Existing users, 
User Name Andrew D
Member Since 2000-06-29
Total number of Feedback Posts: 49
Total number of comments: 2
Last 10 Feedback Posts by Andrew D [ Search for All ]
PDFpenPro 3.5 (Mac OS X)
The product is multiply limited in its "demo" form to a ridiculous degree. It can't print without its logo on every page, it interrupts you to ask you to pay, it only allows you to edit 20 forms, etc. In my experience, a publisher this suspicious is not a good sign. Also, much of its functionality IS in the newer version f Preview -- as it should be. The PDF format was envisioned as a public, open standard. Finally, I hit several bugs in five minutes -- problems with fonts, an odd behavior with form fields and so on. I would be more sympathetic if the developer's price were lower and the attitude more positive, but I say look elsewhere. [alert admin]
Post a comment | More Info | 1 of 5 users found this helpful
Wednesday, September 03 2008 @ 11:53 AM PDT
AirTrafficControl 2.1.0b500 (Mac OS X)
I use this widget all the time for troubleshooting. I install it on every computer I work with (about 5). It has, IMHO, a nice clean interface with color-coding of the signal strength. I would like, however, an estimate of what throughtput is in tandem with the signal strength number I don't feel is inherently meaningful. I would pay $5-$15 for this widget, and I don't like to pay. :) [alert admin]
Friday, May 09 2008 @ 08:09 AM PDT
Thucydides 1.3 (Mac OS X)
The opinion I left a couple of years ago was too grumpy and, given the small number of reviews, too influential on the overall rating. This is a VERY limited app, but it does something useful (I wanted specifically to view the time stamps) without trouble. I wish it did a bit more or that I was set up to expand and recompile it. But an app being limited doesn't mean it shouldn't be used, and that's what ratings are really about. Besides, it has a cool icon and is named after someone I had to look up ("c. 455-400 BC, Greek historian. Remembered for his History of the Peloponnesian War, he fought in the conflict on the Athenian side.") [alert admin]
Thursday, May 08 2008 @ 04:36 AM PDT
Jotz 1.3.60u (Mac OS X)
I have used and disliked this app for at least three years, yet never gotten it together to choose an alternative -- they're not all that good, either. Jotz is un-mac-like, meaning the UI is fine so long as you're the sort of person who is willing to get totally immersed in one particular developer's idea of how things should work, and for whom having a swiss army knife (features, features, features) is more important than having a good simple blade. I think Jotz is a kludge, messy and disorganized; the advanced features (90% of which are useless to 90% of likely users) are NOT slipped "under the hood." Doesn't a revision number like "1.3.60u" tell you something? In four years they couldn't bear getting to 1.4? I'm not a conformity zealot -- check out Skitch for a truly weird but clever image manipulation app. But an app should be no harder to use than necessary, and require as little training as possible -- we have lives. I have settled for using Jotz in a very limited way for several years not just because I'm too lazy to learn the rest, but because I intensely dislike having to accumulate skills good for one app only, the opposite of what the Mac is about. I wish Apple would just address the need for an elegant notepad (with Internet sync, spellchecking, intuitive organization)! Regardless, I'm looking for a new alternative and came to this page looking for suggestions. So is Jotz for you? It depends. For folks like the people who rave about it here, the ones who know every keyboard shortcut, it's genuinely great. For those like me desperate for something that it at least stable and functional, it's OK. (And heck I did pay for it, can't throw that away. :) For the majority of people who are put off by the *horrible* interface (I have rarely seen anything this awful, honest, in 20+ years of using the Mac), it is not. I suspect Jotz's ratings are artificially high because many of those who tried it and then hit delete didn't stick around to leave a rating. Try it, use it if it works for you, but expect better. [alert admin]
Monday, May 05 2008 @ 06:31 AM PDT
iCal Events 2.2.1 (Mac OS X)
An excellent bit of freeware that does what it is supposed to do with polish. But Leopard breaks it. The developer's site assures us: "A Leopard-compatible version of the widget is in progress. In the meantime, you can view the day's upcoming events in the new iCal widget that comes with Leopard. Click the left side of it once to view the new event display panel." [alert admin]
Thursday, November 08 2007 @ 04:56 AM PST
Mail Act-On 1.3.2 (Mac OS X)
Developer posted a temporary fix that works fine here. See c-command.com/forums/showthread.php?p=3283 install MAO open terminal and type defaults write com.apple.mail EnableBundles 1 defaults write com.apple.mail BundleCompatibilityVersion 3 [alert admin]
Tuesday, October 30 2007 @ 10:43 AM PDT
Mail Act-On 1.3.2 (Mac OS X)
Great, but Leopard Mail disables it. 
Have been using and benefitting from this app for a while, especially in dealing with junk mail (I like to DELETE it rather than trashing it, as I keep all my trash). Leopard Mail disables it on launch and advises the used to contact the developer, so perhaps the current version does work and Apple is concerned third-party plug-ins will make it look bad. Along with the death of Classic, another unwelcome loss of backward compatibility that makes me wonder whether I should have waited for 15.1, or not upgraded at all. [alert admin]
Sunday, October 28 2007 @ 07:41 PM PDT
Spanning Sync 1.0.5 (Mac OS X)
I really question the judgment behind the price. A "lifetime" option only highlights the fact that the lifetime for this software will be short. Apple, Google, etc. will work out the sync issues in the next year or so. The existing Google option to subscribe to an iCal URL ("Add by URL"), and for iCal to subscribe to a Google calendar, come tantalizingly close to doing the basic job for free. Another new, slightly cheaper entrant -- gSync. [alert admin]
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Monday, September 17 2007 @ 07:34 AM PDT
BitPim 1.0.1 (Mac OS X)
I'm torn on things like this, where I am really appreciative that an app even exists and I'm also disgusted by how it works. The user interface is terrible and when you get errors the feedback is not friendly. Getting it to talk to the phone is a pain. When it DOES work it works well, but I've only gotten there by memorizing the steps that make it happy. I admit a large part of the fault is the manufacturers -- communication with cellphones should be standardized and developers shouldn't have to hack the phones one model at a time, as the Bitpim crew has, to reverse engineer how they work. Moreover, Verizon deliberately cripples bluetooth on some phones, adding to the user headaches. So, I'm sympathetic but still hate using Bitpim; I recommend it b/c it's the best we can do. Verizon is not helpful, either. I've had the best luck with BitPim vx8700, moderate success with vx8300, and problems with vx5300 -- it's just not consistent. I would better I think with USB cables over Bluetooth buit don't want to buy all those cables and hate cables anyway. So when will iSync be extended to LG? Probably never. [alert admin]
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Sunday, August 26 2007 @ 09:03 AM PDT
iStat nano 2.1 (Mac OS X)
It sounds from the other comments that the widget has had growing pains, but I am VERY pleased with iStat. It's one of those rare times I needed something and immediately found an app that hit the sweet spot. Most widgets are not worth more than the paper they're printed on. I use iStat to troubleshoot issues like overheating and runaway processes, and to give users some insight into how the computer works (it's friendlier than Terminal or Activity Monitor or the BIG iStat). My experience has been that I can get the info I want very quickly without thinking about it much, which to me suggests it has a good UI. I hope it doesn't go the way of bloat - more features is great BUT a lousy UI makes a Mac into a PC. The data overload in the app IS becoming a problem, and it will be interesting to see how the developer handles it without I hope producing a kludgey mess. Please resist handling it by offering 6,000 preference option to wade through! A consistent interface is good. Nice job, good price, more widgets ought to be like this! [alert admin]
Sunday, August 26 2007 @ 08:38 AM PDT
Last 10 Comments by Andrew D [ Search for All ]
Re: Aaaagh! Why no WYSIWYG?? Would be perfect otherwise!
Very diplomatic reply! I have just started using MarsEdit and like it a lot, while also hoping for better, esp. image handling. Rather than write it all, perhaps a deal with another company to integrate features.... e.g., Skitch? I'm surprised Apple hasn't provided better support/uniformity in this area.
Original feedback item : Read More
Monday, March 10 2008 @ 10:21 AM PDT
Customer support should be responsive, but I don't see why you are waiting for them to send you anything -- go to the site and download whatever version you like ( http://www.maintain.se/cocktail/download.html ). Also, if $15 is your idea of an expensive mistake... you are fortunate!
Original feedback item : Read More
Wednesday, May 24 2006 @ 07:39 AM PDT
