ABELLE  I bought "MacJournal" and I am very happy.

I can organize my life, my projects ... very easy and pleasant to use ... indispensable, thank you.  
(Version 5.2b6)

SUPERMAN S  Developer seriously, thank you  
(Version 5.2b1)

MJKPHOTO  Yeah!  
(Version 5.1.4)

MJKPHOTO  Enough of the beta updates.  
(Version 5.1.4b2)

DANA SUTTON  I guess I'm the reverse of most people who have written reviews about MacJournal lately. I. m. h. o., what started out as a simple, straightforward and clean journal app. has morhed into a monster (and a rather expensive monster at that) by trying to be all things to all people, acquiring a gazillion extraneous bells and whistles. And some folks in this thread are begging for yet more of the same. I'm sticking to v. 3, and I'm certainly not forking out money for an upgrade, which only encourages the developer, who ought to have known how to quit when he was ahead.  
(Version 5.1.3)

MEITNIK  The original MJ didn't impress me but it looked promising for sure. As a blog/Journal tool it is very useful and powerful. The manual (with great screen shots) is better than most I have recently read, though it does have some rough areas. It needs a quick start guide and better coverage of Applescript support. And it fails to explain well how it handles import of text/opml data, which is important for bringing data from files. An example raw text/RTF for import that gets parsed into a journal and entries would be good. As for features, MJ has done a good job understanding what is needed for bloging and journal writing. However, I would like it to support scholarship stuff too, like source tacking and citation (perhaps via tags somehow?). I do wish hilighting text was more than just coloring. It would be useful to put all the blue text into a smart journal. And some kind of annotation tools for pictures would be good too. I do like how it can suck in a folder and its files into MJ. I love quick notes and the import droplets. And internal linking is good with support for aliasing entries which is wonderful. I do wish some how to paste text that gets parsed into a journal and entries. Finally, I want real outlining in the text area of an entry. I did encounter some crashers and bugs, but Dan was great at helping me and fixing them for newer betas. I look forward to using MJ. :-)  
(Version 5.1.2b4)

DOLSHEA  As a Web Marketing Strategist, MacJournal has changed my workflow forever... When surfing the web prior to using MacJournal I saved to a folder on my desktop to store my daily research which eventually became a 'hot-mess' to navigate.

With the help of MacJournal storing relevant information from the web is a breeze. To my surprise when surfing the web MacJournal was available as a printing or save to option from Services in the Safari browser... Collecting, mashing up, finalizing and uploading data has finally become intuitive given my professional needs.

I highly recommend MacJournal for marketing and research professionals who're looking for a simple and intuitive solution to collecting and compiling data from the web. And if you throw in DevonAgent to search the web, OMFG!!!  
(Version 5.1.2b2)

WALRUSCP  This is a terrific piece of software (got it in the MU Ed bundle) that makes blogging/journaling an enjoyable breeze. Had a minor issue with making numbered lists in 5.1.1, but the developers were responsive and fixed the problem in the 5.1.2b1. Can't beat that.  
(Version 5.1.2b2)

ZO219  Hardest workin' man in show business.  
(Version 5.1.1)

SCHUBERT  I have been a MacJournal user since right after I purchased my first MacBook Pro in March, 2007. It has evolved to more than I could have ever expected. I use it almost every day and find it to be extremely easy to use.

MacJournal is designed for not only the average person, but also for the seasoned professional who wants to do more in an efficient way. To top it off, the developer provides First-Class customer service.

The best method to really understand the perfection of MacJournal is to download the demo and use it. My guess is that you will buy it and wonder why you waited so long.  
(Version 5.1)

JEVON  I have been using MacJournal for almost one year. I started on MacJournal 4 and have just upgraded to MacJournal 5. Primarily I use MacJournal to create blog posts offline prior to uploading them and also enjoy having on my computer a list of entries that I have created.

I like the feel and flow of MacJournal 5 and find it far easier to use than its predecessor. The WYSIWYG aspects are strong; in that, how I format my entry in MacJournal translate nicely to html. Also the inclusion of attachments works very well.

There are some features that I would like to see to make my experience complete however.

Blogging Tags:

I use WordPress for my blogging software and with this I get the capacity to use a 'More' tag. This tag will allow me to give a longer post a succinct overview and then a link should a viewer wish to see all of the post. With this my main page doesn't get too cluttered and I control the layout better. However MacJournal does not read this tag and so all I get in MacJournal is the first part of the post, but nothing else. I would like to see all of the post with a tag or graphic indicating the 'More' tag.

Podcasting:

I also podcast with my blog. I use Logic to create my podcasts and then upload the mp3 to my server (this is my preference). When I create my podcast post I just include the mp3 file as part of it. Thanks to a plug-in my podcast appears in a player in my blog post where I choose. However MacJournal does not retrieve this either. I have not explored at this point how I might podcast using MacJournal so I'm unsure of how I could change my process around this, but It would be nice if MacJournal treated this mp3 file the same way it treats the images I've included in my blog.

Summary:

Over all I'm very happy with MacJournal and look forward to future version. It is an application that I would be hard pressed to do with out now that I've used it. Thanks very much to the developers of this application. Please keep it up.  
(Version 5.1b8)

GREENHORN  The first thing I notice is that MacJournal seems wider, physically wider. I found that MacJournal 4 always seemed constrained like I was bumping my shoulders against the door frame. I would often go over to notebook to do journaling and the going back and forth was kind of schizophrenic. There is something more natural about journaling in MacJournal 5. Having been using Mac's since 1986, my Mac +, just diving in has been a trait long habituated. Now I was able to discover more features easily and can see the increased power and ease of use of this application update. I can see that MacJournal 5 will be my primary journaling application while Notebook will perform its business as a task organizer. In all aspects as the Macintosh platform has become more complex, one is better served by reading the how to PDFs. I purchased some new apps last month like 1Password and Bento but I've not been able to make efficient use of them because I don't want to stop my forward progress with the apps using my by gosh and by golly approach to learning the applications. This is going to have to stop. I must bow down to the Gods of Bells and Whistles so I can make a more effective approach to using the programs.  
(Version 5.1b6)

GLENDA  This is one of the applications that I love to use and seek out reasons TO use. It combines an astonishing number of features with great ease of use. In my opinion, there are generous upgrade paths from earlier versions. The developer is extraordinarily responsive and friendly. MacJournal has crashed on me a few times (that's one of the ways I know how responsive the developer is!) and I've had trouble getting it set up perfectly to post to my blog on Blogger, but that may be pilot error. All in all, this application is a joy to use. And don't go thinking I write this about every piece of software I own, because this is the first review I've ever written.  
(Version 5.1b6)

BEWEIS  Great product. Thanks for german localization. The only problem I have is that MacJournal doesn't preserve the german umlauts when I send an entry to my word press blog.   
(Version 5.1b5)

JOI  I have used MacJournal for years and I think it is the best journaling program for the mac platform.  
(Version 5.1b2)

GEO1246  this is almost certainly the best journaling software for the mac. a few others aren't bad, but in terms of functionality and features, macjournal has them beat handily, at least for me. it's also a great place to keep notes, bank info, account numbers, to do lists, random things, etc etc, so it also replaces a number of other programs. I was a little nervous when mariner took over development of this app, but it seems like it's developing very well.   
(Version 5.0.3b8)

HENRIKTEKNIK  The most elegant, feature-rich, robust journaling app I've ever come across.

I found it to have the highest "feel-right-factor" to it, among the apps in the competition.

MacJournal has an equal potential for corporate and private needs respectively, and I've put it to good use in both areas.

I certainly use it almost every day!  
(Version 5.0.3b5)

K0GG  I bought a discounted MacJournal version 4. Eight weeks later MarinerSoftware release version 5. I paid for the upgrade because I was pleased with the software. I then found out that they offered free upgrades to ALL customers who bought a product within the previous three months. One email to MarinerSoftware and they gave me a full refund. This is quality customer service.  
(Version 5.0.3b5)

MACINTOSH SAUCE  I upgraded to the new version of MacJournal last week from version 4. What a nice change! Now, it works with iWeb! COOL!

This software package has become my mail blogging tool now since they released version 5. Keep up the great work!  
(Version 5.0.2)

JRNYOFLIFE  I have been using the trial version of MacJournal 5 for about a week now and already it is my favorite Mac program. It is very flexible, allowing more than one journal.

I use it for actual journaling -- i.e. writing about how the day went, etc...

AND

I use it to log things, like when I sent a rebate in, a call to technical support, what I did during the day, doctor appointments, and anything else important.

MacJournal allowws entries to have keywords making them easy to categorize and find.

I volunteer for a few organizations, and MacJournal is going to be nice for taking notes of meetings and having a record of what was said during the board meeting.

For students, MacJournal could be used to take notes for a class.

Entries can also have audio and video stored in them. It's a neat feature that I would use, but unfortunately it isn't working for me. The developer is very active in trying to help me fix the problem.

All in all, MacJournal is an excellent and flexible program that I highly recommend.  
(Version 5.0.2b2)

LEV  Rather. Good. Upgrade.

For me, anyway, though it's dangerous to argue from a sample of one. But... unlike the previous reviewer, scrollwheel (and two-finger trackpad scrolling) works just fine for me, and MacJournal posted without problem to my Typepad blog.

I've no axe to grind here. I've tried MacJournal a few times and on each occasion decided it wasn't for me. I use Journler for journalling and information hoarding, and Ecto for blogging. But this version seems much nicer. I'm tempted to give it a try.

But fifteen days isn't enough to evaluate it; not if you have work to do at the same time. It's caught my interest. If I fire it up again in a few days when I have a break in work, and it says "This demo has expired," so will my interest. Thirty days is the standard in the industry for a good reason: it's about long enough.  
(Version 5.0.1)

SUNBURN  Worst. Upgrade. Ever.

You get some more eye-candy, yes. But, scrolling with the scroll wheel is now broken for journal entries, and it will no longer send entries to my blog, all I get is a dialog which says "there was an unknown error." Gee, thanks.

And they want money for this?

I think it's time to switch to MarsEdit.  
(Version 5.0.1)

MADA  I just had a mail exchange with a customer representative who rightly admonished me for being too quick at complaining (wrongly) that I would have to pay more for an upgrade after I bought the previous version at a promo price, than if I had waited for the new version at a full price.

He explained the window for customers to get an upgrade to the next version was 90 days. He included a new personal serial.

It was a quick answer on the same day and good service for a good software getting better! I promise I will never again threaten to tell MacUpdate, before clarifying the company policy!   
(Version 5.0.1)

BOBEMBRY  Since I had tried a previous version, the trial period had expired. This should reset with each new version.  
(Version 5.0.1)

SANS DIEU RIEN  MacJournal crashes every time I close the Inspector window. I've repeated the crash without fail.  
(Version 5.0.1b1)

STEVEN GOODHEART  WOW! WOW! WOW!

What a terrific update this new 5.0 version is! The all-new interface and new, powerful features are simply a joy to use! The best journal/blog program on any platform just took a giant leap forward.

I can't get over how damn good this update is. I love being able to add any kind of content -- PDFs, images, whatever -- into the sidebar to create entries, I love having multiple MJ databases open at one time, I can't believe how useful and indispensable the new Smart Journals have become to me, and the ability to create aliases to entries in multiple journals gives me huge flexibility in terms of creating relationships between ideas and data I've saved. And all these great new features are *in addition* to the already rich, powerful feature set of the previous version!

If you've tried MJ in the past, and haven't taken the plunge, you've got to try this new version. I think you'll find it's the best money you'll spend on software in 2008. (And no, I have no relationship to this software or company except as a very happy end user.)  
(Version 5.0.1b1)

SYHARRIS  If you're experiencing MacJournal crashing with OS 10.4.11, be advised that 10.4.11 has been causing various problems for people, and not just with MacJournal.

I, for one, had installed 10.4.11, experienced various crashes and other problems and then reverted back to 10.4.9 which, for me, is quite stable.

If your experiencing crashes with 10.4.11, try reverting back to at least 10.4.10. But 10.4.9 seems to be the least flaky.  
(Version 4.1.3b9)

CHANGEWK  I have the same problem as John P Hughes. OS 10.4.11 with a Powerbook Al, 1.5

JOHN P HUGHES MacJournal 4.1.3b8 crashes on launch when run under Mac OS X 10.4.11 (Build 8S165) on my iBook! (Version 4.1.3b8)  
(Version 4.1.3b8)

JOHN P HUGHES  MacJournal 4.1.3b8 crashes on launch when run under Mac OS X 10.4.11 (Build 8S165) on my iBook!  
(Version 4.1.3b8)

LOYALTY4LIFE  This program is wonderful. I appreciate how it organizes the material that you are entering. The built-in calendar to the left is very handy as well. But you don't have to limit yourself to just journal entires. You can make shopping lists, poems, to-do lists, etc. It's just such a versatile program.

It's great when developers take the time to construct quality products, and Mariner Software keeps improving time and again. I would definitely recommend giving the program a try.  
(Version 4.1.2b6)

BILLWEST  MacJournal --Aqua design --has largest toolbar custom buttons set I've seen. My Jaguar version is free --Accepts pics and formatting with it's text. Pop out drawers for both Journals (left side) and their entries (right side) are both controlled from both OSX Menubar and Macjournal window toolbar. Nice edit window has top toolbar, then Subject line, then editing window. Email button opens Mail.app. Has two of it's own Services on Services menu. Also --all Services work -- so it will do Services/Mail/Send Selection only if Mail.app is already open. Search finds notes and lists them in right drawer. I must manually open each found and listed note. All search words are hilited. I list it's Search Find among 20 Outstanding --of 46 note pad demos.

Exports to HD as 6 file types --plain text, rtf, rtfd, MS. Import text or Entries. Also E-mail Entry, LiveJournal, Blogger. .DragnDrop into/out of the listing drawer, or clipping from note body selected. Menu Exports in 6 file types: MS, rtf, rtfd, text, PDF, HTML or MacJournal file type. Also has great Email, livejournal, blogger exports. Typically, the classic note pads only dragndrops/Clipboard Copy/Pastes --as it's sole ReadIn/WriteOut.

Database location ---/Users/billwest/Library/Application Support/MacJournal/MacJournal Data.txt This is a perfect text-only copy of your entries. Also here is a proprietary file that opens MacJournal with all your notes. These can be duplicated for back up.

MacJournal is complete and perfect in every way there is --for what all I do Store and recover info --generally text --Terminal commands, bookmarks. I think that I'm free to load this thing with 500 notes --free to really use it. Many great demos --limit my use of the app --and are not earning my endearment. They don't get a fair chance. MacJournal is as good as Notational Velocity and Journler --it's just that I have already put hundreds of notes on Not Vel and Journler. And I just don't find a reason to put a few separate notes on more of the mighty new note pads. I'm trying to keep my notes together in few places.

MacJournal borders on OUTSTANDING. Even in the early Jaguar version I insist on keeping as it's free and uncrippled. Loads Mail.app, exports to dot.text file, great search. Has everything that I want. No demo limitations. By 'outstanding' --I mean that of the 46 note pads that I'm demo-reviewing --I really entrust my keeper info to only about 4 of them: Notational Velocity for text info, Journler for more formatted entries, VoodooPad Lite to create stand alone files for Documents sub-folders. MacJournal is permanent and un-crippled enough to hold important keepers. That means I have four note pad locations to search for keeper information. I also run Clipboard Trash Bucket and KoolClip --these really help any note pad/ Scrapbook.   
(Version 4.1.2b1)

GLOBETROTTERDK  MacJournal 4.1.1 on a G5 with Tiger 10.4.8 installed, server based installation of WordPress 2.1 and Jerome's Keywords plug-in version 1.9. I am able to share journal topics with WordPress without problems, but unfortunately, the keywords do not appear as tags at the bottom of the post. I have consulted the forum and the FAQ pages. I have also contacted the developer, but no response.  
(Version 4.1.2b1)

BELLBRAM  I use MacJournal, created by Dan Schimpf and distributed by Mariner.

Some days ago I downloaded the latest upgrade. All the stuff from the previous version was seamlessly transferred to the new. No problem.

I added a few bits to the Journal and decided to password it, which I had not previously done. Went through the usual process for passwording, i.e. input once and then repeat it. Again, no problem.

BUT when I tried to open the journal the following day, it wouldn't accept my password. I tried dozens of possible variations of it, but no joy. Of course I had saved everything to an external drive and thought I could possibly open the saved version. I couldn't.

In desperation and without much hope, I emailed Dan Schimpf asking if there was any way to open a locked MacJournal file. I got an immediate response asking me to mail it to him and he'd see what could be done.

To cut what is becoming a long story short, it took no fewer than twenty emails back and forth before finally I managed to open the file.

The reason for this post is that I want to pay tribute to Dan, not only for producing an extremely effective program, but to let you all know what an incredibly helpful (and clever) chap he is.

I highly recommend the program for anyone interested in writing or diary-keeping.

To have a peek, go here: http://homepage.mac.com/dschimpf/  
(Version 4.1.2b1)

IZOE  Great App! And the original Aqua icon is back! Great!  
(Version 4.1d6)

TUNER EQUALIZER  Somehow Journler looks better.  
(Version 4.0.4)

JUSTINNORMAN  I have been using MacJournal since the 2.x days, and have made regular use of it for a long time. It's very useful for keeping categorized notes, and of course, for keeping journal entries organized by date and keywords. Having these entries searchable in Spotlight fashion is also very handy when you can't remember where you wrote about fill-in-the-blank.

Now that I have a large number of entries and low-res photos (around 50 JPEGs) saved inside, it can be slow at loading and saving. However, I imagine this is to be expected, since the program is having to load an increasing amount of text and imagery.

The price seems fair, and the upgrade cost is usually very reasonable. Overall, I have found the program very useful and I'm looking forward to further improvements from the developer.  
(Version 4.0.4)

JPROKOS  I am registered user of MacJournal and find it extremely useful. The only issue I have is the server it's hosted on is sooo sloooow it takes me three or four attempts to download updates. Usually by the time I finish downloading one update there is a newer one released. I wish mariner would spend the money to upgrade their servers - they are in dire need of it.  
(Version 4.0.3)

HERVé 5  I use MacJournal as well as Calc, another very good product of Mariner and maybe the only real alternative worksheet to Excel.

Still, after having paid the upgrade from MacJournal 2 to MacJournal 3 merely to please Mariner, I'm a bit shocked by the fact that

- this is the second paying upgrade in a dozen months, and coming after very few subversions (was 3.3 now)

- there is no upgrade path from v. 3 and I have to repay the full price.

Is this really a new Mariner policy?

Hervé S. :-/  
(Version 4.0.3)

@A  I would love to see .Mac synchronization available through iSync.  
(Version 4.0)

TYBECK  Did anybody else get a promotional email from Mariner staying that people who purchased MacJournal in March would get a free upgrade to 4.0? I seem to remember this, but must have deleted the email. I like some of the new features, but $14.95 seems a bit steep for just having bought the program. I only bought 3.x because of this offer and would have otherwise waited until the release of 4.0. I tried my serial number for 3.x and it didn't take.  
(Version 4.0)

LEIGH MACKAY  I like the look of MacJournal and I really like the calendar function.

Too bad I can't get it to run on my G5 10.4.5. There simply isn't any getting into the text window.

Hogbay Notebook still doin' the job.

L.  
(Version 3.3)

ANONYMOUS  If you contact Mariner and ask, they will give you a promotional code that allows you to purchase MacJournal for $14.95.

All you have to do is ask!  
(Version 3.2.1)

TRALALA  Good app, has potential, but i will buy it for no more than 15 dollars, and when they do away with those drawers. Glad they are gone in Mail.   
(Version 3.2)

SMC935  After years with paper journals and even a couple years worth of blogging I'm very pleased with Mac Journal. It serves well for notes as a med student - very flexible. I also like to upload some personal entries to my online blog for families and friends to keep track of my life away from home.

After having to pay a couple hundred bucks for Microsoft Office I think MacJournal is a bargain - great document flexibility.

Version 3.2 cleans up a few rough edges from before - great software.   
(Version 3.2)

IZOE  I use an earlier version of this app and it's indispensble. I've read the manual for the Mariner version and it does have some new and improved features. This really is one of those "Must Have For My Mac" programs... You won't be sorry.  
(Version 3.1.2)

ANONYMOUS   I've used Mac Journal forever as a journal (surprise, surprise), but also for project history notes, and as a commonplace book for quotations; and it is, as always, flawless and a pleasure for those uses.

Recently, I've found even more reasons to sing the praises of Dan and Mac Journal's wonderful flexibility. Since one of my formerly favorite and constantly used programs, Sticky Brain, has sadly become unreliable as a repository of clippings and notes, I've been casting around for another program to use for this purpose. Eureka! Mac Journal to the rescue! I just created all the same category folders (as Journals) in Mac Journal that I used to use in Sticky Brain, and I was off to the races. Never a problem. Never a worry. I'm beginning to think Mac Journal is not a program, it's a Swiss Army knife for my Mac!  
(Version 3.1.2)

ANONYMOUS  Great app. Used it when it was only freeware and now legally have a purchased copy which is updated often. Remains a wonderful too for so many uses, not just blogging and as a basic journal/notepad. Too bad idiots out there pirate modestly priced apps like this. If you can't afford $20, then how the hell did you get a computer? Get a job.  
(Version 3.1.2)

BRILDENLANCH  Well, I'm sure the other knows people Pirate his app. It's not like Serial Box is some mega secret. In fact, if a Dev doesn't dl the new version and disable the serials for his app for that month, well that's pretty poor deving, IMO.

Also, it's not like "Anonymous" is going to get arrested. Saying "opens serial box" surely isn't grounds for a court case.  
(Version 3.1.1)

MIKE  Using the free 2.6.1 version and pefectly happy with it.

A belated thanks to Dan for the final bugfix release.  
(Version 3.1.1)

ANONYMOUS  serial box? why would you say this? why would you let the author know, here, that you're pirating his app? and even if you are, why advertise that fact so that the author might disable your pirated serial in the future? totally thoughtless. actually, thoughtless is too polite. it's blatantly stupid.  
(Version 3.1.1)

ANONYMOUS  *opens serial box*

Thanks guys :D  
(Version 3.1.1)

KB GUY  Bravo on the commercial release of this long time favorite of mine. Although "free" is always the best price, if ever a developer deserved to be paid for his work, this is the guy. Clean, functional, intuitive software that I really enjoy using, and use A LOT. As a teacher, this tool makes organizing my lecture notes and materials a snap. As I have a complicated life, I was happy to find a program that didn't add more frustration. I appreciated recently being able to download a trial version without having to go through Mariner's site, enter email, etc. - that really bugged me. NOW I'll pay for it!  
(Version 3.1.1)

STEVE  As freeware - it's great.

As $30 commercial program, it stinks.

I wish I could access my journals that I kept on MacJournal in good faith, not knowing it would go commercial and EXPIRE the copy I downloaded that was supposedly FREE.

Very shady dealings.

The claim of the #1 journaling software for Mac is fraudulent. Maybe when it was free, but not now that it costs $30!! Who pays $30 for a journaling program?

:-(  
(Version 3.1.1)

ANONYMOUS  In OS X Tiger, MacJournal 2.6.1 no longer tabs the cursor from the subject line to the main body. Instead, it goes to the search box. Tabbing while the cursor is in the search box sends it to the Journals drawer. From the Journals drawer, it sends it back to the subject line. If one removes the search box from the Toolbar, the cursor tabs directly to the Journals drawer and back to the Subject line. Since you are continuing to offer the free version of MacJournal, might we at least expect to see minor bug fixes so that it remains useful? Thanks.  
(Version 3.1.1)

PAUL  I have a bug report and a question.

Bug Report: In OS 10.4 and MacJournal 3.1, the calendar view is faulty. To select a date, the cursor's point must be BELOW the actual date number for it to be selected. In fact, I have to click on the date below it to select the correct one.

Question: this is concerning a 10.4 feature. Would it be possible to create a Spotlight plugin that permits 10.4 users to see journals come up in search results IF WE WISH. I understand that journals are private things, thus if such a feature should come around, there should be an option internal within MacJournal that can switch on and off Spotlight results.   
(Version 3.1)

FEH!  Ouch. This software just nearly doubled in size since the last version... From about 4.7 to about 9.1 MB

Bear in mind it is not a bandwidth issue I am referring to here.  
(Version 3.1)

TONYBOY  In the 240 journal entries I've written in the last year with MacJournal, I've learned to appreciate the rich featureset and capabilities of MacJournal. I'm really not sure what software other reviewers are using, but this is a great application that makes full use of the Mac OS X-included APIs and widgets.

Where other developpers might throw together a piece of shareware that does what it needs to do well enough, Dan Shimpf and Mariner Software are creating a program that's not only feature-rich (spell checker, blog updating, HTML exporting, text stylization), but really rewarding and fun to use.  
(Version 3.0.2)

LYONELK  I am tired by the bad faith of anonymous commentators, their lawsuits of intention and their comments which are not based on any analysis so much not very serious software.

In particular all those which carried MacJournal to the pinnacle only when it was free. It is all the more malevolent as version 2.6 is, it, always free!

Otherwise MacJournal is one of the many software which allows manage its information.

For my part, I use it before very for the drafting (and the publication) of texts. With the documents recovered on the left or on the right. Very good tool in complement for example of a blog.

I like particularly the two panels for navigate throught date and folders.

For the management of information and recovered data, I prefer Hog Bay and Sticky Brain. Indeed, beyond a certain quantity of data, MacJournal suffers from certain slownesses.

But this software is regularly update and full of kikndness.  
(Version 3.0.2)

ANONYMOUS  datamining contact information for shareware? what are you, realnetworks?

and not publishing the change list outside of the binary i have to register to download?? has your marketing department lost its collective mind?

i was hoping a fix ive been waiting a long time for would be included. "i guess the world will never know."  
(Version 3.0.2)

ANONYMOUS  I'm not trying to start a flamewar or anything, but I have to say that I like MacJournal and when Mr. Schimpf decided to go shareware/commercial with Mariner (whose software I also own and enjoy using) I emailed him in support of his decision. I don't consider very many pieces of freeware worth making the jump to shareware, but MacJournal is certainly one. Granted, the price might be a bit high, but I think Mr. Schimpf deserves some reward for the work and development he's done. It gets a bit old having everyone praise a piece of freeware to the skies, and then have them jump on it with 'but such and such is way better' as soon as it becomes shareware. I think those who really liked MacJournal will continue using it and others should just use the software they prefer.  
(Version 3.0.2)

ALEXIUS  So how come after this regularly update program gets bought out by a larger company with more resources, we get updates -less- often?  
(Version 3.0.2)

GRADUS  Just a hint for those who accused the developer of selling out and leaving the freeware users in the cold: He released a bugfix update to the free version a few days ago. Here ist the direct download link (the MU link is not up-to-date):

http://homepage.mac.com/dschimpf/download/macjournal261.tar.gz

Enjoy the free ride and stop your whining.  
(Version 3.0.1)

ANONYMOUS  A few (many?) of us here are developers, and many of us passionately believe in open source and freeware. I think it's fair to say that most of us believed Dan Schimpf was of a like mind. And clearly, he was not. There's nothing wrong with that, of course, but it's a disappointment nonetheless. Not so much because the software is no longer free, but because a guy many of us admired (for his integrity and altruism as much as his coding and design skills) has suddenly jumped ship. In fact, it appears he was never actually on board in the first place. The world needs more people like the Dan Schimpf we only thought we knew. What a letdown.  
(Version 3.0.1)

ANONYMOUS  $30 is too much. $8-15 is about right. Maybe the $30 would be fine for a full time blogger.

I would rather step it up and get Noteboook from Circus Ponies...it's an amazing organizational tool. I talked to the developer at MacWorld SF and saw a demo of 2.0 - it's amazing how powerful the program is. It's $50, but I would rather pay for that power, than $30 for what MacJournal has.

http://www.circusponies.com/safari.aspx  
(Version 3.0.1)

ANONYMOUS  Why did this go pay? It was great when it was a simple free diary program but now it's got too much stuff in it so they have to charge. What a waste :(  
(Version 3.0.1)

DON M  Have used this delightful product until my computer gave up the ghost and my new one arrived four weeks ago. So I decided to update all my programs. $30.00 too much. Back to paper and pencil if past one doen't work.  
(Version 3.0.1)

STEPHEN GRABNER  Most previous users of MacJournal are agreed that it is a wonderful piece of software. Most comments suggest that $10-15 would be an appropriate price, rather than $30.

If you read the Mariner MacJournal page, it mentions a discount for previous users, available by emailing Mariner. With this discount, MacJournal is $14.95, within the range most suggest. That leaves little to complain about.

Take the opportunity, if the software is truly worth it. I did.  
(Version 3.0.1)

MICHAEL COX  Simple, clean interface, toolbar easily customized by the user, great for posting to web logs with one button publishing, sending via email, fast search using date, entry number, subject or text, good and automatic backup to various text formats (I recommend always having a text backup) and password protected--what more could I want? How about some kind of integration with Mariner Write, which I also use. Recommended, well worth the price.  
(Version 3.0.1b2)

BUD  Nooooooooo....why? why?!? I hope the developer will soon realize that this move will in fact provide LESS exposure - it was genius freeware, now MacJournal is just an average, overpriced app that i will never pay for... (around $15 is my max bid for this app)  
(Version 3.0.1b2)

JIMW  As an alternative, if you don't need all the features of MacJournal and have Entourage. There is a free editable script that has been around for years called "Open Daily Journal Event" It creates a "Journal Event" in the Calendar. You can edit the script to assign a special category to the Journal Events to then set up a special view to list them if you want. Its very basic but free and it works in any Entourage. I use it in Entourage 2004. It has not been updated in 2 years. I have never met or contacted the author. I am just a user and present it as an alternative for those looking for something simple, stable and free. It is not on MacUpdate, according to my search results. Here is the web site for it (you will need to scroll down near the bottom of the list for the script):

http://www.scriptbuilders.net/category.php?cat=54&start_record=150&srt=snam  
(Version 3.0.1b2)

ANONYMOUS  I'm not sure the $30 is such a fabulous price compared to other similar products. DevonNote is $20, DevonThink is $40 with many more features, and Devon Tech offers student pricing. StickyBrain has a bunch of interesting features MacJournal does not have such as Palm synchronization for just $10 more. VooDooPad has a free, lite version and the full deal runs less, at $24.95. Spotlight itself will be able to mimic the "finding information in one place" aspect of all journal programs and it's included in the next Mac OS. I'm glad to see so many MJ users are OK with the dollar amount, because I was stunned.

I buy shareware online from time to time, but I have never bought a utility program or small software package off the shelf at a CompUSA, so I'm really not clear how that aspect of the new arrangement is an advantage. With the advertising that comes from magazine write-ups, the web, and (best of all) word of mouth that MJ has, a couple of boxes at the bottom of a shelf that eventually move into a clearance bin seems relatively weak.

I'm worried that some of the praise and excitment that had surrounded MJ was due to the fact that, for it's cost, it was an exceptionally good program. Now, for it's new cost, it's quite average. This is particularly true when it comes to it's feature set, it's seems run-of-the-mill.

I'm weirdly disturbed by this. Now that it costs money for improvements, I'm kind of glad I never donated any money in the past.  
(Version 3.0.1b1)

CRASH BURNS  Now that this near perfect example of Apple technology and single developer synergy has ended can only be seen as a real shame. I download the new 'improved' version three and cannot see how the jump of this now corporate release is any improvement on version 2.6b2. That said, time will be the judge and Mariner Software has brought the best cocoa notebook and should be a vast improvement on sales compared to their 'carbon cra* apps' they are flogging at the moment.

The 'buy for $20' Macworld sale ends tomorrow (15th Jan) and then MacJournal should sell for around $30

I think I'll wait for the Hog Bay Notebook to come out of beta and pay the upgrade fee instead.

Good luck to Dan and thanks for showing us what a really good cocoa app looks like.  
(Version 3.0.1b1)

THOMAS  I'm very sad to see this being discontinued as a freeware app. Still so long as we can carry on using the previous version free...  
(Version 3.0.1b1)

ANONYMOUS  What happened to the free 2.6.1 release we were promised to clean up any remaining bugs on the last free release?  
(Version 3.0.1b1)

ANONYMOUS  Hello-Please note that MacJournal 3.0 supports

Mac OS 10.2 and above.

Thanks,

Mariner Software  
(Version 3.0)

HEMBECK  Geez Louise, another application that worked excellently under OS 10.2.X but now suddenly requires os 10.3. Bummer!  
(Version 3.0)

KCTIPTON  Their website says that they have a download special for the next 2 weeks or so -- 10 dollars off.

Too bad they aren't supporting 10.2 any more.  
(Version 3.0)

JIM   It would be nice if you could download the new version. I keep getting an 8 kb php file that opens in BBedit. What gives? I can't rate the product, but I do wonder if the price will equal added value over the last free version that was available.  
(Version 3.0)

JAK4700  I remember back when I first donated $10 back in the day. Such an unbelievable piece of software. Glad to see it has grown to be such a great app.   
(Version 3.0)

ANONYMOUS  Keep in mind, Dan released the code for MJ as opensource GPL back at the 2.1 version so it is still possible to fork the code if you believe that the commercial product will not be to your liking and would prefer an open source version (I know I'm a bit sceptical of Mariner making this work -- look what they did to the icon... =} ).

Still, Dan has done a spectacular job with MJ and if he has decided that the commercial route is the way to go, I'm sure it is something he entered into with a *lot* of deliberation.

I wish him luck. I'm sticking with 2.6 for now and er, well hacking the 2.1 code at the moment to see whether I think I can start an OJ version... =}

Dan rocks and so does MJ. I guess we'll see what happens with the Mariner relationship.  
(Version 3.0)

SAMBSB_98  To the anonymous person who replied to my comment that Apple is copying MacJournal:

Comment 1.) I'm happy to learn that Apple's Cocoa is responsible for allowing developers like Dan Schimpf to create programs like MacJournal. While I knew it was responsible in some ways, I didn't know to what extent. Even as I wrote the review, I was aware of such programs as DevonThink, Caboodle, Idea Knot and several others I cannot think of at the moment. I've tried them all. I was using MacJournal as sort of a representative of all of them, and I should have made that clear. I blame my laziness.

Comment 2.) I am eagerly looking forward to Apple's version of MacJournal, Caboodle, etc. I chose not to say so, though, because I figured I would be roundly trashed by rabid MacJournal users, and I don't like being trashed. :-)

Comment 3.) If you will browse back through this very long list of comments, you will see my name on several other comments. In all of them I am extremely critical of Dan Schimpf for changing MacJournal from freeware to payware without giving users fair and ethical advance warning that the free ride wouldn't last forever. In fact, I encourage you to read them.  
(Version 3.0b2)

ANONYMOUS  And by the way, Cocoa is provided by Apple for free, to help average programmers write their own apps effortlessly. You can do it too. Just add a class called TextView and put on top of it some big fat icons that users can customize, and some spellchecking that gives you those nice red dots under typos, and then add services and some other classes.. and voila, you got yourself your own MacJournal.

I think Apple should forbid people who use those ready to use classes from selling what they make with them.

Eventhough I shouldn't take you seriously when you say that Apple is copying Dan Shimpf, I still find it outrageous and ungrateful towards Apple. But I'm done ranting now, and I'll go back to not taking you seriously.  
(Version 3.0b2)

ANONYMOUS  No Mr. Sherlock, Apple didn't copy MacJournal. If Pages or whatever looks similar, that's probably because it's written in Cocoa, which has all the pieces that Mr. Shimpf put together in the begining. And of course, after he got too much praise for being such a great guy and writing freeware, he decided to make some money with those Apple parts that he hacked together. In a way, so many apps now are starting to look similar. Just blame it on Cocoa.

I actually used to like MacJournal and I used to like Mr. Shimpf, but let's not push it or try to make an Elvis out of him and Macjournal. Let them rest in peace, beside the remains of Mariner Write and underneath the crows of Mariner Software.  
(Version 3.0b2)

SAMBSB_98  I have suspected for some time now that Apple may well have copied the MacJournal look and feel, without asking permission, and they have already incorporated it into their rumored new word processor, Pages. It is rumored that Pages is going to be announced at the MacWorld convention next week (Jan. 2005), as part of the iWork suite. Apple has been copying the software of other companies in the past couple of years, and there is no reason to think they will stop now. Maybe Dan knew this. I guess we will see soon enough if Pages is what I predict it to be.  
(Version 3.0b2)

ANCIENTYGER  This is a great Product! Professional Apps are great, but it's also good to have priveate home/personal apps as well. This is quite welcome. This has been on my dock since the beginning! Now, that it is being bundled with the Mariner products people are getting antsy, but Dan's still in charge!

As a Cocoa app, the ability to send an entry to another Cocoa app, (like iBlog) would be nice. Sincrinization with .mac would also be a great option. The HTML export option is a great route, (Nice to use with Homepage, Omniweb, Create, Tag, CSSedit, Rapid Weaver, Dreamweaver, Frontpage, etc to include withsites!)

Mariner should watch it's practices, the Cocoa world needs more colaboration before competition gets that stiff. With that said, i hope they don't try to assimilate MacJournal in to the MarinerWrite matrix! ;-) Mariner has more competition than Mellel, so, we'll have to see what comes of all of this.

One problem i do have, is that the option for transparency of the window IMHO should be only of the window, not the text, maybe not even the menubar.........

Oh, I see there's a connection to LiveJournal or Blogger..... that's what i'm talkin' about!! Niiiiiiiice.

Worth the $$, finally, a little compensation for your work! LOL Good for you Mr. Schimpf  
(Version 3.0b2)

ANONYMOUS  Knowing about what Mariner tried to pull by registering mellel.com (Mellel being their main competitor) and redirecting people to Mariner site, I wonder what Mariner's plan to promote MacJournal is, considering that hogbaysoftware.com and devon-technologies.com are already taken. Tough luck.  
(Version 3.0b2)

SIGURDUR ARMANNSSON  I like this program.

I have liked it for a long time now.

I have invested a lot of time using it.

I had not donated yet, but now I will buy it.

I think it's worth it.  
(Version 3.0b2)

ANONYMOUS  I can't believe this moving to payware comes as a surprise to some people... Before version 2.5 was in development, the source code to 2.1 was available on the author's site, which was more of a personal site than something devoted to marketing MacJournal. The source for 2.5 was never available, and shortly thereafter the macjournal.net domain appeared with a note that it was 'coming soon'. At the same time the web site took on a much more 'professional' appearance. I'm glad I saw the writing on the wall and got out early.  
(Version 3.0b2)

ANONYMOUS  Well, I go with stephan. I am using the combination of OmniOutliner and DEVONthink. $30 is way overpriced compared with DEVONnote or HogBay Notebook. Backup in different formats was nice though.  
(Version 3.0b2)

ANONYMOUS  UPDATE: After closing and reopening MJ 2.6, the application acts as before – i. e. it's no more possible to create new nested journals. Too bad. These nested journals are absolutely necessary for me so I have to look for another way to organize my data.  
(Version 3.0b2)

ANONYMOUS  Interesting to know: Yesterday, I downloaded MJ 3.0b2 and ran it once to see how the nested journals work. Then I closed the application and erased it from my harddisk. Today when I went back to my good old MJ 2.6 – what a surprise: all the nested journals I created were still there! Even better: Using the (+)-Button at the bottom, I could create even NEW nested journals! I'm not a programmer, but for me it looks as if the option of making nested journals was already there in MJ 2.6 (in an inactivated form). In this case, Dan probably already knew that he would make MJ a shareware application when he wrote MJ 2.6. But maybe I'm wrong. At least I hope so ...  
(Version 3.0b2)

STEPHAN  what an ugly new icon.

well, after 1,5 years i'll stop using MJ now and stay completely with devon think. i wouldn't mind a shareware-fee for MJ, but going with a soley-for-profit-company that isn't even innovative, no thanks.  
(Version 3.0b2)

SAMBSB_98  For those people who don't seem to understand what all the complaining is about, let me rephrase what I wrote earlier:

If Dan has been stringing us along from the beginning, always intending to charge us eventually (or as soon as highly anticipated features were built in), yet, at the same time, allowing us to believe the opposite was true, then he deserves all the criticism he is receiving -- AS DO ALL OTHER DEVELOPERS who bait us with freeware and then start charging once we are hooked. That's NOT the ethical way to do it. Aside from the general monetary savings one gets by using freeware, there is a certain indefinable mystique that goes with offering something for free (with no fine print to warn us that it won't last). It implies a degree of camaraderie (or friendship) with the users of your product. When you suddenly start charging for that friendship, it leaves a bad taste in people's mouths.

I kept fantasizing that I would get rich publishing something that I had written using MacJournal. If that had happened, I fully intended to donate tens of thousands of dollars to Dan with the stipulation that he keep MacJournal free forever.

I didn't work fast enough.  
(Version 3.0b2)

ELECTRONICHOLAS.COM  No this is a great program, one of the best programs of it's class, and after reading so many comments about it's 'demise' I have to say I agree.

I donated for this software where I have never donated voluntarily for software before, or since. Now it feels generic, like all the other $20, $25, $30, $whatever 'Shareware' apps out there.

It's sad, really, but understandable if Dan needed the money. That's the only sane reason I can think of for doing this to us, though it still doesn't make it any less sad...  
(Version 3.0b2)

GRADUS  OK, this isn't a message board, but some of the comments below really demand a reply.

First, check the comments to the freeware version of MJ. Many of them said that this app was better than most shareware programs, and that the developer must be crazy to give this gem away for free. Now he does what many users told him to do - he asks for your money. And he's even kind enough to still offer the free version for all people who don't want to spend the dough. So why does he get all these vitriolic, or downright hateful, comments? Is it because $30 seems too much? Of course it's not, and you know that if you took the time to compare the features and prices of competing products. Or is it because you're frustrated to not get the full-screen view and all the other great new features for free? Well, frustration might play a big part here, but until now you had to pay $130/€100 for Ulysses to write in full-screen mode (and this app doesn't even have nested folders like MJ).

I still don't know if I will buy MJ because I already paid for Hog Bay Notebook (and I'm very happy with it), but I used MJ quite a lot and I always had the feeling that this app was too good to be free. Now, after three years and countless improvements, it costs money, and what's wrong about that? As for the distributor, Mariner, they certainly don't deserve any disrespectful comments. They might not have the marketing muscle of Apple, Adobe, or Microsoft, but they are creative people who have shown a very strong and bold commitment to the Mac platform for many, many years, and their own products, MarinerWrite and -Calc, are shareware classics. If they get a small share of every MJ sale, they are certainly more worthy of that money than Kagi and other commercial distributors, at least from a Mac user's point of view.

Personally, I think that Dan made the right decision. He has been a Mac programmer just for the fun of it since the first days of OS X, so it's time that he gets more than just awards and rave reviews. Pay him if you like, or continue using the free version - but stop insulting him for going the shareware route.  
(Version 3.0b2)

MORANNON  It's a pity to see that this great software now is distributed by Mariner Software. I would have paid the 30 bucks when Dan himself would have distributed his software. But I don't want to support Mariner – they contributed absolutely nothing to Macjournal! I will export all my entries and stop using Macjournal. It's a real pity ...  
(Version 3.0b2)

ASHER  It's a pity that just 15% of those downloads didn't represent $10 to Dan. I doubt he'd sell out if he'd made $150k off of MacJournal. I donated $25 thinking it was well worth that amount. Sadly this gives credence to why shareware (or donate ware) does not work. I, like most everyone, has never heard of Mariner. Never seen a box of theirs, nor their products for sale online. And I, like this incredibly long list of ppl, am very sad to see a great app go away. I doubt Mariner will do anything more than lock this up and alienate potential users. Between the 125 ppl who've posted, I'm sure that we could have dontated a little time and effort into helping Dan market this in a more viable way. I'd have gladly done so if he ever asked for the help.

Most likely, Macjournal will become freeware, what with the use of Surfer's Serial and other such things. Then all that potential profit will be eaten up by trying to out run the hacks to the app.

In the end, wouldn't a self expiring MacJournal that asked for $10 have been better. I doubt Mariner will be paying $10 for each one sold. Out of 42k ppl $10 is not alot to ask but a good windfall to receive.

Lesson learned. Donate if you like it and try to keep it going. But be warned, your support is conditional.  
(Version 3.0b2)

SAMBSB_98  We may not know the exact numbers of people who use MacJournal and Mariner Write (since thousands of users probably installed MacJournal on our friends' computers for them, as I did), but we can get a REALLY GOOD GUESS by reading the number of downloads of each application here at MacUpdate:

Mariner Write: 10,334

MacJournal: 43,652

The numbers are fairly similar at another download site (which I mistakenly referred to in an earlier comment on this board).

Any questions?  
(Version 3.0b2)

FRANKS  Good luck with the commercial version. Personally, I believe $30 is too much.  
(Version 3.0b2)

FRANKS  Good luck with the commercial version. Personally, I believe $30 is too much.  
(Version 3.0b2)

ANONYMOUS  Let's just see how this goes, people. We don't know how many people actually use the app right now and how many people actually donated money to Dan. Maybe it is much less as we might think. Also, maybe Dan isn't making a good living right now, whatever other activities he does. Him going to Mariner to publish his app must have been his way of guaranteeing a steady monthly income - or extra income - and of getting the app in the hands of more people. Mariner might not be the powerhouse who is capable of doing it, but let's see how this goes. I know we all have put much time in improving the app which we thought would be free forever. But this app wasn't under GPL. And I've seen many apps go from free to pay, because after a while the writers needed their creations to become part of making a living, not just a hobby. MacJournal has grown a lot over the years, and at some point MacJournal was bound to become more than Dan's hobby. Or else, he would have to develop another app and continued MacJournal as his free app.  
(Version 3.0b2)

ANONYMOUS  I thought $30 was a bit overpriced even though MacJournal might be worth that much..

$15 seems okay comparing to other notepad apps, which cost like between $10 to $20..

I've been a MacJournal user more than a year now..

But I might be going back to iOrganize or give a try on DEVONnote for a while..

I don't think I'll be paying for MacJournal without seeing how it is upgraded under a big company name..  
(Version 3.0b2)

SAMBSB_98  I cannot believe that I mistook April Fool's Day for Christmas.

This is April Fool's Day, right?

No? :-(

If Dan is reading all of these negative reviews, then he has to be feeling pretty low right now. He probably didn't expect it to be so overwhelmingly negative. I posted the first negative review on his development blog two nights ago, and I feared that I would be roundly condemned by everyone else for being "such a cheapskate." I am relieved to see that my criticisms are as well founded as I felt they are (in other words, they have little to do with being a cheapskate).

If Dan has been stringing us along from the beginning, always intending to charge us eventually, but letting us believe otherwise (as I have often feared), then he deserves what he is getting. If he didn't originally intend to do what he just did, then he is probably living with a lot of regret now, because it's too late to back out; and Mariner is not about to remove their fangs from his neck. They got what they wanted, regardless of the ultimate outcome for MacJournal and Dan Schimpf. Why? The reviewer who compared the actual number of downloads of MarinerWrite and MacJournal said it best (and took the words right out of my mouth).

How did I feel when I first saw the announcement on his blog two nights ago (12/23/04)? The blood sank to my feet - literally. I felt as if my ride had abandoned me a thousand miles from home with no money.

If this world was a raging blizzard, and the only shelter available consisted of a bunch of expensive, generic chain motels and one classy mansion with an owner who had become famous and beloved worldwide for opening his doors to everyone for free, then Dan was that homeowner. He treated us like welcome guests and almost like close friends. Now, he stands at his front door and refuses to let us enter unless we pay his business partner. Maybe he deserves some money for all his time and effort, but the way he did it just puts the lie to his earlier acts of kindness.

I happily contributed many hours of my time pointing out bugs and suggesting new features for MacJournal 2.7 (I had been waiting for the features in 2.7 for three years). If I had known I was actually helping some corporation that pays people to do that sort of work for them, I would never have wasted all that time and energy. I thought I was helping a great guy in a great cause on a spectacular computing platform.

We can only hope that Dan was wise enough to sign a one-year contract, or something like that, so that he can back out of this deal eventually, if he wants to do so, before we are all senior citizens. Will he have squandered our good will by then, though? I don't know. Probably, but I hope not. Aside from Reunion, MacJournal has become almost indispensable to me. That's why this is all so depressing to me (and has caused me to ramble on and on).  
(Version 3.0b2)

SO LONG AND THANKS FOR ALL THE FISH  Just another good bye message. I cannot say I understand your decision at all. I would understand if someone like Apple was distributing your application with every new iBook or something, but Mariner? Talk about a small fry. You having one of the best free applications on the 'net has done more marketing than Mariner will ever be able to do. I have never seen one of their boxes in a store, or an advertisment, or whatever it is they are telling you will happen.

How does this increase exposure? Anyway, thankfully I have a good bounty of other applications that can step up to the plate with my "notebooking" needs.

I don't think I'll even use 2.6 anymore, honestly. I only used it because of its potential -- and now its potential is locked from me. I don't support Mariner, or you anymore. You had my full support before, though.

Hmmm. Kind of sad, and on Christmas, too. Ah well, I never much cared for that holiday anyway. Cheers.  
(Version 3.0b2)

ANONYMOUS  MacUpdate did the right thing, demoted MacJournal from its Hotpick status.  
(Version 3.0b2)

CM HARRINGTON  I wrote this on Dan's weblog, but I wanted other people to see it as well. It has been edited for re-posting here.

So, I understand you want to "get the word out". Well, guess what? Your product was free, and it was a good product. People used it because they thought it was a good product, at a good price.

The Mariner people don't have much additional reach than your current method of distribution (web), and I'd even venture to say that the additional people you may reach (who are willing to pay) won't be worth the additional grief your existing user-base will give you for effectively "bait-and-switching" your product. Of course, I realise that I am writing this too late to affect any change.

Anyway, I wish you luck with your new product. Mariner won't get my money, as I have no reason to upgrade from version 2.6. Ironically, I am going to downgrade from the probably-going-to-expire beta of 2.7 to 2.6. I thank you for the auto-back-up of the previous journal database.

Christopher Harrington  
(Version 3.0b2)

NAME ME SAD  Too bad.

I liked MacJournal a lot, even donated a bit of $$ to help support what he was doing for the Mac community in order to keep the app freeware. I'm not going to buy, especially since I won't even be able to use my older versions past the 1st of the year without upgrading..

Glad there is an export feature, 'cause I did just that to all my entries and will be importing them into VooDoo Pad or DevonThink–which, I might add, are fabulous apps. Both Gus Mueller of VooDoo Pad and Devon Technologies also offer freeware "lite" versions of their products. I'd suggest you use these instead of MacJournal.

Good-Bye Dan!  
(Version 3.0b2)

KRC  I kind of saw this coming from a while back. It's a normal trend but if you see a Donate link and there's no source-code, then chances are that the developer wants to turn the product into a commercial product at some point. In the case of this product, it would be three years ago that Dan might have had this intention. Around 20 days ago, it warned me that this product will expire sometime in January so I would probably expect this to either go commercial or another beta will be released.

I wasn't going to have 200 rtf files of developer- and art-logs floating on my hard drive thus having me to open whatever rtf file I needed, instead I use MacJournal to manage my dev-logs and use the drawer to access whatever entry I wanted.

Anyway, I would definately pay the 30 bucks for this piece of software. It's very useful for what I do and I think it's worth it. How much of that 30 goes to Dan, I guess it all depends on what it says on that contract that he had between him and Mariner.

It's nice to know that Dan will still be developing it and will retain control of the features and things to be added to it.

Remember that Mariner is just republishing the software, not necessarily giving it to a bunch of new developers so they can tear his source code a new one. I'm sure that if for some unusual reason why Mariner would go out of business, Dan would still have control of his program and can either GPL it or find another publisher.

Enough with that though; some people still don't listen and are pretty much a lost cause.

I really do like a lot of these features, especially the nested journals feature. I use that feature a lot to organize a lot of my entries and separate stuff that goes in a blog versus ones that go in my dev-log.

I also like the fact that he adds a bunch of hidden ones which he describes how to use on his website. But the software is very simple to use. If you want to start a new entry, hit the New button. You can even rearrange the articles so that they don't have to be sorted by date.

And in regards to the price, according to the readme, there's an upgrade price of 15 bucks, which I think is a steal if you qualify. I'm not sure exactly how that works though since the previous version is free and anyone can download that and assume they can upgrade to 3.0 in a snap. I'm guessing that it reads off a hidden file somewhere created by the 2.7 beta and if the upgrade version detects this file, it will install it (assuming it's a runtime installer instead of a drag-n-drop installation) ... beats me.  
(Version 3.0b2)

OPRAH  A clever developer would spin off two versions - pro and lite. Keep all the current functionality in the lite version, and add all new functionality to the pro version - whilst releasing bug fixes and enhancements to both periodically. Lite is free, Pro is $30 - everyone is happy. There is no need for published excuses in our moneygrabby world, the situation is transparent.  
(Version 3.0b2)

ANONYMOUS  Merry Christmas? Happy New Year?

Hopefully we'll see the death of more independent app's in the new year.

Perhaps Firefox will be bought out by IE. Synergy will be absorbed by Apple. Unsanity will give it up to Norton.

All the prospects of what may be, tell me spirit... what is the true outcome, tell me. I can bear the news.  
(Version 3.0b2)

ANONYMOUS  Let Mariner and Dan know what you think on their own forums:

http://marinersoftware.com/phpBB2/viewforum.php?f=10  
(Version 3.0b2)

ANONYMOUS  He's "developing" it, but he no longer controls his apps direction--look how he's reorginized the menubars, to match the app to Mariner's other products. Makes me sick.  
(Version 3.0b2)

ANONYMOUS  Extremely disappointing--the developer's explanations for why he's done this are rather ridiculous--if he wants the app to thrive, he should have released it under the GPL. Now he's owned by Mariner, who can choose to knife the baby at any time--and it now costs $30. I thought Dan was smarter than this--or maybe he is, and he's looking for a quick payout. Either way, it certainly isn't going to be good for the users of MacJournal.

  
(Version 3.0b2)

ANONYMOUS  Dan hasn't sold his app, Mariner only distributes it. Dan will continue developing it. See his website:

http://homepage.mac.com/dschimpf/

I can understand that Dan wants to go more public with his baby. Also that he feels the need to have a more permanent source of income for something that is considered quality software and has a solid audience. MacJournal started as his first real project, I believe. It started as something that he considered fun to do. But sometimes, you have to turn that fun around and start considering the fun as part of making a living - to see it as a profession, not just a hobby. I can understand that Dan wants to get his baby into the hands of more people - because he feels that he has something really good to offer. I understand that he wants it to be a source of income. This is life catching up on Dan. I strongly believe that Dan is committed on developing the app and keeping the quality high. I'm confident that he's not selling out, only finding new ways to distribute his app. I'd only wish that it could be part of a software bundle on each and every new Mac sold and that Dan would get paid this way.  
(Version 3.0b2)

ANONYMOUS  MacJournal continues to remain my favorite scrapbook, notepad, and snippets. The new features and interface changes are all for the better and make it more flexible.  
(Version 3.0b2)

MGSMD  Watson.  
(Version 3.0b2)

ANONYMOUS  "I'm confident this will be a positive move for MacJournal and will ensure it's survival for years to come."

This is my favourite quote. Ha. Man, there are more dead programs bought up by corps than anything else, and the worst thing about these dead applications is that nobody can get to them. Their code is in a vault, the copyrights are good for who knows how many DisneyExtendedYears, and the software house no longer even lets you buy it, let alone download it.

Do you know how often this happens? How often a venture is made, and dropped, and then you are stuck wishing you could get your program back -- and you can't? You have to go on big DonationDrives to buy it back from the people who promised you all kinds of candy -- like Blender.

If that is really what you wanted to accomplish, ensuring its survival for years to come, the GPL would have sufficed. Really, now. Good applications do not die under the GPL, because even if You die, somebody else who loved the application will pick it up.

Locking your code away under some third rate software company which may or may not choose to carry your program; which may or may not go bankrupt -- is just about the stupidest way to going about extending its longevity.

Good for the pocket book though. :)  
(Version 3.0b2)

ONE OF YOUR MARKETING TEAM MEMBERS  Good question below about donations. Here is another one for you, since your big thing is getting a wider audience (right?) and corporate marketing is how you are doing that (right?) ... what about all of the people who have been marketing your project for years now.

I've been spreading the word about this great free application that defines what the Mac is all about for years now. I think, the way I see it, I've done more for you than Mariner has at this point. Where is my compensation? I should have a permament account with you, beta access and free versions. That's the way things work, right?

Or -- are we employing double standards here. Maybe this isn't all about marketing. Well, you have it have it one way or the other. If your new jive is just a "line" and this is about cash, then I'll understand you not wanting to compensate me, and all of the other people who have helped your software become what it is.

Without us, you would just be some guy releasing updates in the dark. Mariner would have never noticed your program. You would be using it all by yourself with a few friends, trading it on floppies.

Well, we were here, we got you where you are -- and now what are you going to do for Us.

Just ditch us? No?  
(Version 3.0b2)

DAX  Wow, I don't know what to say. As a long-time user of this terrific software I have mixed feelings about it going from free to not-free but I'm so grateful to Dan for providing MacJournal to the community in the first place (and steadily improving it!) that what I feel mostly is happy for him. Sure, I'm a bit ticked that it's thir...thirty bucks now but there's a lot of software out there at that price that simply isn't worth it. IF, I say, IF I were going to spend thirty bucks for any software, MacJournal would be it.   
(Version 3.0b2)

RIP  Rest in peace, MacJournal. It has been a joy while it lasted. I have yet to see any high quality free application that goes Corporate manage to actually come out good in the long run. In a few years, 2.6 will be fondly remembered, as will those few brief (but time-bombed out of existence) 2.7 betas. As for the application itself, it may or may not exist -- but even if it does, it will just be another arm of capitalist greed; another jerk bought by the system.

You can see the marketing already spinning up with the "new" and false version number. Suddenly we are at version 3, after being 2.7 for a while. Corporations Understand that the Masses will not pay for something with an odd number. So here we go already, the first transgression -- small, but significant.

I was so happy to see MacJournal put full screen in. I was so happy to have an alternative to an application (Ulysses) which openly admits to inflating their price to ridiculous degrees. Finally, an alternative to such a brilliant way of writing on the Mac.

Pfffbt. I should have known the Greed would set in at some point. Now the papers have been signed Dan. It is too late. You sold your child to the task master and now it is being dragged off in subtle chains. Soon you will note that these chains become less subtle. Your voice means less and less. One day you'll be asked to leave, and MarinerJournal will have been a bloated dead beast; the forsaken child.

Good going, well you'll learn your lesson; if you don't, welcome to Amerika , the culture of the damned.  
(Version 3.0b2)

ANONYMOUS  Shareware now? That's lame. I can't believe that I'd have to pay for this now.  
(Version 3.0b2)

KEVIN ASHER  So if you donated before, do you get the upgrade for free? I think it's great Dan made money off a very good Mac app., but do we (the donators) get the upgrade for free? I hope that the new owner is as responsive as Dan has been.   
(Version 3.0b2)

ANONYMOUS  I am thinking how I'd believe a person who told me, "I've found a buyer for the software that I have worked so diligently on and provided free to Mac users for quite awhile now." Or, "I received an offer to buy my software and I could not refuse." Jolly good and bully for you, I'd think.

But after reading the developer's explanation on his website... Well, I could barely get through half of the first paragraph without rolling my eyes. Roger Ailes must be this guy's spin doctor.  
(Version 2.7b1)

GRADUS  Just in case you didn't hear the news: the final version of this beta will be released as a commercial product early next year under the Marinersoft trademark. It will cost $30 which is definitely more than nothing, but with full-screen mode, nested folders and all the other new features, it will be more than worth the price IMO.

Thanks for the long free ride, Dan!  
(Version 2.7b1)

ANONYMOUS  This is a freaken fantastic app. It is far and above anthing else out there.

Great Work Dan! =)  
(Version 2.7b1)

SON OF SLARTIBARTFAST  The MS Word of notepad apps. If you need all the features, great; if you're just looking for something to keep notes in, look elsewhere.  
(Version 2.7b1)

EXCELLENT WORK!  Thanks for writing, and keeping to write, such an excellent piece of software. MacJournal is just one of those things that makes living in the Mac world, better.

Love the new features, by the way. Full screen mode was one of the few things that made Ulysses even remotely an option. Now that you have that, there is absolutely no reason to spend what they are asking for.

Awesome, that is all I have to say about that.  
(Version 2.7b1)

FREEFROG  Hoorah for re-orderable entries! Now I can export as HTML/RTF in the order of my choosing. Mighty fine program and a mighty fine price.  
(Version 2.7a1)

ANONYMOUS  This application is 10x better than appleworks and 3x better than text edit. Simple, and easy to use. Thank you for making it free.  
(Version 2.7a1)

JOHN HAWKINS  Thanks for this lovely app. I have been a Mac user since the beginning and Macjournal is the best tool so far for talking to myself productively. The interface effortlessly supports me as I grab bits of information on the fly - ideas, quotes, websites, lists, whatever... And then makes it easy to pull them together for a presentation or a blog entry or whatever...

Clean, smooth, attractive space for putting ideas together.  
(Version 2.6)

AKIO NEKI  First of all, I would like to thank you for developing this wonderful application. Yesterday, I found that you updated MacJournal with fantastic new features. I really appreciate it.

I have been using MacJournal for write an diary for blog and store it for my record. Sometimes I use the article for my website article with some modification. So the new HTML template feature is really wonderful for me. Previously, I had to copy the article, open a template HTML file with other editor and paste the article, modified the tag or something. Now I can do this only with MacJournal! However, it would really nice if you modify this feature a little bit more. The current vesion of MacJournal seems to convert to &lt and &gt automatically. This automatic conversion is sometimes good when I write HTML code sample for my website. However, in most cases it cause me additional work. So please consider to add the check box to chose atutomatic conversion or not.

Also, the current version seems to export the HTML file using EUC character set and has no other option. I am more than happy if I can select character set when exporting an article to an HTML file.

Thanks again, and I really look forward to the next version of MacJournal with the above mentioned features.

Regards,

Akio

Tokyo, Japan  
(Version 2.6)

ANONYMOUS  i'm i really the only one experiencing weird things related to entry/topic names??

my topic names seem to change often to an other name (to a name from a diff. topic in the same entry).

and it doesn't seem to be fixed in the last 3 or 4 updates i got :(

i'm going to trash all macjournal related files now and reinstall hoping it will magically disappear....  
(Version 2.6)

RAYNE  I've been using this program for about a week and I really like it. I've also been able to import all of my entries from Movable Type into a new journal so that I can keep a backup. I like that it has password protection so I can keep hidden thoughts I don't want anyone else to see. The developer has been very helpful with my questions.

Great app!  
(Version 2.6)

ANONYMOUS  Um, I can't find this "iTunes button" anywhere. Could someone bonk me on the head and tell me where it is?  
(Version 2.6)

ANONYMOUS  Slammin' journal app that just keeps getting better. Great example of an elegant "true mac" interface too. Oh, and it's FREE!   
(Version 2.6)

SCOTT LANEY  Simply the best journaling software for the Mac today!  
(Version 2.6)

BURNEY CHOO  I have just downloaded MacJournal last week and boy am I glad I did. This is one of the most useful software on the Mac. I am very proud of MacJournal and I have to admit that I gloat over the fact that my PC colleagues do not have such a cool tool at their disposal. Make me glad that I switch over to Apple.

How do I use MacJournal? Here are my current listings of Journals:

- Christian Songs

- English Songs

- Malay Songs

- Chinese Songs

- Cook Book

- Dilbert Collection

- My Photo Album

- Project Ideas

- Computer Terminology

- Excel Tips and Tricks

- Vocabulary Builder - Use for compiling words or phrases I have learned

I am a photographer and I also added these Journals to help me with my work:

- Wedding Photography

- Web Design Ideas

- Graphic Design Ideas

The number keeps growing. Thanks Dan Schimpf for such a wonderful software. You have made a difference in my life. :)  
(Version 2.6b5)

DRAKETO  I now use it for years, and it is great and stays great: I write all my shortstories in it, archives poems and songtexts, and fill in some strange ideas :-)  
(Version 2.6b5)

CLAUDE LAWRENCE  Simple to use, invaluable piece of software. Thanks  
(Version 2.6b5)

DENNIS STANLEY  MacJournal is without doubt one of the nicest freeware programs available for the Mac today. The features provided are intuitive and at least at this point, very stable. I did notice, however, that the keyboard combinations to switch between Journals and entries has changed. It does not hamper the program, but I felt that using the arrow keys in conjunction with the hotkeys was a little more intuitive. I would definetly give this software 5 apples (stars). Thank you for a wonderful product and I hope that you continue to develope software for the Macintosh.

Sincerely,

D. Stanley  
(Version 2.6b5)

ANONYMOUS  Brilliant piece of software. Excellent example of how good Mac-software should look and behave. Written by a very responsive software author who still lets us use this for free.  
(Version 2.6b5)

DUF  LOVE this thing. I've tried Xnippets and a couple other notes-type programs, but this is the only one I've kept using.  
(Version 2.6b5)

ANONYMOUS  Free is good price. But with a litte more money you can have picture in your journal if you try MacPhotojournal. It's a shareware, www.zcoregraphics.com to get tryout.  
(Version 2.6b5)

SHAITAN  Amazingly powerful, yet simple program. If it just allowed entries within a given topic to be rearranged by order (i.e., not by date created) and this program would be perfect. When I export html or RTF or PDF I want pages in an order of my choosing, not by when the entry was created.  
(Version 2.6b5)

PHILIPPE LEEMANN  Why could this stupid guy make it FREE?

Thank a lot, it is excellent, please don't stop!  
(Version 2.6b5)

SHELLY  This little program is GREAT. I like the simplicity of it, the ability to lock it up, and that Font Book works with it to provide lots of choices.

If you want to keep a journal, either a work, or personal try MacJournal.  
(Version 2.6b4)

SYSTEMIC ANOMALY  I absolutely love this app! It is so very easy to get acclimated with and it offers everything you would want in a journal. This is one of the best journal apps that I've seen and it's freeware! Dr. Dan has done a great job adding features that you need and nothing you don't. 5 stars!  
(Version 2.6b4)

K.C.WALTER  What a great program! I've enjoyed it for years, and it just gets better and better. Thanks so much. I especially appreciate the fact that it's free for us have-not-so-muches.  
(Version 2.6b4)

PHIL RUPP  Over the last three years, each time I lose a drive, or change computers, some how I lose my journals. Not your fault at all. What all this is coming to is that I find I keep needing this wonderful memory manager. I appreciate your effots at making this so easy to use, and for me, indispensible. I keep coming back.

philrup@umich.edu  
(Version 2.6b4)

DANA SUTTON  Sometimes the quality of freeware can be amazing. The author of this thing is a real hero, he's put a lot of hours into writing and perfecting it as a pure labor of love. If anybody were to compile a freeware Top Ten, surely macjournal would deserve to be included.  
(Version 2.6b4)

ANONYMOUS  Great piece of software! The author is very responsive and continually updates MacJournal. Great for keeping little notes about anything, a blog, a diary, whatever really.  
(Version 2.6b3)

LIHTOX  I don't actually keep a journal, but the thing I like best about this program is a little thing: the ability to insert working checkboxes into the text. I use it for a lot of to-do lists because of this.

Note about the blurb above: it claims that the release notes are on my computer! :-) Try http://danschimpf.blogspot.com/ for some comments on the latest version.  
(Version 2.6b3)

ENDE  Simple. Genial. Each day I am using it more and more.  
(Version 2.6b3)

FREEFROG  What an awesome tool. The export features are robust, as are the styles, etc. It's replace Alepin, Notepad, Z-Write and a few others (including Word) for keeping tidbits, daily blogs, story ideas, etc. Great work Dan... and thanks for the freeware.  
(Version 2.6b2)

TSALAGI  This is a great program. The only complaint I have is that the Blogger title support function still doesn't work.   
(Version 2.6b2)

DEREK LAMBERT  Outstanding! Outstanding! Outstanding!

This programmer is with it and understands the need for simplicity with beautiful interface. Perfect. Rock & Roll!!!! I used to use FileMaker till I found this gem. Using ver 2.6b2 with OS X 10.3.4. Thank you very much.  
(Version 2.6b2)