncing To-Do’s with Mail (which I personally don’t like).

An update to that post later shifted the blame to GrowlMail. I can confirm — without a doubt — that GrowlMail has a problem with IMAP email accounts under Leopard, both on Intel and PPC based machines. While you could simply turn GrowlMail off in Mail preferences, my recommendation is to completely remove the bundle until it can be fully updated for compatibility. Note: a new version of GrowlMail was released a few days ago that supposedly addresses Leopard issues. However, my testing found it to still have lingering problems, so I promptly uninstalled it.

If you have GrowlMail installed, it can be uninstalled by removing the following files from your hard drive: 

/Library/Mail/Bundles/GrowlMail.bundle
/Library/Receipts/GrowlMail.pkg
/Library/Receipts/growlmailPreflight.pkg

Since deleting those files, I’ve had no trouble with my IMAP account in Leopard Mail whatsoever. It should be noted you’ll probably have to authenticate as an administrator to remove the files.

Filed Under: Apple, How To..., Software Tagged With: , , ,

10 Mac Apps I'd Be Lost Without

7/18/07 By

It’s been a while since I’ve shared any of my deep, dark ruminations here, so I figured it was time to throw together my own list of the 10 Mac apps I can’t live without. Here goes…

  1. GyazMail: Hands down the very best email client for OS X. While it still lacks a few features such as digital signatures & the ability to compose messages in rich text, it’s the fastest, most configurable, and cleanest email client I’ve tried. Believe me, I’ve tried them all.

  2. SpamSieve: Tightly integrated with GyazMail (and other clients), SpamSieve does a bang up job of dealing with those little blue pill emails and overseas lottery notifications. I can’t even fathom having to manage the slew of garbage that drops in my inbox everyday without this app. One of the biggest time-saving software purchases I’ve made.

  3. NetNewsWire: My connection to the outside world. I don’t even bother turning on the liberal broadcast news when I get home anymore. I’ve already had my dose via RSS. Oh, and I get plenty of Mac (and iPhone) news this way too.

  4. Quicksilver: Yes, it’s on everyone else’s list, so it may as well be on mine. If you use it, you already know why I love it. If you don’t (what!?!), then you don’t know what you’re missing. I stopped using a licensed version of LaunchBar in favor of Quicksilver. Yes, it’s that friggin’ good (remember, I’m cheap frugal).

  5. ecto: Far and away the most elegant blogging app for the Mac, I’ve been a user since it was “Kung Log”. While it can be a little intimidating for new users, there’s a lot of power under the hood once you harness it. I’m really looking forward to version 3 once Adrian is ready to release it (hint, hint there Ado).

  6. TextMate: I used to use TextWrangler for all of my plain text editing — until the day I got my hands on TextMate. This application has everything I need in a text editor and more, except for a built in ftp client – which is the one thing I miss from TextWrangler. But since TextMate integrates so well with Transmit, it’s barely noticeable. I live in this app every day.

  7. Transmit: Speaking of which… The most super-awesome ftp client in the world. Makes transferring my files between development and production servers as simple as drag & drop from one tab to the other. Besides, it’s from Panic Software, so you know it’s got to be good.

  8. SuperDuper!: For back ups and clones, there’s no competition here. It does what it’s supposed to do easily, with power-user power to spare. Absolutely the best way to back up entire drives and user folders to Firewire.

  9. iGTD: The newest addition to my stable of must-haves. I’ve tried for years to get my to do list organized. This little bugger has finally done it. Thanks to .Mac syncing, I’ve always got what I need to get done right there. No more forgetting — well, maybe. Sometimes I mistake procrastination for forgetting…

  10. Yasu: Naturally, the list wouldn’t be complete without my own application, right? All kidding and bias aside, Yasu is STILL easier to use than Cocktail, Onyx or Tiger Cache Cleaner. Sure, those other three give you extra toys to play with to give you that warm fuzzy geek feeling, but Yasu simply gets the tasks that need to be done, done. A true "GTD" utility app if ever there was one.

So there you have it. My list. Love it or leave it. Sure, there are several other commercial & Apple apps I use all the time, but these are (to me) some of the more outstanding offerings from indie developers that help keep the Mac universe from collapsing in on itself. Kudos to all those who code the products in my list for their dedication to keeping the spirit of freeware & shareware alive.

What Mac apps would you give your eye teeth, first born, or iPhone to keep?

Filed Under: Software

Securing Gmail Notifier

7/9/07 By

Secure Gmail Notifier using hidden preference setting

I was shocked to discover that the Gmail Notifier, as distributed by Google, defaults to sending your Gmail password over the network in clear text every time it checks your inbox for new mail.

Here’s a very handy tip I came across on MacOSXHints.com this morning. I had no idea that my GMail & GCal password was being sent in clear-text. I’m not too happy about it either. Thankfully, it’s really easy to change Google Notifier to an https connection using the poster’s instructions. If you use the app, I recommend you do the same — pronto.

Filed Under: How To..., Software