RICHCASTILLO  I have been using the MacUpdate website for several years and I love it. I place a lot of weight on the user reviews in making software purchasing decisions. So, when MacUpdate Desktop came out in v5 I was persuaded to finally anty up and become a paying member. However, I am generally unhappy with this desktop application. It does not feel like a refined v5 app. It feels like a 0.9 beta because it has so many rough edges and bugs. Since I am using it on 3 computers between work and home I believe the problems cannot be attributed to my computer, except that the common thread is that they all are running Snow Lep.

On my MacBook Pro with Airport connection the program barley functions. It will be downloading 2 updates with an advancing progress bars while 2 others update complain that I have lost Internet connectivity. On all of the machines, when any event takes place like the completion of a download, it will bounce back to the beginning of my list, loosing the place I was working at. If you have a dozen apps downloading this can be a real irritant. There are at least 50 programs in my list that have no lookup and most of them are mainstrean apps that are referenced on the MacUpdate website. Some programs such as Email Commander simply will not update, just return an error. When downloading a dozen updates at a time frequently half of them will install and half of them will give a timed out error and I'll have to go back and do them one at a time.

This app has great potential to be a huge time saver in keeping my Macs maintained. However, it has so many irritating rough edges that I cannot give it better than 2 stars right now. I hope the developer is able to resolve all of the issues and make this a solid app.  
(Version 5.0)

RICHCASTILLO  Beware of one star reviews.

Although I have not used Icefields, I have known about it for years. It was around back in the '90s when I owned an imagesetter. This is a very specialized application that produces a frequency modulated halftone (a random halftone). Basically, it is a RIP. Most RIPS for imagesetters (a machine that writes to film to make halftone negatives for offset litho or contact photo printing) produce amplitude modulated halftone screens. This is a real problem if you are trying to print a catalog with fabric samples because the regular pattern of the AM halftone screen combines with the regular pattern of the fabric (assuming you have enough resolution to resolve the fabric pattern) and the result is an awful MOIRÉ. This is a French term for an interference pattern. It is a THIRD pattern that is synthesized from the overlapping of two other patterns. Since the FM screen is random (actually, pseudo random) it does not combine with the fabric pattern to create a moiré. This is the value of a program like Icefields. If you think photographing fabrics is a rare situation then consider that interference patterns (moiré) are also a problem when reproducing to print brick walls or anything with a regular pattern. I used to love blowing away my students by taking two sheets of AM (amplitude modulated) imagesetter film and superimposing them over a light table. When you rotate one film against the other, the resulting moiré is nothing short of psychedellic! Hope this helps. I had to write it because I hate one star reviewers who don't understand the reason for a software app.  
(Version 4.3)

RICHCASTILLO  I have to stand by my previous comment. To drag and drop is such an integral part of the Mac experience that any program that is missing it.... Well, belongs on Windows.   
(Version 1.0.5)

RICHCASTILLO  I like this developer and they have some outstanding apps like MacPilot, for example. I own their whole utility suite. However, I have to agree with the negative reviewers. Pretty much everything they said is true. This program does feel like a 0.4 alpha. It is not at all intuitive and is very limited, despite the impressive looking list of functions on the website. It feels like a skeleton of an app. The drawing function seems on par with 1984 MacPaint . You can't even drag a graphic to the canvas or the editor; you have to import it through the menu. This app should not be for sale. It should be a free alpha. An example of this genre done right is eZediaOTI & eZediaMX. Unfortunatly, that developer is no longer in business but the software can still be found. It was light years ahead of Proj Canvas. So, in summary I think this was a misstep by Koingo who generally does a good job. Not this time, boys.  
(Version 1.0.5)

RICHCASTILLO  I have to take issue with those who give one star rating because they have a crashing problem with an app. First of all, the above is a trouble ticket, not a review and as such, should not have been issued any star rating because it improperly skews the rating and is an abuse. Secondly, I would never blame an app for crashing unless it did it on more than one computer. The chance of some oddball software conflict is just too great to make an immediate assumption. I bought the app on a MacUpdate promo and have not used it a great deal but when I have used it, it has done what it promises to do.   
(Version 3.23)

RICHCASTILLO  Not so useful for me. Would not read a Photoshop .pdf file even though it is really a raster image. Would not read an Illustrator file or an .eps. Preview will easily work on raster or vector formats so it impossible for this app to replace Preview in my workflow.  
(Version 3.3.2)

RICHCASTILLO  I refuse to use my MacBook without this program. It is no exaggeration to say that this is an absolute must have for MacBook users, as you can throw your screen just like in the iPhone.

OSX updates occasionally break it. Not the developer's fault and they have been VERY quick to issue fixes but the pain of not having this app working for even an hour is enough to make me put my MacBook away. Guess, that's a backhanded compliment.

What would make this even better than perfect is if I could somehow throw the window with my Wacom tablet on the MacPro. I think you genius guys at Marcoini could do that if you set your mind to it.   
(Version 3.1.1)

RICHCASTILLO  I am also not a fan of extraordinary license protection schemes. However, in fairness to the developer, the local network check is pretty routine. Quark has been doing it since the big bang. With Quark, you didn't even have to be logged on to the local net. As long as you had a physical connection, they would find themselves. 'Course, those guys always were a little over the top.

I have not been enticed to purchase this promo as I already have licensed Parallels, Drive Genius and Notetaker, which I think are better than the offered apps. BTW: If anyone is interested in Notebook, it is worth a look at Notetaker. These two apps seem to have had a common origin. However, I think Notetaker has some advantages like an inexpensive network server.   
(Version 3.0v355)

RICHCASTILLO  Does the application refuse to run if you are not connected to a network?  
(Version 3.0v355)

RICHCASTILLO  I received the same error but if you go directly to their website http://aperture-assistant.com and follow the links to download the software, it works OK.  
(Version 1.0.63)

RICHCASTILLO  Very disappointed! I gave up using the previous version because of constant freezes & crashes. This version gives me nothing but grief, as well. I spent about 3 hours with v2 this afternoon. In that amount of time the program crashed at least 50 times when deleting duplicate fonts. It froze almost as many times for no apparent reason. Perhaps my library of 7000 fonts is too much for this app but for a graphic designer I don't think that is unreasonable. FEX is virtually unusable for me. Shame, because I like the interface.  
(Version 2.0)

RICHCASTILLO  Is it just me, getting impatient in my old age, or is Illustrator getting slower with each new release? (I started in '92 with 3.0) I skipped CS3 so I was very anxious to fire up CS4 when it arrived. After all, I've had a screaming octocore (6 GB RAM) for almost a year now and CS3 has been putting around in Rosetta. Can you imagine my frustration when I discovered Illustrator CS4 actually ran slower than CS2 on my 8 core MacPro?

Damn it! Its totally unresponsive when dragging the hand at 800x. I mean, I don't even get a frigging beach ball. It just sits there and totally ignores my attempt to pan. Fortunately, I don't have these problems in Photoshop. But I have to earn my living with Illustrator (consumer package design) and this is absurd.

I had to strike while the corporate iron was willing and got my 8 core off the shelf at MicroCenter so it admittedly has the slower video card. But all that I have read says you only need the top card for 3D graphics. Am I wrong?

And one more thing, I use Menu Meters so I've always got a visual representation on processor load. Well, I have yet to see Illustrator CS4 using more than one core at a time. I might as well go back to Rosetta.

Somebpdy, please help me !!!!!  
(Version 1.0)

RICHCASTILLO  I have exactly he same problem as the previous commenter. Keeps asking me to upgrade MacFuse and says it was successful and then wants to update it again as soon as I try to make a connection. Trashed the demo!  
(Version 1.3.2)

RICHCASTILLO  I'm a pro shooter and I've been using PTGui for at least a couple of years now. I'm very surprised that there are no reviews of it here, so I am going to pipe in. I love this app! I have seen it mature with many updates. This is a very powerful app with a huge amount of control. The interface is somewhat daunting but worth the effort. Originally, the app was a Graphical User Interface that ran the Panorama Tools engine (hence, the name PTGui) written by professor Helmut Dersch. It has since gained its own engine but can still use professor Dersch's engine.

To be fair, the stitching engine within Photoshop has also matured into a great tool and for many people will be entirely satisfactory without purchasing a 3rd party app such as PTGui. Photoshop's stitching interface works completely automatically and usually does a very good job. However, on the occasion when it doesn't work well, PTGui can get it done. PTGui is also my choice when creating a 180 or 360 degree VR.

Id' write more but I've got to get back to work and make some money.  
(Version 8.1b1)

RICHCASTILLO  Very good support from the developer. Answered my emails within the same day and after normal working hours. "Talked me through" my problem. I was playing around with Drive Genius and I thought I had damaged a drive by force quitting during a partition shift. At first I thought, what the heck, I'll just reformat the drive if the force quit messes me up. All the data was backed, anyway. What happened though is the drive refused to be formatted in Apple Disc Utility. ADU could find the drive but would run into an indefinite stall after beginning the format. To Drive Genius's credit, it was able to undo the damage that it allowed me to do through my curiosity.

Although the repartition interface seems clear enough at first glance, I found it somewhat difficult to use. Sometimes the buttons would go inactive (indicating that you can't do that operation right now) but no explanation why? And how do you move clockwise vs counterclockwise? It was not evident to me but the documentation discussed the merits of moving a partition counterclockwise.

Drive Genius is a very good and powerful utility. The truth is that with a utility program of this sort there are always going to be people in distress who post low star ratings. Its sort of like root canals. Root canals have a horrible association. As my dentist explained it to me, its not the root canal that is so unpleasant, its the pain from the preceding infection, so don't blame the root canal. I bought drive Genius because I knew someday it may be my root canal.   
(Version 2.1)

RICHCASTILLO  I am happy to report that I did receive my license, about a day and one half after my purchase. I am looking forward to using this application and will post a fair review in the future.   
(Version 3.6.7)

RICHCASTILLO  STOP! If you are considering purchasing the MacUpdate promo to get this program. There seems to be a problem getting the license files emailed out. I followed the procedure to the letter and did not receive the license file and it has been over 24 hrs. First of all, I object to the concept of a license file, almost as much as I hate Adobe's activation system. There was no mention of this on the developer's website. It was a nasty surprise when I plugged in my newly purchased serial number and received a message that I will be emailed a license file. It is especially frustrating because I first demoed the app some time ago and I can't run it at all now because it has expired. I tried entering the serial number again and received a curt message that the license key had already been emailed to me. Oh, and of course I know to check my junk mail filter. I found a lost key form on the developer's website and submitted but the key was not immediately mailed to me. Do they actually have to have a human process these requests. That is just not acceptable in this day and age. So many developers now provide you with your license immediately after purchase that those of you who don't will fail to be competitive. I'm almost upset enough to onestar you. However, I will wait and do a real review if I get my license. Note that a few onestars will really hurt future sales. I purchase weekly on MacUpdate and weigh user ratings very heavily. I suspect that is true of others. Objective Decision, please get your act together because this looks like a sweet program (if I ever get my license).  
(Version 3.6.7)

RICHCASTILLO  No Gcoghill, this is the fastest! Apple released 10.5.4 today and Smart Scroll posted an update the same day! OMG, I love this program. When Apple breaks Smart Scroll my MacBook Pro feels broken without Smart Scroll. This app makes scrolling with the 2 finger mouse an absolute joy. Seriously, I need to get out of the house.

If you own a "Book" with a 2 finger mouse and you're not using Smart Scroll then I feel sorry for you 'caus you don't know how good it can be. OK, OK I'm getting out for some sunshine.   
(Version 2.8.4)

RICHCASTILLO  Fortunately, the developer's humor is not wasted on all.  
(Version 1.1.6)

RICHCASTILLO  Thanks for the uninstall suggestions. There is no uninstall option that I could find upon running the Saft installer program. However, I was able to remove it from the Input Managers folder. I was unfamiliar with this folder. Although I did a Spotlight search search on "saft" it did not find it. I don't know why Spotlight does not find things that I know are somewhere.   
(Version 10.0.6)

RICHCASTILLO  After one of the many updates I decided to give this another look. I previously said that I had problems getting this to work with my Canon LiDE 400. I wish to correct that statement, It is really a LiDE 600F.

I was delighted that the update functioned with my LiDE 600 and I was able to test this app. However, I was not as impressed as I thought I would be. I found the image adjustment options to be very cumbersome. The sliders are only about an inch long and that does not make for very precise control. Despite working on a 30" cinema display, pulling the app window wide did not increase the width of the sliders. I also found the histogram and curve tool to be very clunky.

Resorting back to the Canon "free" packaged software, I was much happier with the UI and the resulting scans than I was with this demo. For now, this is a no sale.  
(Version 8.4.63)

RICHCASTILLO  This is a very RUDE app.

Very difficult to completely uninstall.

No uninstall app.

No uninstall info on ReadMe or web FAQ.

Developer's email not immediately obvious on website.

I trashed it but now every time launching Safari, a dialog appears asking me to reinstall saft.app

Nothing named saft found in Activity Monitor.

I'm mad! Almost mad enough to review this with one star but I'll wait and see if somebody can tell me how to get rid of this annoyance.  
(Version 10.0.5)

RICHCASTILLO  Installed VueScan on a Mac Pro. Quad Core. VueScan recognized that I had a Canon LiDE 400 scanner attached but insisted that it could not find the Canon drivers. However, I had previously downloaded and installed the latest LiDE 400 driver and CannoScan Toolkit. Sorry, but I don't have time to troubleshoot demos so if app is broken I just delete it. Too bad, as I was really looking for something better than the Canon software.   
(Version 8.4.59)

RICHCASTILLO  I'm a pro shooter and frequent user of Photomatix Pro. Naturally, this app caught my attention while doing my daily scan of Macupdate. I must admit I have only tried this app with one set of 3 frames (a red covered bridge in Maryland with a menacingly dark cloudy sky) and I have not read the documentation. However, I think that one shot, "do or die" test is a valid test of a solid app, especially considering that I know my way around the Mac.

Unfortunately, I was very disappointed. A clean Cocca interface is no substitute for missing functionality. The resulting "HDR" image was no better than the middle exposure. Just to be fair, I immediately reprocessed the same 3 images in Photomatix Pro and the result was stunning! If anyone wants to see the comparison just reply. I really wanted this app to work but in my opinion this app is just cool GUI and no real functionality. BTW: the GUI for Photomatix is not at all impressive but man, does it deliver results.   
(Version 1.0.1)