I've tested previous versions of CDFinder over the years, and while the software was always quite capable, I never could get myself to buy it - the interface was just too ugly to cope with.

Now with its new name though, the UI has made quite some progress (not 100% there, but close), and I have finally taken the plunge and purchased the app.

Couple more bugs to work out, little polishing needed interface-wise, but it is definitely on the right track!

I love the idea of being able to manage cookies, I love(d) SafariCookies and would have - had it gone commercial - gladly paid for it.

But what I don't understand is the recent move of every other developer to add their product to my Mac's startup/login items. While for some software this is essential (i.e., Little Snitch), I really don't need access to a cookie manager when I am not using a browser.

IMO – great idea, deeply flawed implementation.

LOOKIN2IT,

By default, Mac OS X's firewall is a) turned off, and b) even if you do turn it on, it only monitors incoming connections. I suggest you look into (no pun intended :o) a firewall that monitors outgoing connections as well, there are several products (Little Snitch, NetBarrier, Glow Worm) that will happily do this for you.

Personally, I prefer Little Snitch, it is one of the first things I install on every new computer. The training period (*) can be a bit annoying but after that it's a great little app that quietly does its job, highly recommended.


(* - Once you installed it, LS monitors the launch of each and every app, either by you and/or Mac OS X, and asks you whether or not you want to allow it to connect to the internet. For some built-in apps like Safari and Mail it's got predefined rules, but for most others you have to specify them yourself. Once you've defined a permanent rule LS will follow your instructions and leave you alone)

I had been looking forward to an upgrade to Unison 1.x for eons, so when 2.0 showed up on MacUpdate I paid my update fee before even downloading the new version. Turns out that (for me, at least) 2.0 is a paid downgrade in so many areas that I'll be going back to 1.x.

Worse than any of the other shortcomings is version 2's startup speed: I have three (!) newsgroups in my favorites list - one large, one small, one tiny (by numbers of posts). I takes the application over FIVE MINUTES to become responsive after I first double-click its icon. All this takes place on a 3GHz quad-core machine w/8GB of RAM, running off a 10k rpm WD Raptor.

Previous versions were slow to load large groups, too, but with those the user had control over when these waits would occur - posts would not load from Unison's DB until the respective group window was opened.m With version 2 you have no choice ... you open the app, be ready to get something else done until you can interact w/Unison again; i.e. read a good book.

This new (terrible) behavior alone is reason enough to save your money and stick with 1.x; other shortcomings that come to mind:

- Usability: inverting the color scheme in post listings to white text on black background when clicking a disclosure triangle makes for terrible legibility.
- Usability: instead of improving the search for groups (e.g., w/addtl. parameters), we get a "pretty" set of icons that's being sold as a directory - for what it is, the visual emphasis is vastly exaggerated.
- Usability: as others have mentioned, removing the "mark files read/unread" functionality was a bad idea.
- Visual Design: The updated app icon with its faux metal surface is - in my book, ymmv - just another sign that this app is becoming "over-designed and under-featured"

Now, to put all this back into perspective: Unison still is a decent app and (after some waiting) will do what it's told, it's just that it falls short of the promise delivered by version 1.x.