Tagamac

VoodooPad, that most excellent of desktop wikis, has been updated to version 4.2. This version includes numerous enhancements, one of the best being that the functionality for VoodooPad Pro has been collapsed back into the standard version of VoodooPad. This means that everyone can access event scripts and so forth without needing the more expensive VoodooPad Pro license, while those with simple needs can still use the free lite version.

Other improvements include numerous synching bug fixes, JSTalk support for the programmatic-minded, variables to access clipboard contents for new page templates, and more. For full details, see the release notes. The best part of version 4.2, though, is that thanks to it I can at long last release my custom VoodooPad scratchpad template.

VoodooPad was recently updated to version 4.1, an update mainly focused on significant bug fixes. However, it also introduces several new features, the most interesting to me being that tags are now synched via VoodooPad’s excellent WebDAV synching, and tags are also written out to the VoodooPad Spotlight index for searching. This is pretty exciting to me, because it means that I can at long last make my VoodooPad scratchpad work the way I want.

For more information about the update, see the release notes.

Early this December Together, Hazel, StoryMill, and Evernote all received minor updates. Together 2.2.3 includes synching improvements and several minor bug fixes. Hazel 2.2.4 offers a number of crash and other bug fixes, including some minor UI improvements. StoryMill 3.2.1 fixes several bugs, including date entry problems and localization improvements. Evernote 1.2 primarily introduces a new feature for premium users only: file synchronization. Basically, premium users can now attach any file on your computer to a note and it will be synchronized between all of your Evernote clients (Mac, web, iPhone, etc.). The only limitation is that a single note cannot exceed 25 MB. Cool? Yes. Evernote has made a lot of improvements since I last wrote about it, so definitely give it a look if you need to access data from anywhere.

For more information on the various updates see Together’s release notes, Hazel’s release notes, the StoryMill 3.2.1 announcement, and the Evernote synchronization blog announcement.

StoryMill, my favorite place to craft longer fiction, has been updated to version 3.2. This update includes numerous improvements, but my personal favorite is the new project-wide find and replace. Although it’s been a long time in coming, StoryMill’s find and replace is possibly the best implementation I’ve ever used outside of powerful (and user-unfriendly) text editors, and uses the type of modeless window that users of Textmate or Xcode will recognize to serve up detailed and contextual information about exactly what your search has found, allowing you to make replacements with confidence. (Special Tagamac tip: if you find more hits than you were expecting, you can toggle all of the items closed by holding down option while you click any of the disclosure arrows.) Other new features include the ability to use European-style dates, Quick Look support for StoryMill files, and text zooming available in all views (rather than just the chapter view).

For a full list of changes, see the 3.2 forum announcement. StoryMill 3.2 is a free update for owners of StoryMill.

VoodooPad 4 has at last been released, and although tagging is still something of a sideshow (categories have officially been renamed from tags, but the interface is virtually identical) the update is well worth checking out. VoodooPad is one of those programs that is fantastically easy to learn (open a document, create a link for a new page; just like every wiki on the web) and yet offers so many different ways to configure it that the main limit on how you use it is your imagination.

The big new feature in VoodooPad 4 is the ability to sync documents across multiple computers (and even provide a web interface for iPhones) as long as you have a WebDAV server available (like a MobileMe iDisk). This version also includes a system-wide hotkey to append text to any page in an open document, a reworked (and very slick) interface including a single unified palette, and all of the greatness that was VoodooPad 3 still alive and kicking. I highly recommend VoodooPad for anyone who needs to store and organize just about any text-based information. For full details about the update, see the release notes. VoodooPad 4 comes in three flavors (lite, standard, pro) priced accordingly, and is available for an upgrade fee or, for those who bought version 3 after August 1, 2008, for free.

My favorite desktop wiki, VoodooPad, has been updated to version 3.5.2. This update includes a number of bug fixes and adds a few minor features such as the ability to specific an external image editor or open a rich text link using command-L. For a full list of changes, see the release notes.

VoodooPad’s tagging support is extremely basic, but it’s still one of my favorite applications when it comes to collecting ideas and seeing how they interconnect. Hopefully the upcoming VoodooPad 4.0 will offer better tagging in addition to whatever else Gus Mueller has up his sleeves.

MacJournal, the journaling/blogging/kitchen sink application from Mariner Software, has been updated to version 5.1. This update adds a number of localizations (Dutch, French, German, Italian, Japanese and Spanish), makes tagging easier by providing a context menu to assign tags, allows the user to customize the three pane view (entry list on top, left, or right), includes the ability to create a droplet to easily import anything from the Finder into a specific journal, and includes numerous other handy new features and bug fixes. The update is free to all current users of MacJournal 5; users upgrading from earlier versions of MacJournal will need to purchase an upgrade license for $19.95.

For more information about the update, check the release notes.

As you may or may not be aware, StoryMill is one of my favorite tagging applications (I love writing fiction, and for years StoryMill has been hands-down the best solution for keeping myself and my writing organized). Since its update to version 3.0, however, StoryMill has been a bit more pricey, which makes it harder for me to recommend to Average wanna-be-a-novelist Joe.

However, from now until August 18th, 2008 StoryMill is on sale for $29.95 through the Mariner Software online store (both boxed and digital download versions). This is about a 60% discount (reg. $49.95 for boxed, $44.95 for digital download), so if you’ve been thinking you need a better tool for getting your fiction out of your head and onto the page give StoryMill a look-see.

StoryMill, my all-time favorite writing software and one of the first places where I discovered the joys of tagging, has been updated to version 3.1. This point release includes French and German localizations, the ability to import text from Word documents or RTF and automatically have text parsed into chapters (works both for people who have a chapter per document and those who separate their chapters with headings), and dozens of additional bug fixes and small feature improvements.

For more information, check out the official 3.1 forum announcement or download via the in-program auto-updating or the Mariner Software download page. This is definitely a worthwhile update to download.

Today the MacUpdate “Parallels” Promo was launched. This bundle is a surprisingly good one, and includes a number of useful tagging applications including Leap, StoryMill, and Hazel. The apps that become unlocked if the bundle does well are also extremely appealing (Sound Studio and Parallels Desktop are both apps that I use myself). And MenuCalendarClock iCal is one of those apps that you’ll install and forget it’s there because its functionality should have been written into the OS.

I highly recommend the MacUpdate promo bundle if only for Leap and StoryMill. Leap in particular is probably the best file system tagging solution available, and StoryMill is my favorite creative writing software (and uses tagging for its primary organization). Assuming the bundle sells well enough to unlock all ten apps, you’ll be getting $474.76 worth of software for $65. Most surprising is that more than 50% of the apps are worth buying (normally with these bundles two or three are worthwhile and the rest are all fluff). FYI: the MacUpdate link in this post is an affiliate link because while I would have recommended this bundle anyway, I’d love it if someday Tagamac at least paid for its hosting costs. Click through from here if you want to show me a little love, or just visit MacUpdate on your own if you hate affiliate links in your soul.