$IR M.  Maruko, you are not alone! ~2 years ago I was doing a bunch of comics, had the same problems, and also ended up going with OmniGraffle custom stencils ...

Though considerably harder to adapt for comics, OG *always felt solid* - responsive and reliable, with no worries that one's next move might randomly crash and/or cause data loss. A more tightly coded, cocoa-compliant ComicLife would be wonderful - but its track record so far leaves me less than enthused by 1.4.5's reliability claims.

I'll still test it, though. Not to slam CL; I think it has tremendous potential, and I'd really like to see it working properly!  
(Version 1.4.5)

$IR M.  It's not about dissing other languages! I'm glad this comment arrived now, as just the other day I happened to be reviewing "lightweight to-do list" software and recently remembered seeing an app that could've worked for that ... except its oddly unmemorable name made it impossible to search for. (Ah yes: "Schmierzettel"! Too late now...)

Don't change the name for ideology -- consider changing it for practicality. I could've written this in German, Spanish, or even (for practice) the Russian I'm currently studying, but chose English in order to get my message across, since both the MacUpdate boards, and the software itself, are mainly in this language.

Maybe if there's enough demand, MU could add a localizing feature to their comments section!  
(Version 1.6)

$IR M.  "scrap of paper for jotting notes".

With Gruber's thoughts on "frictionless" interfaces (http://daringfireball.net/2009/02/untitled_document_syndrome) still fresh in mind, I could easily appreciate the appeal of a simplified outliner (especially if lightweight, responsive and standards-compliant).

But I second a previous poster: there's too much disconnect between the app's apparent slickness vs. its name's perceived clunkiness (at least, in English). Maybe unused synonyms for "outline" (i.e. précis, gist, or synopsis) could be explored -- "Synopsis 1.0" has a nice ring to it, don't you think?  
(Version 1.1)

$IR M.  Cool! Nearly a decade later, the Johnson J-Station remains an amazing (24-bit!) effects box for guitar and similar instruments. Its main shortcoming was the difficulty of properly keeping track of presets via its limited built-in LED display.

This app looks well-designed for its purpose ... enough to inspire me to want to fire up the ol' J-Station just to try it! Mine's still around here somewhere ... but where?  
(Version 1.0)

$IR M.  I'd just like to put in a good word for this software, which I've experimented with (light occasional use) since about version 0.6.

While the app seems to be coded in a nonstandard way (RealBasic?), and in spots its interface could be clearer, it's by far the strictest all-in-one HTML verifier/validator I've yet found for Mac -- sweating tiny details other validators don't even notice, and generating clear reports. It could prove very helpful to anyone interested in improving web page accessibility.

I've noticed all Intel versions of RWP I've tried have performed solidly; however I've been unable to get PPC versions to run since 0.7 or so. That said, though, I'd like only to encourage the developer, since this FREE software aims at a noble goal (to further democratize the web experience for all by improving accessibility). Thank you.  
(Version 0.11.2)

$IR M.  D-oh. It never fails: you write something; check it twice; post, and only then spot the error ...

I wrote gedit, but meant Geany (0.15, http://www.geany.org/). Not that gedit isn't a worthwhile piece of software also! ;^)   
(Version 0.4.40)

$IR M.  Before I got into my current job, I had little need for a source-code editor. But now that I'm there, and have had time to survey the various Mac/Win/Ubuntu alternatives (best-of-breed in each: ?/PSPad/gedit), this app suddenly became a standout! It seems to have lain low for most of 2008, then got a boost of interest around the time I first noticed it (in the fall) and has been updated steadily since.

For those who must work with code, this is a strong multi-platform contender which you really must check out. It has most major features (code folding!) already, but as the devs only seem to be picking up steam, this should be a project to watch ...

It's extensible, highly configurable, seems to be stable, opens everything ... kudos to the devs. This one already kicks butt at 0.4 -- can't wait 'til 1.0!!  
(Version 0.4.40)

$IR M.  I finally thought to check the dev's blog; not only is he working on a major 3.0 Leopard-friendly update, he has a quick fix for the Intel 10.5.2 beachballing:

"... if you Get Info on the Schoolhouse app in ... the Finder, and Select the Rosetta option (to force the app to run in PowerPC compatible mode), it works fine. This is a temporary solution for everyone who can’t access there [sic] stuff anymore."  
(Version 2.1)

$IR M.  Oh, be nice! It's not like there won't be more Christmases. Just think of it as ... uh ... extremely early.  
(Version 1.1.8)

$IR M.  My 9-year-old son had high hopes for this, to help him stay organized. It worked perfectly in earlier tests under 10.5, but had broken by 10.5.2 in the same way others describe. I saw that a deprecated framework (by now probably removed) is being referenced, hence the freeze.

I advise patience: the author (who I do not know) makes this beautiful app available for free; plus, he's apparently a student himself, right in the thick of things at present. He's likely heard the screams though, and may already be working on a fix. But in the meantime, let's cut him slack and remain thankful for this gift, though it be (temporarily) unusable through no fault of his.  
(Version 2.1)

$IR M.  Seconded.

From what I can determine, author Tommy Pavlicek was a recent high school graduate who grew disenchanted with software development after RapidWeaver stole Site Studio's thunder. He appears to have moved on ... not just to university, but to a lucrative career as a world-class poker player!

It's really a shame, though: this unfairly-overlooked app fairly drips with elegance. It hums along just fine under 10.4.11 and packs some amazing capabilities, given its tiny footprint.  
(Version 1.1.1)

$IR M.  Scratch looks awesome -- a fun, painless way for kids (MITML says 8 and up, though I bet a sharp 5-year-old could grasp this) to learn about rudimentary programming concepts. Its puzzle-piece subroutine metaphor is intuitive and well thought out, and if we accept the standard formula (power + simplicity = elegance), then I believe the e-word definitely applies! The included code examples illustrate a wide variety of concepts, so kids can feel comfortable diving right in, and a way to share one's programs with the world (the app is also cross-platform) has been built in as well.

It's still a work in progress: during testing I had to force-quit a few times. But not to complain -- this is a very worthy idea. (Imagine if it came with a standalone compiler ... yikes!)  
(Version 1.1)

$IR M.  Fixed my own bug, only a few minutes later: if the "title page" length exceeds one page (as mine accidentally did -- I'm testing and pasted in some text), when you print, the app hangs before the print dialog box can appear, and you must force-quit.

I couldn't tell that there was more text that had scrolled off the bottom, since there's no way (?) to show invisibles!  
(Version 1.2.2)

$IR M.  I've checked various builds of Montage from time to time, and while overall it looks like a worthy endeavor which has improved steadily, it's not rock-solid just yet:

-- I can make it hang every time, by trying to print a *script* with "Include title page when printing" checked. (Note that printing the title page by itself works fine.)

-- its typography-intolerant RTF export eats smart quotes, em-dashes, ellipsises, and other common characters. (If you export as DOC, then open in TexEdit, save as RTF and re-import, the characters are preserved, so the problem isn't RTF itself.)

Overall, though, Montage looks great and I look forward to having more time to test it ...  
(Version 1.2.2)

$IR M.  I also was suspicious about this application, so tore it apart for examination. It appears to be nothing more than a compiled Automator action, to block sites whose URLs (and/or contents -- I couldn't be sure) match text from a list of blacklisted words.

Here's the kicker, though: *there are only 6 words* in the whole list! The software's efficacy in its stated purpose would therefore appear to be highly questionable (to say the least) ...

Draw your own conclusions.  
(Version 1.0)

$IR M.  BEWARE OF THIS GAME! It's been 2 days, yet when I close my eyes, all I see are skulls, gems, and stone heads sliding around ... driving around town, I half-expect cars ahead of me to line up and disappear. You don't know what addiction is until you've played this eeeeevil game ...

There's good reason it's so incredibly devious: it's the first game I've seen that marries the irresistible but essentially mindless pattern-matching of puyo-puyo to a larger, progressive strategy. The framing device for the sustained exposition happens to be the exploration of lost Mayan ruins. A rich, evocative atmosphere is created immediately by the cryptic comments in the explorer's diary, the disconcerting, cinematic music, and various jungle noises popping up at random times. The tension is gradually ratcheted up by the addition of extra pieces, more difficult boards, time limits, and special pieces that must be matched multiple times to be unlocked.

Overall, it's a very high-quality production, with excellent graphics, sounds, and play mechanics. It WILL send all your free time straight to Xibalba!  
(Version 1.0)

$IR M.  I had this problem too, but noticed "doom2.wad" worked ... so tried changing the "DOOM1.WAD" filename to all lowercase ... try it!  
(Version 2.4.4)

$IR M.  INSPIRED CONCEPT, FLAWED EXECUTION

It's said that one thing people love best is creating narratives. In facilitating this, ComicLife scratches a VERY deep itch!

CL seems like the kind of app that would actually sell Macs: everyone who sees it, loves it. I too want it to be the best it can be. However, right now, it's really more proof-of-concept than finished product -- it's buggy, slow, requires excessive horsepower for what it does, and gives users too little control.

In the spirit of constructive criticism, then, here are some suggestions for the next version:

* Users need more style management control -- the ability to disable/delete unused styles would be a good start

* In any program this visual, all styles should be graphically represented, not just named

* The background area outside the page should be a pasteboard (common to all pages)

* Zooming in should center around the currently selected object

* Alignment tools should let users align (and probably distribute) objects to each other (not just the page), just like in any draw program.

* Grid-snapping should apply to everything, not just panels.

* You should be able to batch-change multiple selections via the contextual menu

* The details pane should more clearly indicate modes and subordinate hierarchies

A Few Selected Bugs

* At least in my testing, QuickComic rarely worked properly

* page ranges don't appear in the "save as" dialog

* user-created page templates only open correctly if dragged (not if double-clicked)

These comments aside, everyone should buy it anyway, to support and encourage the plasq team. If they listen to their users and come through with a solid 3.0, it should be a smash hit, and rightly so.  
(Version 1.2.5)

$IR M.  Last November, I commented that once Monolingual has been run, FE X would refuse to launch, claiming unauthorized modifications to its internals, and had to be reinstalled. I cc:'ed Linotype, and within 24 hours received a reply that they'd fix the next build -- and they did! Such a timely response would have been impressive anyway, but is nearly unheard-of for a FREE product.

But now ... after using TrimTheFat 0.6 to strip 6+MB of unused Intel code from FE X 1.01 on my G4 Powerbook ... guess what happens! I don't mean to complain, but those who like to run lean (you know who you are) should be advised.  
(Version 1.0.1)