Tagamac

StoryMill, my favorite creative writing software that incidentally features tagging, is on sale today March 7, 2008 only for $24.95 at MacZot (50% off the boxed price). This is a great deal; if you’re a fiction writer, I highly recommend taking a look at StoryMill.

People inevitably end up comparing StoryMill to Scrivener, but they’re really very different tools. Scrivener uses the metaphor of a 3×5 index cards and then makes you create your own structure. StoryMill uses the metaphor of scenes within chapters, and provides a structure, which for me at least makes writing easier since I spend less time worrying about how to organize things. StoryMill’s timeline feature is also the only one of its kind in creative writing software at the moment. If you’re a writer, this isn’t a sale you want to miss.

Punaka, the free file system tagging solution from nudge:nudge, has been updated to version 0.4 (technically beta software, but very stable). Punakea now requires OS 10.5, but if you’re running Leopard it’s well worth a download. Features include the ability to edit tags from directly within the tag browser, a Tags folder that automatically generates a folder structure corresponding to the tags you attach to files (complete with file aliases; this ain’t no smart folder, folks), a new Drop Box folder that will automatically attach tags to any files saved there (by default “untagged”), and numerous interface brush-ups and under-the-hood improvements.

Punakea is an excellent choice if you’re looking for file system tagging, but there is one major caveat: Punakea uses a very unfriendly syntax for Spotlight comment tagging. Although this means you can use spaces in your tags, tagging files by hand using Punakea’s syntax is difficult at best. The program provides workarounds (an excellent, unobtrusive sidebar for one), but to tag with Punakea you generally have to have the program running all the time. For more details about this update, see the release notes. Punakea 0.3.2 is still available for Tiger users.

Together, the file library formerly known as K.I.T., has been updated to version 2.0.8. This minor update includes the option to automatically launch Together at login coupled with the option to hide Together’s library window on launch, improved performance in numerous areas, and a number of helpful bug fixes and minor UI enhancements. If you find yourself running Together constantly in the background so that you can collect your info and notes in one place, this is a good update to download.

For the full story, see the Together release notes. As always, Together is OS 10.5-only.

Yep, the PDF tagging file library from the makers of Leap, has been updated to version 1.7.6 today. This minor update fixes a Leopard TWAIN bug, a problem where Yep would sometimes stop saving tags if Leap was installed, and a number of other small fixes. Additionally, the trial period has been reset, so if you’ve used up your trial and want to give Yep another go, you’re in luck!

As is common for Ironic Software, there are no release notes available unless you download the program or auto-update, although some details are available via MacUpdate. Yep is $34, or $10 when purchased with Leap (for a total cost of $69).

PackRat has been updated yet again to version 1.6. This version fixes a couple of synching problems with the Backpack API as well as adding a preference for using an SSL connection (instead of having PackRat try to figure out whether it should use SSL on synching).

For more details, see the PackRat 1.6 blog post.

Another MailTags 2.2 public beta has been released, this one marked as release candidate 1. Included in this beta is the option to uninstall MailTags if your trial has expired, a reset to the 21 day trial period for all you who want to continue to play with it without registering, various IMAP bug fixes, and a number of new preference fixes and new options to help with managing your tags.

As always, keep in mind that this is beta software (and won’t run on OS 10.4). For more information and to download the beta, see the MailTags for Leopard beta page.

I sometimes make mistakes. When I first used Leap, it was in the early public beta, and when Ironic Software released Leap 1.0 with no release notes (they never publish release notes outside of the download, which is annoying) and tiny, skewed screenshots I had no idea that Leap had changed drastically between the initial public betas and the final version. Thankfully a reader called me on my error, and so I’ve taken a second look at Leap.

Although I still think it’s priced a bit high, I was completely in error about Leap’s existence in limbo between file system taggers and file libraries. Leap is a full-fledged file system tagging solution that is unlike any of the other solutions currently on the market. It certainly isn’t perfect, but Leap provides a number of different ways to access your tagged files and introduces a unique way of working with files in your current folder hierarchy that no other tagging software provides. [read more...]

PackRat has been updated to version 1.5.4. This minor update fixes the outstanding problems with Backpack whose recent big update to include multi-user support broke the API and caused a bunch of problems for PackRat.

For more info about the update, see the 1.5.4 blog announcement.

It really is a leap day: Leap, the pseudo-file system tagging software that I asked a few questions about back in October, has at last been released. Leap is billed as an alternative Finder, and provides tagging, Spotlight searching, and more for your files. Unfortunately, it isn’t a true file system tagging solution; Leap’s tags are stored in its database, so you’ll have to use have Leap running to tag and browse your files (rather than being able to tag in the file system) (Update: a reader brought to my attention that there’s a lot more than meets to eye to Leap, so I took a second look). If file libraries are too restrictive for you and Spotlight comments tagging inadequate, then Leap may well be a useful middle ground.

Unfortunately, it costs $60 to register (or a discounted price for Yep owners). Given its comparatively high price (file libraries hover around $40, Punakea is free, and TagBot is $20) and the drawbacks of being not quite one thing and not quite another, Leap will likely be a fairly niche product. However, if you’re not happy with the available file system tagging options, Leap is well worth a trial.

When I first started using Things to organize my daily tasks, I sat down and took the time to carefully craft a list of tags that I wanted to use. I knew what what kinds of tasks I’d be tagging, so I was able with some creativity to come up with a list that was succinct yet exhaustive. Having worked with that list of tags for a few months, I’ve only added one or two tags.

This tells me my system was a good one. Aside from not needing to expand the tag cloud, most tasks I only need to assign 1-2 tags per task, and and tasks inherit one more based on which project I stick them into. My tag filter bar is clean, and small enough to be useful even in lists with lots of tasks. When I posted the list in the Things wiki I got some very positive feedback. But having used the list religiously for a couple months, I have realized something: about 80% of my tags are completely useless. [read more...]