SCOTT.GARDNER  My use of DF is perhaps not the norm, but not all that unusual or inconceivable. I partitioned my MacBook (aluminum) to install Mac OS X on two separate volumes. The intent was to install DF on one Mac OS X partition and use that as a Sandbox to test software, etc. Installation and setup was a breeze. And, DF did what it said it would do regarding that installation of Mac OS X. However, it also caused several side effects on my other Mac OS X installation (Macintosh HD), ranging from annoying (e.g., wiping out random preferences like Spaces, computer name, etc.) to debilitating (it reduced my only user account on Macintosh HD to a standard account, so I couldn't do anything that required admin authentication. This resulted in my having to completely reinstall the OS). Tech support attempted to be helpful--via a lengthy exchange of email and over an hour on the phone--to no avail. Finally, I threw my hands up and decided to just reimage. I don't think Faronics fully-tested their software in this nonstandard (but highly likely usage, for techs like me) environment. The tech support rep did suggest that they have been having problems with the new MacBook line. My gripe is that they should have tested this realistic use of their software on this hardware that has been out for several weeks now, and alerted customers of any known issues, especially since this is not a beta version.

The final piece to this that frustrated me the most, and thus motivated me to write this review, was an email from the tech support rep. He wrote that he'd brought this to his manager's attention, who closed the ticket because they haven't received similar reports of this problem. C'mon guys! Roll up your sleeves and try to replicate the problem. Don't expect your customers to do bug discovery and be testing beds for your troubleshooting!  
(Version 4.10.070.0316)

SCOTT.GARDNER  I was looking for an easy-to-use, minimal learning curve, non-bloatware time/billing app. I checked out several titles (somehow overlooking OfficeTime at first), but could not find the "right" app...either functionality that I felt important was missing (e.g., how to handle overtime billing on a retainer), or I discovered spotty functionality in the demo (e.g., iCal integration that didn't work as advertised).

In OfficeTime I found *exactly* what I was looking for. Their marketing message "deceptively simple" is dead-on.

Features I love:

1. Easy project setup and selection. The menulet is great!

2. It syncs with iCal both ways, so you can easily tag an appointment for time billing under a specific project in OfficeTime.

3. Flexible rate management (e.g., I have different support packages that provide up to a specified number of hours per month for a flat fee, and then overtime is discounted off my regular hourly rate). OfficeTime handles the set up, use, and reporting on this need fantastically.

4. A useful little "remind me" tool.

I use a separate accounting package, so I don't really use OT's invoicing capabilities, but the reporting is quite comprehensive and useful.

Feature requests:

1. Direct Google Calendar integration. It syncs seamlessly with iCal (as does Google Calendar via CalDAV), so iCal is suitable middleware as long as you remember to launch it to sync updates between Google Calendar and OfficeTime.

2. iPhone app or web interface  
(Version 1.3.3)

SCOTT.GARDNER  LightSpeed is an excellent solution with a solid track record and forward plan

LightSpeed 2.0 extends its lead in POS/inventory management software with new features and enhancements including a much improved back-end interface. Not that the pre-2.x interface was bad, but that's exactly the point I want to make. *There is no perfect software.* I feel what defines the relative value of an application can be broken down into 4 simple concepts:

1. Functionality

2. Interface

3. Developer

4. Tech support

Functionally, LightSpeed is highly-capable, well-organized, and stable. The interface is very handsome and Mac-like. These are justifiable reasons for downloading the free demo to try it for yourself as an A-B comparison with whatever other titles you are evaluating. That said, I can tell you from experience (I am a software consultant and have been working closely with Xsilva for over a year, and we also use LightSpeed to run our business), the people at Xsilva shine. They are genuinely interested in understanding and meeting the customer's needs (e.g., they host an active public blog), their tech support possesses a wonderful combination of expertise, patience, and courteousness, and the company's work ethic is epitomized by Dax Dasilva, the president and developer of LightSpeed.

In *every* application, there is room for improvement and addition of new features. The key questions to ask are:

1. Does the application offer solid functionality that I can use effectively today to run my business?

2. Does the company behind the application have a plan and commitment to continually develop the application?

In my experience, the answer to both questions of LightSpeed and Xsilva is, yes.  
(Version 2.0a)

SCOTT.GARDNER  What a fantastic widget! Better than using Expose screen saver hot corner, and allows me to more easily show off my Visage-customized login panel/screen. Utilizing 5.5MB real memory & 0.00% CPU in Activity Monitor. Thanks!  
(Version 1.0)

SCOTT GARDNER  Fantasticly simple tool. I use it every day. It would be great if you could set the location of append (i.e., add to top of text file or bottom). Thanks!  
(Version 1.0)

SCOTT GARDNER  The demo does not offer the partitioning function. After several attempts to speak with a human at Prosoft (including several canned email responses that did not address my question), I finally spoke with someone who said 'unfortunately, no, you cannot demo the partitioning function...and no, we do not offer a money-back guarantee.' She went on to say that they felt that if they offered partitioning in the demo, people would just use the demo and then delete the app. I explained that I was a sincerely interested customer, and she said she'd consult management. Shortly thereafter I received the same answer (at least she followed up timely, I'll give her that). In other words, I can either choose to pay $100 for this application for the partitioning functionality (the *only* function I am interested in that TechTool Pro 4 doesn't offer), and if it doesn't work as advertised, that's my loss. Has anyone bought this software and can speak to the partitioning function? Does it work? Any problems or peculiar observations?  
(Version 1.1.5)

SCOTT GARDNER  Dashboard *does* use processor and RAM. The more Widgets you have active, the higher the usage. It has been suggested (e.g., MacAddict magazine) to turn it off to boost performance. To do that command-line-style:

To disable:

1. defaults write com.apple.dashboard mcx-disabled -boolean YES

2. killall Dock

3. if dock icon still present, drag off to “poof” away

To re-enable:

1. defaults write com.apple.dashboard mcx-disabled -boolean NO

2. killall Dock

(i.e., a laborious process, especially for the uninterested/uninitiated)

I find the Dashboard to be incredibly useful, so I do not disable it. But kudos to the developer of this little app!  
(Version 1.1)

SCOTT GARDNER  Developer followed up with me right away. Provided a fix (mdimport plugin), and everything appears to be working fine now. Tip, if you want to keep a Smart Mailbox to grab all your MailTags tagged email with a Due Date within X day(s), and all past due, use 'MailTags Due Date is before (X + 1) days from today' (e.g., if you want all email due within 2 days + past due email, use due date is before 3 days from today).

$20 is a bit steep for this app IMO, but it is very useful.  
(Version 1.0)

SCOTT GARDNER  Smart Mailbox condition "MailTags Due Date is within ___ days..." not working. This function did work fine, up until yesterday. I don't know if these actions had any effect on the problem, but I ran a defrag (using TechTool Pro 4), and when I came back to the main volume and deleted/rebuilt my Spotlight index, and then opened Mail, my Smart Mailbox "action," which was set to pull all Mail items that are flagged and have a MailTags Due Date within 1 day showed nothing (there should be several items). So, I edited the Smart Mailbox, removing the MailTags condition, keeping the Flagged condition, and they all reappeared. I confirmed that I have several items with due dates today, tomorrow, etc. Then I repeated the setup of the MailTags Due Date and they disappeared from the Smart Mailbox again.

On a similar subject, I would like to have a Due Date Within tag that also shows all past due dates for unprocessed items.  
(Version 1.0)

SCOTT GARDNER  I tried to install and launch the demo (GSM only). The setup kept asking for a license key, even though the instructions said it would be pre-filled. So, I emailed support (twice) and got the same answer...that GSM doesn't require a key so if I wanted to use the GPRS to buy a license. Hello?! So, I begrudgingly figured out how to setup my my PB with my Razr v3, and saved the $91.50.  
(Version 4.20h)

SCOTT GARDNER  This is a pretty neat little app. But there is one item in the list of registered version features on the developer's site that is misleading IMO. They state "Sync Birthdays from AddressBook into iCal." This is the one feature that I wanted, enough to pay what I think is a hefty price tag for this app. What I understood it to mean, which also coincided with the app's pref pane, is that I could view my Birthdays iCal calendar (which is already auto-sync'd w/ Address Book in Tiger). That is not the case here. I wrote support, and they responded a few days later to say that I need to disable the Birthdays iCal and then instruct their app to copy Birthdays into a new calendar created by their app. Not interested to do this, and thus not feeling the registration fee is justified, I wrote back and requested a refund. No response yet.  
(Version 2.0.9)

SCOTT GARDNER  Latest release is hogging memory (several hundred MB). Showing up in Activity Monitor as not responding. Tried closing widget within Dashboard, but still showed in Activity Monitor. Force quit and relaunched. Same thing. Deleted this widget. I hope you can fix it soon, as it's one of my favorite widgets. Thanks!  
(Version 0.9a)

SCOTT GARDNER  looks helpful. but i just created a "temp" folder on my bookmarks bar, and i park temporary sites there (using safari's menu or drag and drop, eg, from an email). that way, i can quickly search them, or i can open them all up in tabs from time to time and clean house.  
(Version 1.2.1)

SCOTT GARDNER  Looks to be comprehensive and well-designed, but the developer confirmed to me that it does not support eBay Store custom categories.  
(Version 3.4.1)

SCOTT GARDNER  I was dubious about this application. I read through the user guide and found some grammatical/typing errors (a pet peeve) and dismissed it as not an app worth buying (and I don't like to download demos). Boy was I wrong! After seeing a Saft update the morning after 10.4.2, I decided what the hell, he's on top of things, so I'll give it a try. This app is one of the very best I've ever bought for my PowerBook. Get it, read the README.rtfd file, and enjoy pure Safari surfing bliss...it is awesome!  
(Version 8.0.3)

SCOTT GARDNER  Same as others. I use Cisco VPN to work remotely. When I upgraded to Tiger, I had to downgrade to gotomypc.com (slower, less stable, not as integrated, and expensive!). Now I'm back up and loving it. I use Microsoft's (free with Microsoft Office for Mac) Remote Desktop. Works like a charm, easily configurable, nice integration (e.g., copy paste between Mac and Windows computer, connect to remote servers and use ChronoSync to keep my files up to date). It took them a while to catch up with the Tiger, but they did. Would be great if this app would auto launch behind the scenes whenever I launched Remote Desktop, instead of the multi-step process. It occasionally hangs if I try to launch it right after booting up. Thanks!  
(Version 4.6.04.0061)

SCOTT GARDNER  Adium is awesome. Clean, configurable interface. All kinds of options. Just wish it support iChat's audio/video functionality.  
(Version 0.82)

SCOTT GARDNER  Seems like the footprint is rather larger than it needs to be. I haven't tried this app, but I do know that Spotlight does this, too. For example, "ip" will pull up all files with "ip" sure, but once you've then selected iPhoto, the next time that'll be at the top of the list.  
(Version 2.0b)

SCOTT GARDNER  I purchased this software recently. Warning, it DOES NOT WORK for me on a PowerBook G4 1.25Ghz/1.25GB memory, OX X Tiger. And after over an hour on the phone w/ their tech support, still doesn't work and a week later they still haven't responded to my email and voicemail requests for a refund!

My problems:

1. Froze and then crashed on first time through setup process - on the 'enter contact info' screen, the fields were blank and did not show my typed text. I could not select a State, the Next, Back, and Cancel buttons were non-responsive, and eventually the program crashed. When I relaunched I was able to complete the 'enter contact info' screen.

2. When I followed the instructions to install the Library and Plug-in files and restarted the program, I got an error that Gecko plug-in was installed twice. The program would not load. Since the only plug-in I installed was mbHTML.bundle, I deleted that plug-in and then was able to launch the program.

3. Did not synchronize my eBay info - Not one Listing imported, under any of the tabs (e.g., All Listing, Selling, etc.). All but 1 transaction shows $0.00 and a date of 00/00/00, and then when I later re-started the program, that 1 transaction that had actual correct data showed the same $0.00 and 00/00/00 and the text string 'False' for User ID and Item ID (where the correct info appeared before). Only myself and the contact with actual data was imported to Contacts, and then when I later re-started the program, the other contact disappeared. I cannot tell if the Feedback group successfully synchronized, because there is no Date column to sort on so that I can easily cross-compare with my.ebay.com website.

4. Could not import a standard CSV file of my inventory items - I exported my TurboLister inventory (90+ items) into a standard CSV file. I get the error 'Not enough stack space to complete the current method,' and this error continually repeats. I know that this file is readable by MS Excel, but I haven't tried yet to open and covert to Excel, and then try importing that format.

5. Questions did not fully synchronize - It appears as though the some of the fields synchronized ok, but the Title field is blank.

6. The program is repeatedly popping up an error dialog 'could not send email' and to check my email settings. I am certain that I entered in the same configuration info as I did to setup this email account in Mail.app. What also concerns me is, I did not attempt to send an email, so I do not know what email the program is attempting to send from my account without my knowledge nor approval.

I have a PowerBook G4 1.25 GHz with 1.25 GB memory, running OS X Tiger 10.4. I keep it running optimally. I run installations exclusively. In addition to the above problems, I generally observed MarketBlast to be unstable and slow (specifically in terms of program launch and synchronizing data). I am referring to MarketBlast 1.0  
(Version 1.0)