Tagamac

If it is still October 18, 2007 and you don’t already own MailTags, then quit reading this stupid blog post and go buy MailTags for 33% off at MacZot now. MailTags is one of the very few pieces of Mac software, tagging or otherwise, that I recommend without reservations to everyone. If you use Mail.app and want to lead anything like a productive life, then you need MailTags.

Purchasing it now not only gives you access to what I’ve called the One True Tagging Tool on the Mac, but also a free upgrade to the Leopard-ready version when it’s released. Don’t miss this one.

Although you are probably already aware, OS X 10.5 Leopard has gone on sale for preorder, and will be arriving Oct. 26th, as the countdown on Apple’s homepage makes abundantly clear.

I haven’t heard word yet what the changes to the metadata are like (the big question: will tagging system files be easier?), but hopefully the metadata will be more tag-friendly and we can get away from the ever-so-imperfect Spotlight comment. I will of course be posting more information as it comes available, and once my copy arrives I’ll try to suss out the metadata changes (if any) as soon as I can.

A little while ago, Freelance Switch posted a list of 35 essential Mac apps. I wasn’t particularly impressed with the list. Aside from its complete lack of any meaningful organization (except its implied ranking from “most essential” to “less essential”), it included software that hasn’t been released yet while excluding a lot of really great software that’s been out for a while. Sure, Things looks pretty cool, but since no one can use it, how can it be “essential”?

I’ve finally finished writing up my own list of 35 essential Mac apps, posted over on Beckism.com. There’s some overlap with Freelance Switch, and some of the really good stuff from Freelance Switch didn’t make it on because I personally don’t find it particularly essential, so you’ll probably want to check out both lists. Of course, it doesn’t have much to do with tagging (I haven’t needed tagging software for my freelance work, so there isn’t much tagging software on the list), but I figured you’d be interested nonetheless. Enjoy!

I know that it’s Totally Lame that I haven’t written a significant article in a long while for Tagamac and now I’m giving you an off-topic, but work has been heinous and updates to tagging software slow. ‘Nuff said; on to the news: 1Passwd, an amazingly useful program that keeps track of your passwords for you, is on sale today, October 11th, 2007 for 33% off over at the MacUpdate Promo.

Although it has absolutely nothing to do with tagging, I strongly recommend 1Passwd for anyone who uses the internet with a Mac. The developers are working on some pretty awesome stuff for the upcoming updates, too, so now would be a great time to buy it on the cheap.

InfiniteNIL, the developer of PackRat, is looking for beta testers. The PackRat beta has been updated to interface with the latest Backpack changes, and will now present your items in the same order as on Backpack. Additionally, the developer is offering free licenses to beta testers who “prove useful”. Although you probably won’t be able to get a free license by signing up and submitting a single bug, if you like Backpack and are good at beta testing it may be worth your while.

You can read more about the beta test on infiniteNIL’s blog, or shoot an email to rod obfuscate@infinitenil.com to request a spot in the beta test.

Although I didn’t know a big sale was coming when I wrote it, I reviewed FileSpot three days ago and now it’s on sale today, September 19th, 2007 for 40% off at the MacUpdate Promo.

FileSpot is a fantastic program that I highly recommend for everyone, and you can’t beat today’s price. Check out my review if you want the full scoop, or download the program for yourself and marvel at how easy it makes using Spotlight.

InfiniteNIL, developer of PackRat (the desktop Backpack client), is fed up with 37signals’ crummy support for the Backpack API and seeking customer input. If you use PackRat / Backpack, the developer would love to hear whether you’d prefer to see PackRat grow into a more powerful desktop program, or if it should stick close to Backpack, no matter the trials and tribulations.

If you’re just itching to share your opinion, you can visit the original blog post or contact them directly.

Although this has nothing to do with tagging and I hate the fact that I keep posting irrelevant links, this really is too good to pass up. LaunchBar is on sale today, September 10, 2007 for 50% off. This deal is available through MacZot.

To be honest, LaunchBar is such amazingly good software that I’d advise buying it for the full price from the developer. However, if you need a great sale to convince you, then head over MacZot. I switched from Quicksilver to LaunchBar a month or two ago, and I haven’t looked back. LaunchBar has been far more stable, well-supported, and easy-to-use than Quicksilver ever was. Ironically, of course, it doesn’t have anywhere near the easy access to file system tagging that Quicksilver provides, but there you go. I love tagging, but I’ll take superior software over software with tagging any day.

PackRat, a desktop client for 37signals’ Backpack, is on sale for 40% off today August 7th, 2007 only, available through the MacUpdate promo.

I have never used PackRat or Backpack, and thus can’t recommend either one. However, 37signals has an excellent reputation when it comes to web apps and I’ve heard good things about Backpack, which is essentially an online area for you to store notes, links, to-do lists, and more. Both Backpack and PackRat support tags for your notes, although the tags are basically just glorified categories. May be worthwhile, may be not. I leave it to your discretion.

This has nothing to do with tagging. PathFinder is an amazing file browser that I use daily, and it is on sale for 43% off today August 1st, 2007 only. The deal is available through the MacUpdate Promo. I highly recommend you check it out; PathFinder may not have anything to do with tags but it’s still an amazing piece of software, and at $19.95 it’s a total steal.

If you think Apple’s Finder is the best way to browse your files, you haven’t tried PathFinder yet. Check it out!