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Advanced SearchUser Name Fred E
Member Since 2002-05-21
Total number of Feedback Posts: 16
Total number of comments: 4
Last 10 Feedback Posts by Fred E [ Search for All ]
BusySync 2.0b8 (Mac OS X)
Flawless, and fast, as in 'it just works' with Google calendar. SpanningSync looks good, and they are certainly trying hard enough. But it often stalls, or does just a partial sync (I typically have about 12 calendars active), or syncs only in one direction. They blame it on Google protocols, but BusySync sidesteps all that, and is very quick at automatically updating. No hiccups whatever. The odd thing about BusySync documentation is that it appears as if the .prefPane merely automates iCal's publish and subscribe protocols. But all one has to do is publish to Google calendar from iCal (via BusySync), and then a change at _either_ end will update on the other. So after a couple of days with BusySync I am about to break a personal rule not to buy software until the full trial period has been exercised. Well, maybe a few more days. And hoping that BusySync will in future extend to synchronizing Address Book with Google contacts . . . . [alert admin]
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Friday, April 11 2008 @ 05:53 AM PDT
Bento 1.0v2 R1 (Mac OS X)
Another feature in my wish list for Bento: The ability to import/export tab-separated text files. Makes it much easier to import from other databases, as well as text files sent me to convert to databases. Being limited to .csv files is a multi-step pain, since most exports from other apps are in .txt form. [alert admin]
Post a comment | More Info | 3 of 3 users found this helpful
Monday, December 03 2007 @ 08:21 AM PST
Bento 1.0v2 R1 (Mac OS X)
Bento: essential needed features
In addition to my requirements for Bento to meet the capabilities of AppleWorks DB, I add that Bento should be able to hide selected or unselected records. This is related to the need for showing forms in a list view, rather than just a form-by-form view. [alert admin]
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Sunday, December 02 2007 @ 03:27 PM PST
Bento 1.0v2 R1 (Mac OS X)
good first try, but not complete 
Good first try and, in a few respects, better than AppleWorks 6 DB. What it needs to be as useable as AW6DB: 1) in layout mode the ability to designate text font and style for fields and field labels, 2) in data entry mode the ability to override for text font, style or size, 3) ability to zoom the window 4) more flexible field label placement ((instead of just top or side), including the option of not having field labels at all, and 5) file (library) password protection [alert admin]
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Thursday, November 22 2007 @ 09:22 AM PST
Moneydance 2006r5 (Mac OS X)
After some testing of the new release (r5), I am happy to report that MD has apparently fixed the two flaws of which I complained earlier - inability to set a reconciliation date other than the present, and bleed-over from credit card statments into the checkbook register. Those remedies, in addition to the lovely spotlight-like instant batch search, and the right-clickable display of the back of an entry to show what is in the entry's category over a long period of time, now make Moneydance one of two really useful personal finance apps. The other, of course, is Quicken 6. I will still use Q6 as a parallel check for my own mistakes in entering transactions, and it is still slicker than MD in some respects. Category splits in Q6 are still easier to manage, although MD's separate window-and-listing for classes is nicer. For entering checks in batches Q6 works a bit more easily, keeping the most recently entered date in new entry boxes, as well as the most recently used check number+1, rather than MD's habit of using the largest-ever check number+1. Q6 still lets one specify an ending reconciliation date, limiting the number of transactions showing, which makes it easier to find checks that haven't been submitted to the bank yet. MD doesn't show any reconciliation date at all now, which is slightly awkward, but it does allow one to resize columns in the reconciliation window, which Quicken can't do. Both MD and Q6 could use some improvements, so my personal ratings for each, though not perfect and probably never will be, are roughly equal. [alert admin]
Post a comment | More Info | 3 of 3 users found this helpful
Tuesday, October 31 2006 @ 12:02 AM PST
QIM 1.1.2 (Mac OS X)
QIM perfect with Dragon Dictionary
QIM is a gem, particularly in conjunction with Dragon Dictionary. It generates an almost complete slate of candidate hànzì from pinyin entry in a word processing document, which can be narrowed by filtering by tone. Generally the most likely hànzì candidates are presented on the first slate, which can be customized. I look up the resulting candidate hanzi in DD to check their meanings. DD also works also in reverse, showing candidate hànzì for a pinyin entry. Both DD and QIM are very short on documentation, but since both work simply and directly (QIM was a mystery until I realized it worked through the language flag menu), documentation is not needed after one gets the hang of it (them). [alert admin]
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Friday, September 22 2006 @ 07:57 PM PDT
Dragon Dictionary 1.0 (Mac OS X)
Dragon Dictionary is a _gem_. I use it in conjunction with QIM, which generates various hànzì from pinyin, and then I check the resulting candidate hanzi in DD to check their meanings. DD works also in reverse, showing candidate hànzì for a pinyin entry. Either way, the results are presented as variants and in combination with other hànzì, which are all defined in English. Both DD and QIM are very short on documentation, but since both work simply and directly (QIM was a mystery until I realized it worked through the language flag menu), documentation is not needed after one gets the hang of it (them). [alert admin]
Friday, September 22 2006 @ 07:54 PM PDT
Moneydance 2006r4 (Mac OS X)
reconciliation and credit card download design bugs
MoneyDance is almost brilliant, especially in its instant aggregation of search results, and in its quick showing of category expenditures via 'show other side' of a transaction. I actually paid for r2, have followed it to r4. Would give it four or five stars, but there remain these crippling glitches: Reconciliation: the date is grayed out and frozen at the current date, and the previous target balance is not modifiable. This is important, particularly after import from Quicken when the beginning balance has to be adjusted, and the BANK's statement date inserted to make transactions consistent. Online download of credit card information: MoneyDance's instructions acknowledge that bleed-over of transactions from a credit card account into a checking account can happen, but says that one has to hunt down only a few occurences in the checking account. Well, there are more than a few occurences, and finding/deleting them from the checking account is so tedious as to make Quicken look good. Once these problems are corrected, I will make MoneyDance my primary financial app. [alert admin]
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Thursday, July 20 2006 @ 08:01 AM PDT
InCDius GH 2.0b16 (Mac OS X)
Much cleaner and faster than any of the other CD catalog apps. Freedb is pretty good as a resource for entering data - not as extensive as MyMusic's CDDB, but much more useable with this app, and much faster, especially for searching. My few complaints - no printable reports that allow for more than title and performer, and revisions to freedb are not supported, even though freedb allows such if apps will support revisions. I am also concerned that InCDius seems to have stalled in development - nothing heard from the author since March 2004. [alert admin]
Wednesday, August 17 2005 @ 06:29 PM PDT
PowerController 1.3 (Mac OS X)
can't reregister - no response from author
I accidentally trashed all my preference files. Had mislaid my eSellerate purchase number, the only thing PowerController will accept for registration, and PowerController won't accept the PowerController registration number. Emailed keaka several weeks ago on his website, but no response. Great product, but may have to wait for update that allows insertion of registration code directly. [alert admin]
Saturday, March 05 2005 @ 04:54 PM PST
Last 10 Comments by Fred E [ Search for All ]
More than a two-level hierarchy for multiple-CD sets might be nice for classical collections, but I get around that with a modified title for each CD within a set. E.g. Bach: Matthäus-Passion BWV 244 1/3, Bach: Matthäus-Passion BWV 244 2/3, etc. Three or four levels of hierarchy in fact might not be as transparent, and could be cluttered (I would like to hide a number of fields that I do not use anyway).…
Original feedback item : Read More(1 words)
Saturday, May 05 2007 @ 06:44 AM PDT
Why is this app potentially useful? Because, unlike Entourage and some other email clients, Mail cannot save individual messages as files that can be put into finder folders with related materials (like word processing and spreadsheet documents). That capability would make it easy for one to go directly to a message from within a topical folder rather that searching for it in Mail's mbox schema. However, I am afraid to try…
Original feedback item : Read More(1 words)
Tuesday, November 07 2006 @ 01:52 PM PST
Eudora - needs multiple address and better relay support
I fully agree - Eudora is superior in many respects - separate files for email folders (safer in terms of file corruption than a single database), much faster at searching than anyone else, and automatic storage of attachments in a separate Finder folder instead of inside a database file. BUT, addressing using nicknames that you have to memorize is almost useless to me where many of my addressees have different potential email addresses. …
Original feedback item : Read More(1 words)
Saturday, June 18 2005 @ 03:27 PM PDT
Never got any response from keaka, but I finally went to eSellerate, which turns out to have an excellent way to retrieve shareware order information. I used the order number that eSellerate provided to reregister PowerController 1.3. Great product, no author support, but very fine support from eSellerate.
Original feedback item : Read More
Wednesday, May 18 2005 @ 09:03 AM PDT
