SAMPLER  The download link is broken. Use: http://createlivelove.com/downloads/mySlips.zip  
(Version 1.2)

SAMPLER  I have 6.0.4 installed and Check for Update claimed that I had the latest version.

I've used this app only for about a month, so I won't rate it yet, but so far it's worked well.  
(Version 6.0.5)

SAMPLER  I've just transferred the license. Thanks to those who expressed interest.  
(Version 3.0v355)

SAMPLER  I've transferred the license.  
(Version 3.0v355)

SAMPLER  Following my negative review in October, 2008, I decided to give NB 3.0 an extensive trial and purchased a license. I find it still has the same linking issues that I described in my previous review. I'm giving up and would like to transfer the license to someone else. If you are interested, please contact me at the email address contained on my MU User Page.  
(Version 3.0v355)

SAMPLER  If you've selected the files you want, close the configuration even if it is still scanning, and start a backup.  
(Version 1.4.1)

SAMPLER  With Leopard 10.5.8 on a Powerbook G4, FileBuddy is working fine so far: moving files, dragging folders into the find "other" window; resetting permissions in its Info window, and finding duplicates, and keep just one of each. The ability to use regular expressions has been a real time-saver for changing file names.

One small bug I noticed back in 10.4: in typing a date, it's necessary to add a space first.

I'll keep using FB until it fails. I don't think it will ever be equaled as a Mac file utility.  
(Version 9.0.1)

SAMPLER  OS X 10.4.11 (fresh), PB G4, no import managers or application enhancers

Import of a single Calendar with about 50-60 events for 14 months has stalled for over an hour while "saving database". Console shows a program "atos" inside the Contactizer has crashed with only the following in the crash log

Link (dyld) error:

Library not loaded: /System/Library/PrivateFrameworks/Symbolication.framework/Versions/A/Symbolication

Referenced from: /Applications/Contactizer Pro.app/Contents/Resources/atos

Reason: image not found

Too bad. I guess I'll terminate the process and uninstall Contactizer. And, no, I don't feel it necessary to write to support about an app that I registered but never had a chance to try.

My only other comment is that I would have liked the ability to restrict the import of email and ical events by date.  
(Version 3.7.5)

SAMPLER  I've used Notetaker for over five years, and every year I try out the latest edition of Circus Ponies NB. The functionality is nearly identical, as they share a common origin. I've never found a reason to switch to NB.

I use NT to manage large scientific projects, and link folders, programs, output logs, contact information, web sites, and Fetch droplets which link to remote Unix workstations. So, linking is important to me, and NT's linking capabilities are far superior to those of NB.

For example, in NT one can link files by copying (ctrl-c) in the Finder and pasting (ctrl-v) onto a page. This is measurably faster than dragging and dropping, which is NB's only way. In NT one can insert multiple links on the same line and mix them with text; one can drag an attachment to any spot on a page. NB did not have these capabilities the last time I looked at it.

NB now has the ability to tear off one page so that one can write in two portions of the notebook at one time; NT cannot do this--I wish it did (one can keep a copy open). Thus I give it four stars.

Over the years I've had a number of questions and suggestions for NT support; they've always answered promptly and helpfully. I would guess that one reason that AquaMinds chose not to have a forum is that their audience is very wide --ranging from school children who used shared notebooks (via the NoteShare product) to single-users like me. Also, I've seen small companies overwhelmed by

trying to maintain their forums. I'd rather they spent time on improving their products.  
(Version 2.2.4)

SAMPLER  Good points. I agree.  
(Version 1.6.3)

SAMPLER  I agree that you must learn LaTeX if you write for a journal that has its own document classes and styles. Otherwise, why not use LyX's built-in LaTeX convertor?  
(Version 1.6.3)

SAMPLER  MU uses the description that the developers use. See: http://sourceforge.net/projects/skim-app/

I, like you, also almost never open Adobe Reader now.   
(Version 1.2.3)

SAMPLER  Well, I have a 1.5GHz PB G4 with OS X 10.4.11, 2 Gb memory, and I haven't observed any slowdown with RC1, even with the new clipboard functions enabled.   
(Version 5.0rc2)

SAMPLER  Norbert, the Dev, answered my concerns privately and showed that the new behavior actually improves LB and prevents its window from being blocked in many circumstances. Moreover, reducing the number of rows visible while searching via abbreviation (in preferences) from 10 to 6 or 7 eliminates the problem. I'll review LB 5 after the final release, but as of now I give it 5 stars.  
(Version 5.0rc2)

SAMPLER  I've also used Mozy since its beta days and I can confirm that it has become very robust about finishing backups if there is a problem on the server end. I've had to contact support a few times when I had a corrupted configuration file, and it's always been prompt. I recommend the live-support, for instant help.

It's true that the backup statistics can be confusing. In my last backup after a reinstall of the configuration (see tip below), the status window said I needed to back up 9 Gig of data. Mozy had lost track of what was backed up. In fact, most of it was already on the server and the total backup took "only" 9 hours.

I've done many restores, and I prefer the web interface. The site packages the restored files in a dmg disk image, and notifies you via email when the restore is ready. I especially appreciate the availability of previous versions. Mozy is very good about downloading package files, which are actually folders.

I also use Jungle Disk for frequent daily backups of my current project files, as I can access them via the Network Drive. However I consider Mozy essential, because because the company will FedEx you DVD's of all your restored data for a price. JD has no such option, and so is unsuitable for restoring more than a few Gigabytes at a time.

Mozy offers a limited choice of backup schedules-- at a designated time each day or when there is reduced load on the computer or you are away for a designated period of time. I would like to see the ability to schedule backups at designated intervals. Still, everything does get backed up in a relatively short period of time after the initial large backups.

The configuration screen could also use some improvement. There are two types of backups--designated backup sets (e.g. Mail, iTunes, iCal, Spreadsheets) and designated files. When you open the configuration, you get the backup set screen. Mozy states that "no" files are designated for backup, and starts to count all the files in each type of set. It's safe to close the configuration or switch to the "files and folders" screen, but you might not think so.

I give Mozy a 4 not a 5, because configuration files have become corrupted more often than I like--leading to the need to uninstall and re-install and to do a new backup. Still I have not lost data.

Tip: When you have the configuration set up and working, save a copy of the state.db and state.dump files. These are in the Mozy folder in the Application Support folder of the root (not user) Library. If you have to re-install Mozy, copy the saved files into the Mozy folder.  
(Version 1.3.2)

SAMPLER  JD combines the advantages of a sophisticated backup program (versioning, backing up only changed portions of files, multiple back up jobs) and a good Network Drive. I back up all my user files with two different backup jobs, one hourly, one daily. I also use aliases (actually Dragthing items) for fast access to those files. Of course one can just treat the drive as an ordinary network drive--copy files to it and work with files on it. Note that you can create as many drives as you need, and also backup multiple computers to a single drive. For the best features, pay for JungleDisk Plus and get web access away from your machine.

Backup with JD and Amazon S3 is much faster than it is with other programs that I've tried. Even so, an initial backup might take days if you have many GB of data. Start with essential files and add on, rather than trying to backup everything at once.

I think that JD lacks one feature: the possibility of restoring files by DVD or portable hard drive. Carbonite, Mozy, and BackBlaze (I believe) all offer this option. Some companies also offer the possibility that you can ship a portable drive with your initial backup on it.  
(Version 2.61)

SAMPLER  In OS X 10.4.11, after you drag a file from a folder to the desktop (or anywhere else), hitting CTRL-z will undo the action. However with Fetch (and perhaps Cyberduck-I haven't tried it recently), moving files by dragging or otherwise isn't necessary. Select the files, "copy" them with CTRL-c and "paste" (CTRL-v) into the open remote window. This works in the Finder too.

I've never liked the transfer apps which have a two window format, not least because of the extra desktop space needed.  
(Version 3.2)

SAMPLER  I've been using Fetch for years, most recently to do statistical analyses on a remote Unix machine. I issue commands via -telnet- in terminal, but I do everything else in Fetch--view results, including graphs, edit (BBEit). I often have a number of windows open in Fetch. I especially appreciate the ability to have several remote directories open at one time, so that I can duplicate files and copy between them. I tried several competitors-Transmit, Yummy, Cyberduck, but for multiple-window, multiple-directory operations Fetch was fastest and the most reliable.

Tip: I manage projects in NoteTaker. In addition to linking local project folders into NT, I also add to th Fetch shortcuts to the remote project folders.

I've never had any need to contact support. Occasionally I look at the Fetch discussion boards. Many of the questions come from novices who are trying to set up web sites. The support staff are unusually responsive and helpful, even though many issues have nothing to do with Fetch.  
(Version 5.3.1)

SAMPLER  Unfortunately, LB5 is a regression from LB4 in one way, at least on OSX10.4.11: If you enter the name of an applescript, LB shows it at the top of a dropdown menu. If you hit return to select the script, and the has a dialog, in LB4, the script dialog opens in front of the dropdown menu.

In LB5, the dialog opens *behind* the dropdown menu. As a result, you can't enter anything into the dialog until you drag it out into the clear.

Norbert, the developer, acknowledged this bug after I reported its occurrence in beta 1. It's still there.  
(Version 5.0b6)

SAMPLER  Good points.

I may have left the impression that Mail Steward only stores and exports mail. Not so: one can reply to messages or forward them right from the program. I haven't even tried to use tags. In retrospect, I should have given the program five stars.  
(Version 8.1)

SAMPLER  This has been a terrific app. I keep my 21,000+ mail messages backed up in a MS Data Base. I also processed over 100,000 messages from various backups of my wife's mail folders through MS, in order to to eliminate duplicates and redistribute the rest into databases based on her original mailbox structure. MS worked quickly and without error, keeping attachments and almost all html intact.

Searches are very fast. I rely on the built-in search facility, because search engines cannot index an SQLite DB.

I've tried two other apps that have special features for managing email: Mail Scripts and Devonthink Pro. Neither is robust for very large numbers of messages. There is still room for improvement in MS. For example, once a process window is closed, one can't get it back. However this has only been an annoyance and has not affected functionality in any way.

I find myself amused at the complaints about the end of the free update policy. C'mon folks! If we want developers to make a living, expect to pay every few years for updates. Other developers whose apps have large user bases are finding it difficult to support themselves; check the forums at Journler if you want an example. Developers like those at Thinking Rock are now asking people to buy yearly "memberships" to support their work.

Sometimes a version update has added only a few individual feature. But over time, I've found that the cumulative number of new and refined features has made the update price worthwhile. I'm not sure what's going on with the poster who is bothered by unwanted update notices. I disabled the "check fo updates" box in Preferences and have never been bothered.  
(Version 8.1)

SAMPLER  I owned BookEnds awhile before I started to seriously use it. So, I decided to compare it to Sente before investing a lot of time in setting up my reference data bases (which I link to Devonthink Pro, by the way.)

I found the user experience with BookEnds far superior to that with Sente. In Sente, the main reference window was badly designed and took up too much room for the amount of information it contained. Switching to a reference's notes required clicking on a tiny tab. Just getting around the reference was frustrating. With BookEnds everything was easy.

After a few hours with each app, I made the decision: I've been happy with BookEnds ever since. Every update contains some new refinement. It's clear that Jon is fine tuning his code.  
(Version 10.4.3)

SAMPLER  I am a happy and addicted user of Sidenote in Tiger. However some Leopard users have reported on the Sidenote web site that Sidenote has problems with Spaces. Therefore I suggest that Leopard users take a look at SlidePad as well.  
(Version 1.0)

SAMPLER  Although the new non-modal Find Window is welcome, it also represents a regression.

If you specify the "Search in" area to be to the End of the document, "Find All" and "Replace All" operate on all instances of the "Find" text, not just on those after the insertion point.

You can "Replace to End", but only with a menu item. There is no way to "Find to End".

Complaints on the BBEdit Google Group about the new find window have essentially met with the responses "That's the way we designed it" and "If you don't like it, just use the modal window."

  
(Version 9.1)

SAMPLER  I own Excel and I have on occasion used the NeoOffice spreadsheet because it works well with tables in the Writer documents. Both have a more polished look than Mariner Calc. However I hate working in Excel. Most sheets open up in a two-page look that separates columns. NeoOffice is not snappy and has all those controls to manage.

I reach for Calc when I need to get something done. For the last course I taught, I created layers to grade homework and exams and linked them to create the final grading sheet.

I too miss the ability to zoom. For looking at spreadsheets created by others, Calc is not my first choice. But for actual work, it's just about perfect.  
(Version 5.6)

SAMPLER  Support has improved, and I'll now rate FT Professional as a 5; there is, to my knowledge, no app better at what it doesw. Better documentation, including a list of exactly what data are indexed, is still needed.  
(Version 2.0.3)

SAMPLER  I've tried all the search apps that I could find. In OS X, I previously used SpotInside, but I switched to FT Pro. It is the best, but, as the previous poster said, it is a work in progress.

FT Professional is theapp that comes closest to the all time champion, the classic App Ultrafind (now free). But it's much faster. The Preview and View options quickly show words in context much more usefully than SpotInside does. One can choose the file types to view (mail, pdf's...) from a side bar, a great time saver.

Documentation is sparse. FT builds its own index and does not use Spotlight's index. That's an advantage, but it does not index some document types that Spotlight can. For these, SpotInside is a good backup. The support, as the last poster says, is spotty. The Support staff has not responded (in public at least) to some recent serious issues. Seee the mailing list at http://www.mail-archive.com/foxtrot-discuss@ctmdev.com/ .

I bought the professional version and don't regret it. I need the extra options, and the program has already paid for itself in time saved. However for most, the Personal version is the true bargain.

  
(Version 2.0.3)

SAMPLER  FoxTrot Professional 2.0.2 (and, I presume, FT Personal) does indeed search email.  
(Version 2.0.3)

SAMPLER  CoolBook does much more than fan control. It can be used to decrease voltage, at no cost to processor speed, and thus it can reduce power consumption and heat. It looks like a must for the new MacBooks. See:

http://www.edn.com/blog/400000040/post/1890037389.html  
(Version 2.10)

SAMPLER  It's a fabulous database, which I first tried it 15 years ago. Unfortunately, almost all of the program Windows use unchangeable Geneva 9.0 font (or something close), which I find barely legible these days.  
(Version 5.5.1)

SAMPLER  It's the only real game for the Mac, but it misses many simple mistakes (just the kind I make):

This is to for me.

The my table is there.

It my will.  
(Version 1.8.3)

SAMPLER  Actually, I delete all the key shortcuts for commands that I will never want to control with shortcuts. I often change the default shortcuts to commands more to my liking and don't do them in iKey at all.

I can' remember all the shortcuts I would like, so I use iKey differently. I set up universal shortcuts to access every standard menu (Application, File, Edit, View, Window, Help), using control key (^) commands ^a, ^f, ^f, ^w, ^h). For good measure I add ^t to open any menu beginning with "T"--that will usually be Tools or Table. In case of a conflict, iKey opens the most left-hand menu. I think It is easy to use arrow keys to move to the menu I want. Then I add application specific shortcuts for things like the clippings ^C menu in BBEdit. Also useful: ^, to open the Preference menu for any app. To open menu items for which I have no shortcuts, I open a nearby menu with iKey, then use an arrow-key.

Why? It is a little-known feature of OS X, that one can access any item in an open menu by starting to type its name. This saves the trouble of trying to remember/assign shortcuts for the menu items.

One of the most useful combinations I have will open and hold open the "Recent items" sub-menu that is under the File menu of most apps. To do this I create a shortcut in iKey to open the most-recent menu item (^R). Recall that ^F opens the File menu. To open the Recent Items submenu, I type ^FR.

In short, I do not assign shortcuts for most menu items, because it is easy to access them in a few keystrokes.

I do use iKey for other purposes. The shortcut to login to remote Unix computers saves the most keystrokes. Also, I run applescripts from iKey to do things like change the page-setup of Excel spreadsheets to landscape.

To top off an iKey-based system, I recommend Launchbar.   
(Version 2.3.2)

SAMPLER  I have found this to be the only set-up that will toggle a pasteboard on (and off, of course), and when on, allow it it to remain visible like any other app window until you toggle it off.

1. In the Pasteboard tab of preferences, leave "Always Show" and "Keep on Top" *un*checked. (I have "show when activated" checked, but it doesn't seem to matter.)

2.In the Hot Key prefs tab, set the main shortcut (I use ctrl-cmd-m) to "Toggle Always Show".

  
(Version 4.4)

SAMPLER  If you click on the Library button on the right top of the main Editor window, you will see a "Launchers" button. Click it and you will see a "Launchers" section, with a list of the Launchers (keyboard shortcuts).

I too think this is a great place for centralizing shortcuts. I tend to delete most application specific shortcuts so as not to interfere with those I create in iKey.

  
(Version 2.3.1)

SAMPLER  I can confirm 2.3 doesn't load with OSX 10.4.11 on a PB G4. However iKey 2.2 has been solid for years now.  
(Version 2.3)

SAMPLER  Thanks for pointing out the tear-sheet option to me, RWEBBER. It is exactly what I would want. However NB's attachment behavior is still too unrefined to tempt me to switch. For example, in NT one can attach one (or more) files by copying (ctrl-c) in the Finder and pasting (ctrl-v) onto a page. This is measurably faster than dragging and dropping, which is NB's only way.

In NT one can insert multiple attachments anywhere on the same line and mix them with text. Or, one can drag an attachment to any spot on a page. Try doing these actions in NB.

I'm going to uninstall NB from my system again, but I will take a another look at it next year.  
(Version 3.0v338)

SAMPLER  NoteTaker or NoteBook?

I am a long-time and heavy user of NoteTaker, a product which shares the origin of Notebook, and which is very similar in appearance. I use NT primarily for managing large projects and keep an outline of programs and data sets, with the actual files linked in. Every year or so I try Circus Ponies NoteBook to see if there is a feature or function which would lead me to switch. And this year (Version 3.0v388), as always, I cannot find one. The "stickies" and flag options in NB are attractive, but I find that creating them, dragging them out of the way, and resizing (stickies only) greatly slows my work flow. "Text notes" are not easy to work with. As occasionally happens in "PDFPen", I find them appearing at unexpected places, requiring action to delete or move them them.

The linking options in NoteBook, especially important to me, remain limited compared to those in NoteTaker.

My major criticism of both products is their inability to display two different pages at one time. The only way to see two pages at once is to duplicate a NB and open both. NT facilitates this by maintaining a backup of each notebook. If you open it up, you are asked if you want to maintain it as Read-Only. This is the perfect option, because it prevents one from writing on the copy, instead of the original. All in all, I find that NB has more page add-ons and variations, but NT is both more refined and robust.   
(Version 3.0v338)

SAMPLER  OS X 10.4.11 PB G4

I've used the Writer, Spreadsheet, and Data Base modules, and all have been solid. I find Writer very fast, even with relatively large documents (~5 MB, footnotes, illustrations, many tables). Conversion to and from rtf has been excellent. The only difficult that I encountered was that the page numbers in the Table of Contents (created in Word, saved as rtf)did not transfer. However I let Writer re-index the document and it created all of the TOC except where the TOC Bookmark was missing in the original.

In contrast, OpenOffice RC3 for Aqua crashed as I was closing three open windows of small documents.  
(Version 2.2.5p1)

SAMPLER  Version 1.0.1 The program still highlights individual words when a phrase has been specified. This is a bug.

It is possible to trick the program into finding only the phrase, albeit one file and one line at a time.

With a file selected, hit cmd-F and an undocumented Find window opens.

For example, if you've searched for "brown cow" (no parentheses!), the Find window will have the following search pattern.

(brown)|(brown cow)|(cow)

Erase all but (brown cow) and hit "Find All". Now all lines containing "brown cow" will be highlighted in the list below.

(The parentheses and |'s are regular expression characters).

However this work-around is no substitute for a fix  
(Version 1.0.1)

SAMPLER  Try:

435-615-7335  
(Version 7.0.2)

SAMPLER  PB G4 OS X 10.5.1 1.65 fine 1.66b1 not.

On other lists, users of 1.6.6b1 have reported many problems. On my system it caused no crashes but would not hold its settings. On the advice of a poster to Version Tracker, I installed 1.65. I have one substitution:- enter- acts as -control-. It's working fine.  
(Version 1.6.6b1)

SAMPLER  See the Developer's web site for pre-release issues of Version 2.0  
(Version 1.2.3)

SAMPLER  Amazingly auto-login capability

Two features set Password Wallet 4.1 above a half-dozen other apps that I tried, including info.xhead and steel:

1. the auto-login capabilities. I would have bought Password Wallet for the auto-login feature alone.

2. sync to the Palm

Others apps auto-type but work only in the simplest two-field setups, where the site places the focus in the login-id field and tabs automatically into the password field. Many sites don't do this. Some require two passwords or have the password and login-id on different pages.

PW 4.0.1 easily handles these complicated web sites because you can insert metacharacters for TAB, PAUSE-RESUME and RETURN keys into the login sequence. You can then do everything with button pushes or keyboard shortcuts.

You may need to experiment. For example, my wife and have two Verizon accounts and they need different sequences:

1st: TAB login-id

PAUSE/RESUME password (Then push a GO Button)

2nd: TAB login-id

PAUSE/RESUME TAB password RETURN

For the Bank of America, the login-id and password are entered on separate pages and require:

login-id RETURN

PAUSE/RESUME password RETURN

On the other hand, some sites are easy, for example:

login-id

password RETURN

But you don't need to set up these meta-character sequences. There are buttons and shortcuts just to copy the login-id and password into the clipboard.

There are other virtues, especially the easy ability to share data and to start new wallets with subsets of entries from existing ones.

The updates adds refinements which make the app even more of a pleasure. Two subtle but welcome ones: now one can set keyboard focus to the 'find' box, so that one less tab is required. Also, there is an option to always open an entry in a new window rather then over the main window.

I highly recommend this one.  
(Version 4.1)