BILLIFER  Thanks for the updated version! (I had run into the double-click crash issue, so I'm eager to use the new version for some quick touch-ups I need.)

Ukelele has been fantastic for helping me to be more productive with my Mac! I decided some time ago that I would start using the Caps Lock state to support an "alternate typing context" -- when my Caps Lock is engaged, it means I am in "Typography Mode" and thus I use only curved quotation marks, em and en dash, etc. Ukelele made it VERY easy (relatively speaking, of course) for me to accomplish this.

If you're interested in my key layout, the rationale, and more about how I use my keyboard layout, this blog post has all the information.

Thanks again!  
(Version 1.8)

BILLIFER  You should download the 1.0rc2 version, which says:

"This is the official release of MPlayer for Mac OS X. Version numbering will reflect the current version of mplayer. The UI is a fork of the MPlayer OSX 2.0 source code and is now part of the mplayer project."

In other words, the 2.0b8r5 version (on this page) has been folded into the 1.0rc2 version, which is released by the MPlayer developers themselves.  
(Version 2.0b8r5)

BILLIFER  The "hidden" .Trash folder actually is the trash, if you were to look at it from the Terminal. When you empty the trash, you'll find that anything that was showing up in .Trash will be gone -- unless you got a message it it couldn't delete it because it was in use for whatever reason.

On an external drive or a DMG it's a little different, but that' probably not relevant here.  
(Version 1.0.6.20080726)

BILLIFER  Alex -- Very well worded. I'm sorry for any misunderstanding or hard feelings that this may have caused. Please accept my apology; when I learned that the software causes a lockout when newer versions are released, I merely had my old "system administrator panic" left over from when I used to take care of the systems for an auto manufacturing plant.

brentb: I was in the process of replying to you when I saw Alex's message come through, but essentially, I agree with what you had said and I realize that I had misunderstood your first message.  
(Version 2.6)

BILLIFER  If we were talking about, say, an iTunes visualizer or an alarm clock, I'd completely agree with you (the thread OP). I'm a photographer, so I know my fair share about making money from your efforts. Having said that, though...

iVPN is not an iTunes visualizer or an alarm clock. It's security software. When most security-savvy computer users including myself realize that so-called security software (or any software) has a phone-home feature that allows for deactivation when a new version is released, we immediately doubt its trustworthiness. It has nothing to do with the age of the developer, or that he wants to make some money from his efforts, or that he didn't know a better way of doing it.

If you look around, essentially any product that's been shown to have call-home features has met a swift demise. Most recently, one game was delisted from the iPhone app store entirely because it uploaded users' address book to its servers -- even though they were upfront about it.

To quote that linked article, which I think also is the bottomline here: "Good intentions by slightly amateur programmers. It's alright. No malice intended."  
(Version 2.6)

BILLIFER  @MU Frequenter: only if it is released under a GNU-compatible license. iVPN, according to the SourceForge website, was governed by the original BSD license, which does not require source code to be made available indefinitely.  
(Version 2.6)

BILLIFER  I had previously installed 2.4, but now that I know the developer had put into place backdoors allowing him to turn off software already installed on my computer, I cannot trust ANYTHING about this piece of software which purports to be for security purposes. I'm zapping it as quickly as I can!  
(Version 2.6)

BILLIFER  Wow, talk about "Ask and you shall receive!" On 1 May, I mentioned that I'd like to see more cover art included, and it's already done now with version 2.2.3, along with a slew of other enhancements. I'm very happy to pay my $8 for what TotalTunes Control offers. As a long-time user, I couldn't be happier with its development progress and timely updates, the functionality it provides, and the overall invested in it long before it went shareware. It's an essential tool on my Mac.  
(Version 2.2.3)

BILLIFER  Thank you. :) TTC is truly an awesome app -- well-coded and very beautiful. When I saw it, the choice to switch from SizzingKeys4iTunes was a 'no brainer'. The ability to set my own keystrokes is what sold me; I've set mine to the same as I grew accustomed to using with SizzlingKeys, so I get more functionality without having to learn new keystrokes.   
(Version 2.2)

BILLIFER  I think that $8 USD is a reasonable price to ask for what TTC accomplishes. Obviously its users like it or they (we) wouldn't use it, right? Allowing the developer to profit from his work should not be seen as such a heinous thing but as a way to satisfy both users and the developer, provided the price is reasonable and development doesn't dry up.

Having said that, I've been neglectful myself in donating to the developer of TTC (which I think is an outstanding app); the choice to move to a shareware model, however, has reminded me that I actually should have paid for using this software long ago, so pay for it I will. My only hopes are that we see more cover styles and new features as a result of the move to shareware, not fewer and less frequent releases.  
(Version 2.2)

BILLIFER  I would be very happy to see this plugin if I hadn't got so used to using TextMate's own keyboard shortcuts and commands. Without detracting from ViMate (I haven't tried it), had it been available when I started using TextMate, I would have loved it but now I'm much less tempted to even give it a go.  
(Version 1.4)

BILLIFER  I used SizzlingKeys4iTunes for the longest time. When TotalTunes Control became available, I thought it was "just another iTunes controller" like all the others, but eventually something about it -- the look of the control window -- made me realize, "Hey, I actually _can_ accomplish everything from here and still have it run transparently in the background."

So I installed TotalTunes Control, set the trigger keys to be the same that I had gotten accustomed to with SizzlingKeys (keys that I had customized, incidentally -- both apps allow the user to choose the trigger keys) and haven't looked back. Now I don't have to go into System Preferences to change the settings like I did with SizzlingKeys (which was a Prefpane), and I even get Last.fm support for free -- bye bye, iScrobbler.

I couldn't ask for a better iTunes controller than TTC. The developer seems to be very active in updating the app with new features and bug fixes, as well as listening to user feedback. That goes a long way toward loyalty -- and even if it's a free app, loyalty still means something.  
(Version 2.0.2)

BILLIFER  I have been a very frequent user of File List for several months but two things always bugged me about it: First, it was PPC only; and second, the window was not selectable with Command-Tab. Both have been addressed with the new Name Mangler 2.0.

Name Manger 2.0 retains all the power of File List -- including the Advanced renaming syntax which I use very frequently -- and only expands on it. The droplet feature is fantastic for quickly renaming files that have the same pattern without having to reenter the pattern each time: simply save the droplet onto the Desktop or even into the Finder window and then drop the files onto it. They're renamed transparently.

This little utility is one of those that makes me HAPPY to donate to its future development even when I'm not constantly nagged into doing so. If all software were written like Name Mangler 2.0, I'd have very empty pockets indeed!  
(Version 2.0)

BILLIFER  There's always Picard, the next-gen tagger. iEatBrainz still uses the classic tagger engine.  
(Version 1.08)

BILLIFER  I've been using Aurora for quite some time as my one and only alarm clock. It functions perfectly and I've been completely satisfied with it. When the new version (4.0) came out a few days ago, I didn't even notice that it had changed from freeware to shareware/demo. (It certainly wasn't listed in the "What's New" section!) As I said, I think Aurora is a great app, and it's worth paying for. The snooze feature and multiple alarms to perform essentially any task I wish through scripting is fantastic.

But in the whole time I've been using it, I've never "shopped around" for a better one. Now that it's $22.00, well, I'm going to have to reevaluate my options before I decide to buy. The price tag just may have lost a potentially very happy customer for Aurora -- not that I mind paying for it, but that I think $15 or less would be a more appropriate price -- especially considering its long history as freeware.  
(Version 4.0)

BILLIFER  I've been using Namely for a year and a half. For me, the lightweight functionality of Namely works better than the Swiss army knife-like features of Quicksilver.

The new version for Leopard fixes the issues I had experienced with Namely. I still consider Namely a cornerstone of my Mac experience, replacing Spotlight almost entirely.  
(Version 2.5)

BILLIFER  I love Breakaway. For the price (i.e., free), it doesn't matter to me whether it pauses VLC or MPlayer. The developer would likely welcome help in coding these, as well, just guessing, even though the source code isn't available at the Breakaway web site.  
(Version 1.0)

BILLIFER  I've had some stability issues and 1.1.3 keeps telling me to upgrade -- to 1.1.3. Er?

Additionally, I've been nothing but happy with Knox (Knox4Mac), and they don't have the 10Gb issue that Exces does.

Yes, what others are writing is correct: It's nothing more than a front-end to hdiutil, but remember that many Mac users are Terminal-shy. I wouldn't use Exces if it hadn't been bundled with the the, erm, Bundle.

Knox still gets my vote for ease, convenience, and whole-disk encryption on top of that.  
(Version 1.1.3)