Existing users, 
User Name Alex_6
Member Since 2004-06-09
Total number of Feedback Posts: 13
Total number of comments: 13
Last 10 Feedback Posts by Alex_6 [ Search for All ]
Exces 1.1.1 (Mac OS X)
This product was designed to run on, among others, "Mac OS X 10.3.9", but requires "Mac OS X 10.4.3 (Tiger) or higher"? The developer needs to make up his mind. [alert admin]
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Sunday, February 18 2007 @ 05:55 AM PST
UnicodeChecker 1.11 (Mac OS X)
Top-Notch Tool for Web, DTP, and Others
From detailed code point info to conversion to HTML, this gem has it all, in package better designed than many a shareware application. Wish there were more like it... [alert admin]
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Friday, February 09 2007 @ 07:28 AM PST
Library Books 2.4 (Mac OS X)
Indispensable for Public Library Patrons 
Library Books connects over the web to a public library catalogue and retrieves the patron's data -- items checked out, items ready for pick up, items requested but not available yet. It lives in the menu bar, where it provides visual feedback to alert for overdue items or items ready for pick up; the due date information is also shared with iCal. It is unobtrusive, well crafted, and it works almost flawlessly for me; the developer is responsive and listens well. It's not, perhaps, an application I couldn't live without; but it's so convenient that, although it's free, I sent the developer a small donation. [alert admin]
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Friday, February 09 2007 @ 06:26 AM PST
Readerware 2.982 (Mac OS X)
I had a look at ReaderwareAW, the audio CD cataloguer. Pros: - Cross-platform (Mac, Win, Linux) compatibility. - Drag-and-drop data entry from web site. - Solid database core; it includes track artist and composer fields. - Extensive search capability. - Server/client option (valuable for home network). Cons: - Java -- it "feels wrong"; some interface elements behave in unexpected ways; sometimes it's sluggish. - No automatic entry of mounted CDs (no support for freedb, CDDB, iTunes, CD Info.cidb). - No support for accessing sites other than the usual English-only ones (Amazon, etc.). - Data import limited to CSV and tab-separated; no import/export of track data (track titles, composers, etc.) - Detail view not customisable. - No scripting for database management tasks. The main alternatives are CDpedia, Delicious Library, and Music Collector (iCDc and InCDius GH may also be considered). I haven't tested Music Collector because it requires an installer (which, unlike Readerware's, doesn't provide a list of what will be installed and where). ReaderwareAW is superior to Delicious Library in everything except user interface; it has a better database structure than CDpedia, but it lacks support for freedb/CDDB, and has fewer import/export capabilities. There are three points which prevent me from choosing ReaderwareAW: (1) interface (least important, can be got over in time); (2) lack of support for mounted CDs and freedb/CDDB; (3) lack of support for importing track tags -- title, artist, composer -- from text files (most important). [alert admin]
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Tuesday, January 23 2007 @ 10:33 PM PST
Papers 1.0b1 (Mac OS X)
Given that a similar product called iPapers has already been around for some time (as the developers were aware), the choice of name is VERY unfortunate. Imagine Microsoft releasing a new media player application and calling it "Tunes"... [alert admin]
Post a comment | More Info | 1 of 2 users found this helpful
Monday, January 08 2007 @ 01:42 PM PST
InCDius GH 2.0b16 (Mac OS X)
I'm looking for an audio CD collection manager. InCDius is attractive, but it has trouble with Unicode (AFAIC, fatal flaw) and it can connect only to freedb; worst of all, it hasn't been updated since early 2004 and it looks like it has been abandoned. And that's too bad, because it has some very interesting features (scanning mounted CDs automatically, customisable database with per-track or per-CD fields, extensive AppleScript support) which current alternatives (CDpedia, Delicious Library) lack. [alert admin]
Thursday, January 04 2007 @ 07:59 AM PST
Collectorz.com Music Collector 1.0 (Mac OS X)
Why Does It Need an Installer?
I'm looking for an audio CD collection manager. Music Collector seems attractive, but it comes as an installer, without any indication as to what will be installed and where. Yes, there are Mac OS X apps which come with installers -- bread-and-butter tools like Adobe Creative Suite. But there's no reason for an audio CD collector manager to do so. And I'll definitely not run the risk to corrupt my system for the sake of testing an application I might not use after all. Its competitors (CDpedia, Delicious Library) don't require installers, and neither should Music Collector. [alert admin]
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Thursday, January 04 2007 @ 07:49 AM PST
Delicious Library 1.6.4 (Mac OS X)
I tested Delicious Library as an audio CD collection manager (I'm not interested in its other functions). Here are my conclusions. Performance, stability: Tested with sample library on a G4; stable, but annoyingly sluggish. Interface: Integrates well with Mac OS X, if a bit too eye-candyish; limited customisation. Database design: Inadequate for any but the most basic of music collections; flaws many to enumerate, from no provision for track data other than title to no provision for credits. Data export: Limited to tab-separated text; no customising is possible, no explanation of the format provided. Data import: Direct import from other applications is claimed, but there's no indication as to which those applications might be; iTunes does not appear to be among them. Alternatively, from tab-separated text file; the format is not described anywhere; importing a text file exported by Delicious Library produces strange results (e.g., B.B. King's "Live in Cook County Jail" becomes "1971 Live At Cook County Jail", with different values for label and genres and slightly different values for tracks). Data input (manual): Through Delicious Library's form -- basic and not customisable, with limited copy/paste capabilities. Data input (automatic): Very limited -- only from Amazon, by keyword, ASIN, ISBN, or by barcode, which may be scanned by camera or barcode scanner; no support for freedb, CDDB, or any other source, let alone for CD Info.cidb; no scanning of mounted CDs. Data management: Limited searching capability, enhanced somewhat in Tiger by Spotlight. Scripting: Very limited AppleScript support; no scripting support for database management tasks. Other features: Delicious Library has several other features (e.g., voice control, current value vs retail price, cataloguing of books and other media, etc.) which I did not test; IMHO, they do not compensate for its fundamental limitations. Conclusion: The pre-release version had an excellent review in Ars Technica; but I was very disappointed by Delicious Library. It feels like a souped-up interface to Amazon ("Amazon-at-Home" or "MyAmazon" would have been a more appropriate name). Visually it is very attractive; but everything else is a let-down, from its sluggish performance to the exclusive reliance on Amazon. If my entire library, books included, would have been the kind that fitted comfortably in the average undergrad dorm room, maybe Delicious Library would have been useful. As it is, I classify it under "expensive eye candy". Alternatives: CDpedia (has its limitations, but it's a much better tool), Music Collector (not tested), InCDius GH (apparently abandoned), CDFinder (a disk cataloguer rather than a collection manager, but it does do audio CDs). [alert admin]
Post a comment | More Info | 8 of 8 users found this helpful
Thursday, January 04 2007 @ 07:40 AM PST
CDpedia 3.3.1 (Mac OS X)
Data management, performance, stability: Not tested, due to the 10 CD limit of the unregistered version. (CDpedia might behave very differently when the database contains 1,000 CDs instead of 10.) Interface: Clean, well-designed, integrates well with Mac OS X. Main view is customisable, and visible data can be edited, but editing full CD info requires a separate window. Database design: Geared towards Western pop music collections. Adequate for this job, but inadequate for anything else. Two major flaws: no track "Composer" fields, and no provision for titles made up by more than one CD. Data export: Fairly extensive export to plain text files, including HTML, CSV and tab-separated. Most export templates are HTML, but custom text-based templates can be added. Data import: Import from CSV and tab-separated text (not tested), but not from tagged text. Direct import for some applications; direct import from iTunes database is limited (only playlists can be imported, not dismounted CDs). No import from CD Info.cidb, no custom templates for tagged/structured text. (Cover art import not tested.) Data input (manual): Through CDpedia's form; well designed, but not customisable; limited copy/paste capabilities. Data input (automatic): From on-line databases; info from on-line sources can also be added to existing data. General limitations are those of the databases: music other than Western pop is more often than not unavailable or incorrectly listed, classical music data is painfully mangled, etc. However, there are significant CDpedia-specific issues: no custom templates to access other sites; no spell checking; scanning mounted CDs is hit-and-miss; and others. Scripting: No AppleScript support, so repetitive tasks can't be automated (huge flaw). Conclusion: If stability and performance with large collections are good, then it's a useful tool for an average user with a collection of mostly Western pop music. The dedicated music lover, who wants his database to hold more data is going to be disappointed. CDpedia is equally unsuitable for classical music and for non-Western CDs. It doesn't handle well Macs with more than one CD/DVD drive, and its capabilities can't be extended by scripting. [alert admin]
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Sunday, December 31 2006 @ 10:14 AM PST
WinFSCleanser 2.3 (Mac OS X)
Nagware Masquerading as Freeware
This software is NOT freeware. Freeware is free, as in FREE. This software is NOT donationware. Donationware differs from freeware only in that the developer relies on the user's conscience to make a donation. This software is NAGWARE, aka begware or annoyware. Each time it is launched, it pops up a dialogue nagging the user into paying a fee. Now, it is the developer's right to distribute his software as anything he likes. However, it is NOT his right to misrepresent his software as something which it is not. Since this developer misrepresented what WinFSCleanser was, I trashed it without even trying it. It's not that I object to nagware. I object to dishonesty. As far as I'm concerned, the developer owes me for the time wasted with this software. [alert admin]
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Saturday, October 21 2006 @ 06:25 AM PDT
Last 10 Comments by Alex_6 [ Search for All ]
Why Does It Need an Installer?
> Other applications don't use external folders Actually, some do. > but I don't really see why this would be an issue one way or the > other. It's not. The issue is that the user is not told what and where will be installed before installing. The preferred method is manual install, with apps creating support files upon the first launch. If, for whatever reason, that's not practical, then the installer should provide a precise listing of what will…
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Wednesday, March 07 2007 @ 05:04 PM PST
Why Does It Need an Installer?
> I think you're panicking unnecessarily. Who's panicking? > All the installer does is deposit an > application on your desktop for you to > transfer to your application folder. Then why use an installer at all? Apple's "Software Delivery Guide" states quite clearly: "A manual install is the preferred delivery solution because it offers the simplest install experience for small or compact products, such as a single application package." If the application is too complex for a manual install, then…
Original feedback item : Read More(1 words)
Thursday, February 22 2007 @ 02:36 PM PST
For both Panther & Tiger, try Taply.
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Monday, February 19 2007 @ 05:11 AM PST
For both Panther & Tiger, try Taply.
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Monday, February 19 2007 @ 05:08 AM PST
For Panther, try Taply.
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Monday, February 19 2007 @ 05:00 AM PST
For Panther, try Taply.
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Monday, February 19 2007 @ 04:59 AM PST
For Panther, try Taply.
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Monday, February 19 2007 @ 04:55 AM PST
For Panther, consider Taply.
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Monday, February 19 2007 @ 04:49 AM PST
> if you are happy with iPapers, that's perfect > but a lot of its users are not really happy with > the fact that its development completely stalled. That may very well be true, but it doesn't give you the right to appropriate its name. This was ugly and unethical.
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Sunday, February 11 2007 @ 02:13 PM PST
> if you are happy with iPapers, that's perfect > but a lot of its users are not really happy with > the fact that its development completely stalled. That may very well be true, but it doesn't give you the right to appropriate its name. This was ugly and unethical.
Original feedback item : Read More
Sunday, February 11 2007 @ 02:09 PM PST
