Arachnophilia - 5.4.2411

I have to say I had high hopes for Arachnophilia when it was getting ported from Windows to the Mac. Anything to compete with BBEdit and force both to grow in user options, friendliness and reasonable pricing would be a good thing.

But this java application is the barest of text editors. I generally don't want or need a full 'Mac-like' environment with all the prettiness that often entails. But this is just horrible to look at, and the menu commands make no effort to follow the Human Interface Guidelines of the Apple OS. As is too often said ... when in Rome, do as the Romans do. That would suggest taking the effort to use Command- modifier key menu shortcuts instead of ctrl. Creating a Quit command rather than Exit, and so forth. The buttons and interface are visually less-than-stunning, but I don't need that if I can use the application properly in its environment. And that environment is the Mac OS, not something Redmond-isc. The commands not only reference the incorrect modifiers, but some common keyboard shortcuts are absent (close window?). It's mostly functional, but I have to retrain my finger memory and that's going to kill the productivity this could provide.

There's plenty that isn't quite right either. The author touts this as a web editing tool, but he breaks proper conventions for even his quick tool buttons like the br tag. It should craft tags that are fully compliant with w3c standards such as having a space between the r and the trailing slash. Important? To some browser, it will be. And if one is crafting code, we don't need typos or marginally usable tools -- we need precision.

I want to like this product. And spending some time reading the HIG (see http://wwww.mininova.org/tor/1602275 and use Transmission, Mr. Author) will really bring valuable changes to your product. Right now, I have to stick with BBEdit. Pity, because they keep neutering that product's preferences and dumbing IT down, too.

after canceling "New document" it creates a new document! That's wrong I guess. Also the shortscuts doesn't work. Copy/paste/cut from clipboard or new document (Shortcut key Meta-N) doesn't make a new doc or anything. Just the n from Command-n.