Tagamac

StoryMill, the creative writer’s workshop once called Avenir, has been updated to 3.0.1. This minor update introduces some new features, including the ability to edit scene text in the scene editing window (previously you could only edit the scene’s notes), and fixes several bugs including some problems with the new timeline view.

The update is available via the in-program auto-updating or from Mariner Software’s download page. Unfortunately, release notes are only available via the ReadMe bundled with the download.

As if you didn’t have enough to do this holiday season, the alpha version of iGTD 2 is slated to be released sometime near the end of December. As of this writing, the alpha is about 95% done and presumably ready for public consumption.

I’m honestly a little perplexed by the number of independent Mac developers releasing alpha software these days, complete with bugs and lacking promised features. I’m sure that the pending release of OmniFocus is the reason GTD developers are pushing their software out the door as soon as possible, but it still seems like a fairly dangerous move. Even software that is publicly released in beta form often gets seriously delayed as the developer becomes swamped by feature requests and duplicate bug reports, and I imagine the problem is far worse for hotly anticipated applications like Things and iGTD 2. I’m sure releasing alpha software results in an initial burst of interest, but I wonder about the long-term benefits.

Mariner 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.

Big Robot Software has posted a notice that while TagBot is mostly compatible with Leopard, showing tagged files does not yet function. If you’ve upgraded to Leopard, you’ll still be able to use TagBot to apply and import tags, but until Big Robot is able to release a full bug fix, double clicking a tag in the list will be pretty pointless.

They point out that the incompatibility has no harmful side effects, so you can continue to use TagBot with impunity; you’ll just need to browse your tags some other way (for instance, through the much speedier Spotlight).

Cultured Code recently posted a sneak peak of Things, their upcoming GTD application. Although its name may be the least compelling or descriptive name I’ve ever heard, the app itself is looking pretty intriguing. In particular, it looks like most of the information attached to any given task is tag-based.

For those who can’t wait to hear more about Things or want to get in on the beta action when it is available, you can sign up for their mailing list to be one of the first to see it in action.

iGTD, formerly free, will be seeing the introduction of two paid versions sometime soon. iGTD Home&Office will include expanded synching capabilities, along with sharing of tasks between individuals on the local network. iGTD Pro will have the functionality of Home&Office, but will allow much greater access to your iGTD data by backing it up to a central server (possibly allowing such shenanigans as web access). Although there is no release estimate, the developer does intend to sell some of the upcoming features of iGTD Pro as plugins, allowing users to incrementally update their iGTD installation and customize it to their liking.

The free version, now dubbed iGTD Basic, will continue to be available. Cool as these new features sound, I must admit that I am merely hoping that the developer doesn’t make like Microsoft and decide to release iGTD Standard, Enterprise, and Ultimate as well.