Tagamac

This is not a sale to miss! For the weekend of March 29th and 30th, 2008 only Leap is on sale for 50% off its list price from MacZot (ends up being about $30), and since its price is the main downside for the software I strongly recommend you check it out.

Despite my first impressions, Leap is the most exciting file system tagging app on the market and provides a great way for new users to get into tags (since it uses current folder hierarchies to supplement your tags). I’ve posted a bit more of an in-depth look at the strengths of Leap in the MacZot comments if you need more convincing. Incidentally, Leap was also updated to version 1.0.4 yesterday, but the update didn’t add much (just a couple of bug fixes).

Leap, currently the most likely piece of software to entice me into file system tagging, was just updated to version 1.0.3. This minor version increase includes better memory handling for some searches (particularly “Go Deep” searches), support for the new Office 2008 file types, the ability to create folders by right clicking in the Locations panel, and a number of small bug fixes and UI improvements.

For more information, see the release notes in the program’s auto-updating, or download it for the first time from the Leap homepage.

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.

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...]

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.

Hot on the heels of the 4.0.1 update, St. Clair Software has delivered Default Folder X 4.0.2. This minor release includes proper behavior in Carbon apps that use sheets on windows with toolbars, corrects selection and window activation problems, and includes a hidden setting to make Finder-click available when the Finder is hidden.

For more information and to download, see the release notes. For those who haven’t tried it yet, Default Folder X expands the capabilities of the OS Save dialog in ways that not only help you roll your own tagging system (if you’re into that sort of thing), but generally make you wonder how you lived without it before.

Yurk! I got bogged down by work last week, and so here’s a couple things that got updated that I failed to note (there’s a third, too, but OmniWeb lost one of my browser workspaces somehow and I can’t recall what it was; oh well). Hopefully next week will be calmer and more conducive to blogging.

Default Folder X has been updated to version 4.0.1, including numerous bug fixes, more options for the display (including an old-style gray option for people who don’t like the new HUD look), and more. For complete details, see the release notes. Together was updated to 2.0.7, an update that consisted mainly of bug fixes. Read more about it at the Together download page.

St. Clair Software released Default Folder X 4 today, the next incarnation of the venerable Mac utility. Default Folder X has enhanced the default Mac open and save windows for years, and version 4 is another solid step forward, poviding a new HUD-style interface, support for Quicklook in Open dialogs, Leopard improvements, support for TagBot, improvements to Spotlight comment auto-completion, and much more. Default Folder X is a great utility for anyone who wants a better workflow when saving and opening files, and is an indispensable tool for people rolling their own tagging solution because it allows you to edit a file’s Spotlight comments while you are saving it.

Given the number of excellent enhancements in version 4, Default Folder X is definitely worth checking out. For those who purchased Default Folder X after June 1, 2007, version 4 is a free upgrade. For everyone else it costs $34.95 new or $14.95 upgrade (and for those true old-skoolers who used the Classic version of Default Folder, you can snag it for $19.95). If you’d like to see the full list of changes and improvements, see the Default Folder X Change History.

MacWorld’s Dan Frakes has posted an excellent screencast previewing the upcoming Default Folder X 4.0. Version 4′s main changes are a new HUD-style look to the interface, and QuickLook attached to Open dialogs (a feature that, interestingly enough, will have limited support for OS 10.4, as well). Tag-happy individuals, however, will likely be most interested in Default Folder X’s ability to apply Spotlight comments to files when you save them. If you’re rolling your own tagging solution, Default Folder X can be an indispensable tool.

But don’t wait until version 4! If you want access to some of Default Folder X’s sweet capabilities now, you’re in luck. St. Clair Software has an upgrade policy that will allow you a free upgrade to version 4 if you buy version 3.0.6 now. Version 3 is fully Leopard compatible (as long as you aren’t running any 64-bit apps); it just lacks the translucency. For more information, and to download Default Folder X 3.0.6, see the Default Folder X website.

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.