MARKUS WINTER  I think you should at least mention that you are advertising your own program. What you are doing is considered very bad etiquette.  
(Version 1.4)

MARKUS WINTER  First off I wrote a little program. Nothing special but useful. Have done it before (Transform, Safari 4 Modifier) and put it out as donationware. Not that I got many.

So I think I might as well give 50% of the donations to my mothers charity. Might even result in a rise in donations. Win-win either way.

Works indeed - except that some people donate a LOT (1x $250, 1x $100, 6x $50) and it just doesn't feel right to keep 50% of that. So I decide to give everything to the relief project.

I have a website which should answer all questions about the program, and even has my home address and landline phone number. The relief project has my mother's address and landline phone number. So we are easily traced. The address of the banks and the acoount details are on there. So people can contact me, my mother, the bank if they have any doubts about the project. I put my name and reputation behind it.

And I'm getting a bit sick of people who do not read the information provided, who do not do any background checks, but think it is ok to insinuate wrongdoing on my part.

And to the ones who complain about me asking for donations - I wonder how many of you actually have donated. I have a feeling I know the answer.

Dr. Markus Winter

Im Fasanenwäldchen 4

69126 Heidelberg

Tel: +0049 (0)6221 187 0869  
(Version 1.3.3)

MARKUS WINTER  @ LIVINGS124

If you had bothered to actually follow the link to the relief project then you would have found the bank information there for both the german and indian account

http://www.veronikawinter.de/Indien/English/Donations/Donations.html

Some people probably donate directly, others donate via PayPal - either way is much appreciated.  
(Version 1.3.3)

MARKUS WINTER  P.S. And if it bothers you so much that I keep asking for donations - if it feeds just one more kid for one more day, then your bother doesn't bother me at all ;-P  
(Version 1.3)

MARKUS WINTER  Sorry, but if people are too lazy to read the website but feel the need to voice their wrong opinion about things which are explained on said website ... then that's just too much to bear.

I'm not a saint, and after about 70 emails asking things which have been explained on the website (which I answered politely as people ask me directly) I also have to deal with people who think it is in any way or form proper to mouth off here showing their ignorance - well, that's where my patience grows a bit thin. And I think justifiably so.  
(Version 1.3)

MARKUS WINTER  P.S. And in case you are too lazy the points are:

- show the state of your current Macs 64-bit readiness

- if it is possible on your Mac make it easy to switch the boot state permanently

- and most importantly: collect some money for kids much worse off than you

... and I hope you donated and didn't just come here to leave pointless remarks with zero information content - after all you could have just emailed and asked me directly, so I wonder about the need of some people to show that the HAVEN'T READ THE INFO ON THE WEBSITE!

;-P  
(Version 1.3)

MARKUS WINTER  Read the website ;-)  
(Version 1.3)

MARKUS WINTER  SnapNDrag is nicer (and lets you apply settings to the draged picture, like reducing the size or the quality). And it's free too.  
(Version 1.2.3)

MARKUS WINTER  P.S. Changing it even on 10.5 won't hurt but won't have any effects either.  
(Version 1.2.3)

MARKUS WINTER  The supported status is what Apple officially supports - if your machine is not on Apple's list then you'll see a red cross. If you email me a screenshot of your system profiler (which contains your exact model number) then I can tell you more about your status (don't post it here as that screenshot contains your Mac's serial number).  
(Version 1.2.3)

MARKUS WINTER  No, it would not mess it up. The "start in 64-bit kernel mode" setting is just ignored then and the machine starts the kernel in 32-bit mode.  
(Version 1.2.3)

MARKUS WINTER  I want to add a third icon for Macs capable of running in 64bit mode but not on Apple's official list.

If you have such a Mac then please send me the relevant info from the system profiler (model identifier and 64bit kernel are the important ones).

A great little program to make screenshots from a window or a selected portion of the screen is SnapNDrag which is freeware

see http://www.macupdate.com/info.php/id/12087/snapndrag  
(Version 1.2.3)

MARKUS WINTER  Note three things:

(1) Apple might change the firmware at some point so that you CAN run a 64bit kernel

(2) Some machines which are not officially supported CAN run a 64bit kernel (for example the MacBookPro5,3 which is not in the officially supported list, and from some feedback I got it seems the 13in MacBook Pro can do it too).

The big red X or green checkmark shows the OFFICIAL status.

(3) there are VERY good reasons to run the kernel in 32bit mode for now even if your machine is able to run a 64bit kernel - it is explained on my website

Any more questions feel free to contact me.  
(Version 1.2.3)

MARKUS WINTER  Yes. The original MacPro does not support a 64bit kernel.  
(Version 1.2.3)

MARKUS WINTER  Can you send me a screenshot and what the system profiler says (just the bit about the 64bit kernel is important)?  
(Version 1.2.3)

MARKUS WINTER  As of 1.2.2 all bugs should have been squashed and it should be working fine.

If you do find a problem then I'd love to hear from you - send me an email with a screenshot and what Mac you have.

But most important PLEASE read the website - you wouldn't believe the number of emails I get with questions which have been answered on the website.  
(Version 1.2.3)

MARKUS WINTER  That was fixed in version 1.2.2  
(Version 1.2.3)

MARKUS WINTER  Sigh. For the umpteenth time: Have you read the information on the website. Is your system supported?

Apple has a check in the EFI that starts the kernel in 32bit mode on unsupported hardware. So unless you want to hack the EFI firmware (really bad mojo) or Apple releases a firmware upgrade there is nothing anyone can do.

Which you would know if you read the webpage. So don't blame the tool for your shortcomings.  
(Version 1.2.3)

MARKUS WINTER  Has been fixed in version 1.2.2  
(Version 1.2.3)

MARKUS WINTER  Is your Mac supported?  
(Version 1.2.2)

MARKUS WINTER  Thanks - fixed. Version 1.2.3 uploading as we speak.  
(Version 1.2.2)

MARKUS WINTER  Not in the "near future" as the near future is currently occupied by the Carbon to Cocoa transition ;-)  
(Version 1.2.1)

MARKUS WINTER  Thanks to some nice feedback I've identified a problem with permissions when trying to change the mode. The fix will be up shortly (is with my testers at the moment)  
(Version 1.2.1)

MARKUS WINTER  "I also reported a Exception error when selecting 64bit mode. Tried on two Duo 2 Core macs. But the developer just ignores this."

You didn't report anything - you just trolled and left snide remarks. Reporting actually involves contacting the developer. There is a contact developer menu item in the app, and there is a contact form on the website - others manage to contact me with their questions, why not you?

And your unqualified remarks about REALbasic just showed everyone your real motives. Well done.  
(Version 1.2)

MARKUS WINTER  see http://www.realsoftwareblog.com/2009/06/our-64-bit-future.html

Most desktop computers have used 32 bit processors for a long time now. Among other things, a 32 bit processor limits the amount of memory a computer can access to 4 GB (or to be more precise, 4096 megabytes). The world is moving towards 64 bit processors which can, in theory, address 16 exabytes (16 billion GB!) of memory. Most 64 bit computers don't support that much memory of course but 64 bit computers will certainly allow for a lot more memory than we have today.

For most REALbasic users this change won't require much, if any, work. When we ship a 64 bit native version of REALbasic, integers will be 64 bits rather than 32 bits.

64 bit is something we will be addressing to allow your applications to be 64 bit native.

[...]

I don't have a timeframe to announce just yet. However, those of you that are depending on 32 bit integers (and if you are, you know you are) can update your code now so you won't have any hiccups when compiling 64 bit native applications arrives.

Posted by Geoff Perlman, CEO of REALbasic, June 11 2009  
(Version 1.2)

MARKUS WINTER  P.S "but by not being 64-bit, your app will require the loading of 32-bit frameworks to run"

They are loaded anyway as DVD Player, Front Row, Grapher, and iTunes aren't 64bit yet)  
(Version 1.2)

MARKUS WINTER  As I said it needs to be 32bit to run on 32bit Core Duo Macs - no point in it being 64bit.

In the future there will be both a 64bit version with some more enhancements (like listing all 32bit kernel extensions)

And as you rightfully say I explain on my website that a 64bit kernel is pretty much unnecessary at this point except for developers - that being said people still like to know what they have, and this program and the website are more about informing (and empowering) people than mucking around with the system.  
(Version 1.2)

MARKUS WINTER  Now why would you try to force the app to start in 64bit? Do you want to give it access to 16 billion GB of RAM? Rest assured it doesn't need it ;-)

Of course it is a 32bit app - how else would it be able to run on 32bit Core Duo Macs?

If you want to expose your ignorance then I won't stop you ;-)

And why would it matter that it is written in REALbasic? Would it help you if I rewrite it in Objective-C? Would take me a lot longer and wouldn't be as much fun as programming in REALbasic but it's certainly doable.  
(Version 1.2)

MARKUS WINTER  Which would make it twice the size and then people complain that it is too big ;-)  
(Version 1.2)

MARKUS WINTER  You are using a G5 iMac. The system requirements are Intel processor.

However if you like I can compile a universal app for you.  
(Version 1.2)

MARKUS WINTER  Why would it need to be? It doesn't need 16 Exabytes (that's 16 billion GB) of memory to do its job ;-)

Furthermore how would you run it on an older 32-bit Core Duo to check your status if it is 64-bit?

64-bit isn't a miracle cure, and is not appropriate for everything.  
(Version 1.2)

MARKUS WINTER  Sigh. If you don't know what you are talking about then maybe you should first read the info on the website?

For one thing the key combinations don't stick - you'll need to do them every time.

For another the main focus of the app in my mind is telling people what they have.  
(Version 1.2)

MARKUS WINTER  Donations update:

To date 10,954 people visited my website (combined total for the English and German website).

12 people donated a total of $206:

2x $50

1x $30

7x $10

1x $5

1x $1

Originally I wrote that 50% of donations would go to the relief project - however I don’t think the two big donors intended to give me $25, and would feel bad about accepting it.

So I’ve decided to give all the money to the relief project instead.

PayPal takes a few percent which I will cover out of my own pocket so that everyone can rest assured that their full donation will reach the kids.

Thank you to all donors!  
(Version 1.1)

MARKUS WINTER  to date over 7,500 visitors but only 2 donations - I was hoping my efforts would raise more money for my mothers charity ...  
(Version 1.1)

MARKUS WINTER  This is so good Apple should buy it. Seriously. Sending 300 pictures to my father in Germany? No problem anymore. Keeping important documents synced between my desktop and laptop - automatic. Sharing my recording of last nights football (the real kind as being played in Europe) highlights with my father -in-law in New Zealand - easy!

DropBox is amazing, and I've installed it on every relative's and friend's computer I could get my hands on.

Really, Apple: Buy it!  
(Version 0.6.550)

MARKUS WINTER  I'm. So. Dumb.

Mistook the appshelf file for the app.

Thanks for the quick response from the developer.  
(Version 1.6)

MARKUS WINTER  HELP! Each time I start AppShelf it again imports my 18 MacHeist serials - and deleting them one by one is a pain!  
(Version 1.6)

MARKUS WINTER  Safari 4 final

Apple seems to have changed Safari 4 so that the changes are no longer set via Prefs but are build-in. Nothing I can do about that until someone figures out a way to modify Safari 4.  
(Version 0.3.2)

MARKUS WINTER  Well, removing the SIMBL folder makes Safari start, putting it back leads to a crash on start up. As others have SIMBL running fine it might be an incompatibility with the only other plugin I have (veetle) as I disabled all other SIMBL plugins.

SafariBlock seems to work now after I disabled "check for update on start-up"  
(Version 4.0)

MARKUS WINTER  If you have SIMBL installed then Safari 4.0 will not start

If you have SafariBlock installed and enabled then it will block all sites (not sure why)  
(Version 4.0)

MARKUS WINTER  REALbasic Syntax Highlighter Module seems to be a repackaged version of Alex Resrepo's SyntaxHighlightEditField which is free   
(Version 1.0)

MARKUS WINTER  Even if it would be free I fail to see the value in this even for absolute beginners.

The 12 (!!!) included functions are of the type "Test for file exists" which in REALbasic is just something like

Dim f As FolderItem // reserve a place in memory for a folderitem

f=GetOpenFolderItem(FileTypes1.Quicktime) // open dialog to load a quicktime movie

If f Nil and f,exists then // did the user select a movie? does the file exist?

MoviePlayer1.movie=f.OpenAsMovie // then open the movie

End if

so it just makes it more difficult rather than easier.

Or his "create an email" in REALbasic is simply

Dim mail as EmailMessage

mail = New EmailMessage

mail.fromAddress= EditField_MyEmailAddress.text

mail.subject = EditField_SubjectText.text

mail.bodyPlainText = EditField_email_bodyText.text

Ridiculous.

As the author also states "Additional functionality was added by the use of plugins from MonkeyBread Software" he might infringe on the copyright of the excellent Monkeybread Software plugins (http://www.versiontracker.com/dyn/moreinfo/macosx/16127, 5 Star ratings) as you are allowed to use them in your compiled apps, but I don't think you can "sublet" them in any form which would be required if he uses them in his encrypted module).

There is a strong suspicion in the REALbasic community that he is just repacking code that others have given away for free. This suspicion stems in part from the fact that his other product REALbasic Syntax Highlighter Module seems to be a repackaged version of Alex Resrepo's SyntaxHighlightEditField which is free  
(Version 1.0)

MARKUS WINTER  Ein Wort zur Fanzösischen Lokalisation

Man kann auch Safari 4 beta selbst auf Französisch lokalisieren - siehe http://maclocal.free.fr/telechargement/telechargement.html  
(Version 0.3)

MARKUS WINTER  I've now put up a detailed comparison between Safari 4 Modifier and Safari 4 Buddy

see http://www.ahatfullofsky.comuv.com/English/Programs/S4M/S4M.html  
(Version 0.2.2)

MARKUS WINTER  @ Titanic

Safari 4 Modofoer can already do that. You just need to make sure that both "Toolbar redesign" and "Use New Load Progress Style" are disabled as the toolbar redesign will automatically enable the new progress indicator.   
(Version 0.2.2)

MARKUS WINTER  Safari 4 Modofoer can already do that. You just need to make sure that both "Toolbar redesign" and "Use New Load Progress Style" are disabled as the toolbar redesign will automatically enable the new progress indicator.   
(Version 0.2.2)

MARKUS WINTER  Of course clear history also clears the searches. But what if you only want to clear the searches and keep the history?   
(Version 0.2.2)

MARKUS WINTER  Are you playing dumb on purpose? Of course clear history also clears the searches. But what if you only want to clear the searches and keep the history?  
(Version 0.2.2)

MARKUS WINTER  "Clear Recent Searches" is NOT the same as selecting "Clear History" from the "History" menu of Safari. The searches are what you search for in the google bar, the history are also the web sites you visited.  
(Version 0.2.2)

MARKUS WINTER  Basically they do very similar things but S4M is available in English and German, changes 9 settings compared to Buddy's 7, clears recent searches, sticks to user interface guide lines (uses check boxes instead of radio buttons), warns on start up if Safari is running, etc etc

Safari 4 Buddy is good - but Safari 4 Modifier is better ;-)

But I might be biased

P.S. Why are you posting this on all download sites? If you want to advertise for Safari 4 Buddy then this is a rather underhanded way of doing so.  
(Version 0.2.2)

MARKUS WINTER  You have to give them your credit card information BEFORE they tell you the price??? Are these guys for real??? They might make nice software, but how you treat your potential customers tells me a lot about the company.

But then again, if the price is important to you, then they probably don't want you as a customer anyway  
(Version 1.01)

MARKUS WINTER  Thanks for the review. The website mentioned is probably Kristian's collection of biosoftware at

http://www.kga.name/Links.html  
(Version 2.39.1)

MARKUS WINTER  A while back I bought 25 licenses after we had a burglary at work and my laptops were stolen. The first disaster was during the update to Leopard - my Mac would hang during booting up. Turned out MacPhoneHome was the culprit. Brigadoon was silent on the problem for an awful long time before releasing a 10.5 compatible version. I now tried to install this new version on my new MacBook Pro but all I get is a "user name or password incorrect" - which they certainly are not. I contacted tech support and am still waiting for an answer that fixes the problem (I suspect the different endianess of Intel vs PowerPC machines is the root of the problem)  
(Version 3.2.1)

MARKUS WINTER  I bought it, converted a little mov to mpeg as per instructions (maxed out my C2D for 15 minutes), and did not get the 3 files as per instructions despite being told everything went fine (I only get the m2v file).

So I used VisualHub to make a mpeg-2 file and then tried to add subtitles as per instructions and get "the application spumux quit unexpectedly"

Waste of money  
(Version 4.2)

MARKUS WINTER  The interesting bit for me would be subtitles - pity I can't try it.  
(Version 4.2)

MARKUS WINTER  I have to agree - the demo is ridiculous. It seems to be a ffmpeg GUI in the mold of VisualHub - but how good it is is anyone's guess. I wanted to check subtitle support - I get "this feature is not supported in demo mode".

All I can say is "What demo mode"?  
(Version 4.2)

MARKUS WINTER  slags the REALbasic development system without even trying or understanding any of it (his "review" came out within 30 min of REAbasic2007 R5 being released, and by his own admission he has trouble even understanding REALbasic) and who's programming expertise according to himself seems to consist solely of dragging interface elements and using the connectors:

"3. It is NOT simple and easy to understand. It's interface is a joke. You have tons of items to drag into your interface, but there are no connections as far as I can tell (maybe they're just hard to find).

a. Xcode and Interface Builder are easy to understand, the connections are easy to create, and it's interface is very helpful and easy to learn."

Sorry, but why on Earth would anyone sprout such nonsense. You are just ruining your reputation. I know I would not even consider trying your apps now (but at least I'm fair enough to write this as a commentary, not as a 1 star review like you did).  
(Version 1.0rc2)

MARKUS WINTER  Excellent class that makes it easy to create proper preference files and store the values. It even handles arrays without a problem.

However there is a bug in SetDouble and SetReal due to the way how strings store and display LARGE numbers

If the number is 123456789 then

values.value(key)=str(v)

will store 1.23456e9

When you read it back it becomes 123456000

The line should be

values.value(key)=Format(v, "#########")

then it is saved properly  
(Version 2.11.1)

MARKUS WINTER  Try it out first - on an iMac G4 1 GHz it slows down quite badly the more captions you add (probably due to using graphics for text), so after just 20-30 captions added it becomes pretty unusable for me on the iMac. Works fine on my MacBook Pro (2.16 GHz C2D)  
(Version 1.21)

MARKUS WINTER  YAAAAAAY!

Thanks for Intaglio!!!!!  
(Version )

MARKUS WINTER  Just send yourself one of the two invites. Geez, that's not so hard to figure out ...  
(Version )

MARKUS WINTER  Hi Art,

that's exactly what I've been saying: shareware, freeware, demos. In short: useless in the age of broadband.

The coverCDs of magazines I bought had full versions on them (usually lagging one or two version numbers behind the current one)  
(Version )

MARKUS WINTER  P.S. Got an e-mail with my codes within 3 min of paying - that's excellent :-)  
(Version )

MARKUS WINTER  If we reach 4000 then I'll be over the moon :-)

And don't pay attention to that control freak on usenet  
(Version )

MARKUS WINTER  P.S. I used to collect cover CDs with full version programs from PC computer magazines like other people collect stamps - so just in case someone needed a program I would have one available (usually an older version, like Canvas 8 when Canvas 9 was out),

I always regretted that Mac magazines did not have the same - some demo, some shareware, but nothing to entice me to buy the magazine. And I know quite a few guys who also decided on buying or not depending on the software on the cover CD or DVD.

This promos on a monthly basis would have given MacUser or MacWorld a great circulation, and done wonders for the shareware scene.  
(Version )

MARKUS WINTER  Leo, what an incredible arrogant staement:

"Overall a bundle for OS beginners and those with money to burn and like having second rate apps hanging around but never using."

Not everyone can afford Adobe Creative Studio 3 and Final Cut Studio 2 - and not everyone needs it either. I'm very happy with GraphicConverter, Intaglio, and iLife. And I'm neither a beginner nor do I have money to burn (I'm currently unemployed and VERY short of cash).  
(Version )

MARKUS WINTER  The bundle is now mentioned on many newsgroups and places like Macintouch.com - so it should reach the 9999 quite comfortably, especially as it contains mainly programs which were not in the previous bundles. I bought the bundle and told a few friends as well. I wanted to register my GraphicConverter for a long time, and Intaglio is my replacement of choice for Claris Draw - awesome!  
(Version )

MARKUS WINTER  P.S. It is called shareware instead of donationware as there is no donationware category when you submit a program (it's now a pulldown menue with limited choice)  
(Version 0.10.4)

MARKUS WINTER  Thanks for the comment - I'll add the ability to open text files in the next version. I hadn't done so before as my work flow is usually: work with sequence in GeneJockey, copy paste into transform, clean up and modify, then copy paste into Excel. I expected the work flow to be similar for most scientists so there would be no real need to open text files as the sequences are stored in the sequence program ...   
(Version 0.10.4)