Archive for November, 2007

MailTags 2.2 public beta 2

MailTagsMailTags, that paragon of Mail.app tagging, has been updated to the second public beta for Leopard. Although to-dos and iCal integration are still inactive, this version brings much more stable tagging to Mail.app 3.0 than the first public beta, and is definitely a good one to download if you’re a MailTags lover like myself.

For more information about the beta, see the MailTags 2.2 beta page.

TagBot update: 1.1.1

TagBot, one of the two main Spotlight comment tagging applications, has been updated to 1.1.1. This update at last brings full compatibility with Leopard, allowing you to double click those tags like there’s no tomorrow, and all without crashing the Finder. The update is available via the program’s auto-updating, or from the TagBot website for the impatient.

For more information, please see the TagBot 1.1.1 announcement.

Pukka update: 1.6.4

PukkaWell, I’ve certainly been out of it recently thanks to this weekend being a bit busier than I expected it to be, but in the interim Pukka, the Mac del.icio.us client, has been updated to 1.6.4. This minor update once more brings more compatibility fixes for Leopard.

For more information, see the 1.6.4 blog announcement.

Avenir rebranded as StoryMill

AvenirMariner Software in conjunction with Return Self Software have officially announced that Avenir 2.3, Tagamac’s choice for writing software, will be rebranded in January 2008 as StoryMill 3.0. StoryMill will cost $44.95 (or $49.95 for a boxed version), and will be available to current registered Avenir users for a $15 upgrade fee. Although Mariner Software is taking over distribution and QA for StoryMill, Todd Ransom, the original Avenir developer, will be retaining creative control over the program. Todd expects to release a StoryMill beta shortly.

StoryMill 3.0 is definitely a piece of software to keep an eye on, as besides being a complete rebranding with Mariner’s greater resources at its disposal, it is also a large update to Avenir in its own right and will include the hotly anticipated (at least by me and other Avenir forums lurkers) timelines feature, along with a number of others.

Quicksilver open sourced

QuicksilverAlthough not strictly tagging software, Quicksilver, one of the two best application launchers and all-around Mac enhancements (the other being LaunchBar), has been released as open sourced software to the general community. Although the developer has been promising this for quite some time, that it’s actually been accomplished is quite exciting; hopefully some talented programmer with lots of time on their hands will pick up the project and provide a much-need bug fix and overall revamp. Quicksilver is a beautiful piece of software, and one of the staples in many peoples’ do-it-yourself file system tagging systems.

If you yourself are interested in taking a peek at the source code, it is freely available from the BlackTree Google Code site. The current BlackTree release of Quicksilver remains a beta, although it has been updated for 10.5.

WebNoteHappy update: 1.3.1

WebnoteHappyWebNoteHappy, the tag-friendly bookmarks manager, has been updated to 1.3.1. This minor update includes a couple of Leopard fixes to the tagging field, and the ability to select bookmarks with enter and delete them with forward delete.

For more information, see the 1.3.1 blog announcement. The update is available via the WebNoteHappy website or the program’s internal auto-updating.

Hawk Wings active once more

Although this has nothing to do with tagging, Hawk Wings, a blog dedicated to Mail.app and all things email, has returned after a long absence with a steady stream of articles and links to handy Leopard-friendly Mail.app plugins. I strongly recommend Hawk Wings; it’s a great resource if you use email a lot (particularly if you’re into Apple’s Mail.app), and besides that it was a big inspiration behind my creation of Tagamac.

Although Hawk Wings is usually focused on Mail.app, it also often provides information about productivity software more generally, so even if you’re not a Mail.app fan, check it out!

PackRat update: 1.5.1…er, 1.5.2

PackRatInfiniteNil, developer of PackRat, has been busily releasing very minor updates for PackRat that fix crashes and problems running under Leopard. These are very minor updates; in fact, there are no release notes, really, just a couple of bare-bones blog announcements.

If you’re running Leopard, updating to the latest version is highly recommended, and can be done from the PackRat webpage.

Scrivener update: 1.1

ScrivenerAlthough I personally find Avenir more to my taste (if only for its superior tagging and amazing annotations), Scrivener’s open-ended index-card way of working has made it something of a celebrity among writing applications. Tagging may take a back seat in Scrivener, but it’s certainly available once you’ve gotten over the initial mind-boggling deluge of features, and now Scrivener has received a fairly major update to version 1.1. I’d try to summarize the changes, but frankly I can’t. The release notes list 261 feature changes, bug fixes, and so forth. The change newbies to Scrivener (or those who tried it in the past and want another shot) will find most interesting is that the trial has not only been reset (so that you can try it again if you tried it in the past), but now it gives you 30 non-consecutive days to try the program (only counting days when you launch it).

Scrivener 1.1 is available from the Scrivener website or through the in-program auto-update and is an update well worth downloading.

Pukka update: 1.6.3

PukkaPukka, a del.icio.us client, has been updated to 1.6.3. This minor update fixes bugs under Tiger and Leopard, including a hang and potential crash. Unless you’re experiencing a lot of hanging and crashing, you’ll probably be safe updating via the auto-update feature the next time you launch Pukka.

To hear it from the horse’s mouth, see the 1.6.3 blog announcement.