Existing users, 
User Name julianps_dotmac
Member Since 2003-09-30
Total number of Feedback Posts: 31
Total number of comments: 15
Last 10 Feedback Posts by julianps_dotmac [ Search for All ]
Moneydance 2008r4 (Mac OS X)
THIS NOTE REFERS ONLY TO THE MAC VERSION OF THE APPLICATION. As a footnote to my July observations I was recently required to reclassify a number of transactions for tax purposes. This exercise took me back over three years. So I went, record by record and made all of the changes to the various expense accounts. Some of the changes necessitated foreign exchange rate adjustments. Then I found NONE of my bank accounts or credit cards balanced any more. So I went back record by record getting those to balance again. Now my extensively reworked expense accounts have changed. This is stupid game that could go on forever. The issue lies with foreign exchange of course (if you don't use ForEx you can ignore this review) and have to do with which account the entry was first posted to. Assuming all entries are first posted to bank or credit card accounts uses the value from the statement and applies an exchange rate to get a foreign exchange value. If later you spot that the foreign currency expense value is wrong and change it there it assumes for the foreign value is sacrosanct and uses the new rate to change the bank/credit-card (primary currency) value. MAD. So you need to know which was the source account for each entry. The only way to discover that is to try to write a memo; if you can then you've got the source entry. If not then you need to use the See Other Side of the transaction option. Only this does not work if the other side of the transaction is a split transaction. At this point MD returns you to the first row of the split. Hours upon hours upon hours gets wasted with this application. So my observations a reinforced; way and above the JAVA issues MD is simply unable to resolve on the OSX platform, there is much easier software for reconciling your pocket book and much better software for doing your accounts. Do not even consider using MD for foreign currency accounts on the Mac. [alert admin]
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Friday, August 28 2009 @ 02:36 AM PDT
Moneydance 2008r4 (Mac OS X)
Maybe okay for Linux but poor on Apple Mac
This application is a bit tired now and after 6 years I've finally tired it. Summary; best avoided on Mac. Looks good initially but quickly becomes a PITA, either because of inherent instabilities or because of Apple's imaginative implementation of the Java virtual machine MD relies so heavily upon. I've struggled with MD for over six years and these two issues result most commonly in account balances that change between reloads and menus that vanish half way through operations. It matters not one jot that these issues may lie beyond the control of the developer, merely that they render the software unstable, the developer knows that they render it unstable and after so many years nothing in this area has ever been resolved. If you're a Mac user then save yourself the heartache and either stick with a simple cash-book tool or, if you need accounts for your business, use Moneyworks instead; more costly, but you accountant will love you for it - not least because it too is multi-platform but the bean-counter gets a free copy to work with as well. Please note that this isn't a bitter side-swipe at a hard working developer; I've worked hard to get the best out of this application for a long time and advised the developer in advance of this commentary. [alert admin]
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Wednesday, July 22 2009 @ 04:51 AM PDT
VideoPier 1.0b3 (Mac OS X)
I bought the the baby MG133 camcorder which is, apparently, MPEG2/AC3 and produces .MOD files that are buried deep inside the folder structure of it's little HDD. I could go a number of routes to solve this, by using VLC and some trickery or by searching these pages for "MPEG2" software but I decided to try this instead. It's a real one-trick-pony of an application but; 1. It can immediately see the files on the MG133. 2. It can effortlessly copy them to my Mac. 3. It can play and convert them into a few simple formats (QT, DV [NTSC|PAL], iM8, iPod, iPhone (no cellular option) & AppleTV). 4. It can save and export them. and it does these few things quite well. The developer has an cataloguing tool (iDive) that I do not recommend [sorry guys] - search instead MovieGallery from Bitfield.se I know there are other MPEG2 solutions, but none access the camcorder so effortlessly and most require purchase of the QT/MPEG2 Component from Apple but this one works fine for me. It needed to add ffmpeg at the outset, then needed an advanced version to handle AC3 audio. However the developer had thought all of this through and the links to the necessary code were all there and all worked. As for later/better versions JVC's that use the different file format iMovie8 will accept them straight off the bat (apparently), try this <a href="http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=316036&highlight=JVC">Macrumors thread</a> for further info and links to tutorial assistance. [alert admin]
Thursday, April 17 2008 @ 12:19 PM PDT
Transmit 3.6.3 (Mac OS X)
For me this application has gone mad. Local caching of server files, an inability to distinguish between server and locally cached files and permissions and now officially the oddest refresh behaviour ever all combine with some very weird Port access requirements (why exactly does v363 need access to my mail server?) to make this a "good try; no cigar" upgrade. v356 is still available and still works except, as others have helpfully noted, v356 is a bit long-in-the-tooth now. The really big shame is that Coda, Panic's sexy web development platform, also uses the Transmit engine and is consequently tarred with the same brush. [alert admin]
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Friday, December 07 2007 @ 12:21 AM PST
iCash X 4.0 (Mac OS X)
iCash has many features to help non-accountant types get to grips with their money. All good in principle but iCash but comes up short on the details we need in practice. Accountants use journals for a reason and that's because sometimes a payment has a number of elements to it; every month I pay a foreign bank for my foreign mortgage - a payment that includes principle (contra entry against my asset), interest (an expense) and life insurance (another expense, subject to VAT). iCash wants that I create three entries for this and as a result do not have single entry on my bank ledger to correspond to the entry on my bank statement. COULD DO BETTER. Then there's the foreign exchange function. They tried real hard here; too hard in fact - guys there's no need to triangulate three currencies. If I'm a Brit and use a US credit card to buy a hotel room in Canada then the CAD do not matter. The charge crystallizes in USD and I convert that GBP. The net result is a system that works on one day and not another and for some accounts (bank) and not for other (credit card -> in liabilites); it's perverse and results in many, many data errors. COULD DO A LOT BETTER. There are not many applications out there who get these principles and whilst I'm no fan of Moneydance's really challenging work environment (it takes me days to train anyone how to use it) they do at least understand FOREX and they do at least understand multi-part transactions. Take great care with iCash; it "drives for glory" but does not yet "putt for money". [alert admin]
Monday, November 19 2007 @ 09:50 AM PST
TomTom HOME 1.5.106 (Mac OS X)
TomTom has created a critical interdependency between their GPS units and HOME software to support little more than having a built-in online shop to promote their PLUS services. HOME is an essential component of the TomTom experience because HOME is required to backup and restore the contents of the unit, HOME is required to add and remove software elements used by the unit and HOME is essential to applying weekly some GPS auto-fix plug-in.
What a shame then that HOME is so poorly conceived, designed and implemented; HOME would not survive 5 minutes as shareware.
Where else can you find a USB interface implementation which causes the Finder to believe a disconnected device has been improperly disconnected, yet if the Finder itself makes the disconnection, terminally locks up the MacOS? This is a failure so elemental as to render the HOME software, and hence TomTom gps units unusable in a Mac environment.
Let me try to be unambiguous; do not buy a TomTom GPS unit for use with a Mac.
Of course I could be completely wrong and to have simply failed to read the instructions carefully?
Nope; the User Guide is even worse than the software and the Support pages on TomTom's site merely contradict and confuse the situation.
So; decent GPS unit, lousy software; appalling support (note to TomTom; you need a user Forum).
PS. Do not buy a TomTom GPS unit for use with a Mac.
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Tuesday, July 31 2007 @ 01:32 AM PDT
Advanced Web Ranking 5.0 (Mac OS X)
I've used AWR for a couple of years now and as mentioned here already, it just gets better and better. However it also gets more and more expensive. Users planning on upgrading to the new Enterprise license should note that the annual keep-it-going charge virtually doubles as well (as does the re-instatement fee if you accidentally let an annual agreement lapse). Whilst the 5 year cost of the standard version is a modest $250, the five year price of Enterprise might be closer to $1,000! Also, the publisher missed a significant trick in not have the Enterprise function link AWR [projects] to their (also pretty nifty) Link Analysis software [projects] - allowing the two to be managed together. For my money upgraders should hold out on the Enterprise license until "killer" functionality is added to justify the killer pricing. Because the division of features between Standard, Pro end Enterprise looks more to do with canny marketing than how real-world users might benefit (ie some non-Enterprise 'Pro users are going to be paying a lot more to access useful additional features). As an unrelated footnote, when we renewed our maintenance agreement a month early we lost a month off the existing agreement. Sure we got a speedy reply to our complaint (and re-instatement of the month; thanks Philip) but others who might not have noticed might not get the same result. So whilst AWR is still the only game in town that game is getting more and more expensive more play and users will need to look closely at features and alternatives and check the all-in costs before making a decision. Webranx Pro, anyone? [alert admin]
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Sunday, December 03 2006 @ 02:32 AM PST
iView MediaPro 3.1.2 (Mac OS X)
Oh boy; where to begin. iView is a great, great catalogue tool. Full stop. iView is a very, very poor image editing tool. Also, full stop. iView Media (the pre-"Platinum.." home-user version) combined limitations with utilities and 'Pro had just enough to justify the extra price for aspirational amateurs. eXtensis Portfolio has the extra bells and whistles but at a learning-curve many choose not to climb. However a number of things have happened in recent years. Firstly digital cameras have got cheaper A LOT FASTER than digital camera software. Then Apple missed this point with Aperture1's pricing, burped, revised prices then burped again and integrates it's tool with iLife (note to Redmond; iPhot6 is almost a match for iView Media now). Thirdly Adobe saw the writing on the wall (first pre-release beta; why?) and upped the 'Elements proposition to include 'Bridge/a decent catalogue tool; so yes, they get it too. Another iViewM competitor in the sub-$40 market. So where does MS/iView go; they dump iView Media (why, coz Adobe and iPhoto have caught up?) and join up with the over-priced, over-rated (in fact Version Tracker not-rated) guys at Capture One to concoct a not-propelling $500 proposition that does what exactly, that isn't available better, for less, elsewhere? Aperture/iPhoto for Mac; 'Lightroom/'Elements for Windows users. Hell, I bet eXtensis can even come up with something more compelling. No, my commentary is that, with 'Lightroom coming out of beta, Apple due to release Aperture2 in the early new year (what, and miss a chance to rain on Adobe's parade!) and eXtensis planning something (surely they are planning something; right?) there has never been a better time NOT to buy and never been a more compelling time NOT to buy iVMP. It's a real shame, but not 100% un-expected. So, if this is Microsoft's serious entry into the digital media arena I can't wait to see what the dream-up for digital music! [alert admin]
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Monday, October 16 2006 @ 12:55 PM PDT
Billings 1.1 (Mac OS X)
Billings 1.x should be a public beta and it is a damned cheek to charge for it. Not only can it not even add up correctly, the results are unacceptable for almost any jurisdiction that operates VAT/TVA taxes and the reports (principally the Invoice) is hopeless. Apple's site lists a number of applications that support time and expenses charging for different markets and almost every single one is better than Billings. Avoid. [alert admin]
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Tuesday, August 08 2006 @ 09:26 AM PDT
Daylite 3.1.1 (Mac OS X)
Simply put DLv3 wants to be a big-boy (a "Goldmine" or "Super Office" for Mac) but put simply it fails to deliver. The bits that it does do are better done by Entourage which at least has the benefit of a "project center" and a built-in mailer (even if the linking function stinks) whereas the bits DL boasts about most rarely operate in the entended way. I'd be happy to agree that I simply haven't put enough time into getting it to go right, if my inbox wasn't littered with "Yes, we can that's a bug. Sorry for the inconvenience" type messages and my days weren't wasted configuring rather than using. If you've got a company that can afford to have one of their Partners come in and do setups and training and avoid the holes (until they're fixed; "Hey, we got a new feature y'all gonna love, only $150 an hour to install it") then you're good to go. but the rest of pay near-on $200 to buy it and $270 to support it (for the first year) before even factoring in the weeks spent trying to get the "user configurability" bit right. And yes, I know that criticising Marketcircle for their efforts is seen by many as a form of heresy; all I can say is, if all these bugs are still bugs after this long then many of the zealots aren't actually using DL as intended anyway. [alert admin]
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Tuesday, August 08 2006 @ 09:12 AM PDT
Last 10 Comments by julianps_dotmac [ Search for All ]
With much regret and five years bitter and expensive experience this observation is fundamentally correct. Without MC's paid support (they are clear that their forum is NOT a support forum) and expensive specialist network DL simply does not delivery; for all it's much vaunted configurability MC are unable to generate much in the way of flexibility. It is, as it always has been, a great opportunity missed. The challenge lies in their inability to translate great ideas…
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Thursday, April 24 2008 @ 12:13 AM PDT
I just want to post my own follow up to this. With great thanks to the team at Panic and fellow internauts at the ExpressionEngine forum, plus no end of testing on Yummy, Forklift, Cyberduck et al I am still only able to use Transmit356 to any useful effect. However on the plus side I've learnt a lot about FTP/sFTP in the process especially a) the way ftp uses high number ports to manage each transfer event;…
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Saturday, December 08 2007 @ 02:30 AM PST
mourogers, are you using FTP, or SFTP? If you are connecting via FTP then Transmit uses between 3-5 different ports per ftp event (upload, download, permission change, etc). In a decent-length session this is a lot of ports and if you have any of those blocked by your firewall you'll get "Connection cannot be established" errors. Assuming your firewall exists for a reason and your service does not support port22 connections you'll need a try a new…
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Friday, December 07 2007 @ 12:34 AM PST
....but at least the Estimate function is better than the equivalent "estimate" function is Daylite3. How could a company with one poor application, transport the functionality into another application - and make it WORSE? What a shower!
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Tuesday, August 08 2006 @ 09:29 AM PDT
I'm even more frustrated by FORMS. Using preference to imput the fields you end up with three field orders; database order) the order you enter the fields), FORM order (the order you want them to appear) and alpha order. Users entering data see the logical order, users viewing the resulting information see it in database order (why!) and when selecting fields to add data to Smart Lists they appear in alpha order. And the Descriptions - there to…
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Tuesday, August 08 2006 @ 09:20 AM PDT
I agree that it can be difficult to get a direct reply, but maybe they've simply grown too big now? However, they do have a ticket system, and a forum, and a mailing-list so maybe long-time users simply need to adapt they way they have traditionally approached support from MD?
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Sunday, July 23 2006 @ 12:20 AM PDT
What is an "OutOfBoundsExemption" and why does it shut down the app? 
I cannot remember if these errors are Java or SQLite related (or both) but either way OOBexceptions are pretty common in early-doors software of this type and quickly resolved by committed developers. Simply wrap up your app, files and preferences and send them to him (ie give him the chance to reply before lamb-basting him here). For my money iSafe is going to have an uphill struggle to beat PasswordPlus by DataViz; that software is secure,…
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Wednesday, March 08 2006 @ 10:54 PM PST
Great Concept, but needs lots of Help!
Need an alternative? I use DEVONthink Pro, but DEVONthink or even DEVONnote may do you. Brds/Jules
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Tuesday, November 15 2005 @ 04:12 AM PST
Looking good at first, but then...
I agree that, even at this stage Wine XT has its challenges - not least the Help system and manual.pdf, both of which are sparse and of little help. Could this be why some users are not getting the most out of fetaures like File->Preference->Aroma and Tools->Country Editor? I've had this for 18 months or so and it's still a long way from a 5-Star application for me but I feel tht with a little focussed effort…
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Friday, October 28 2005 @ 03:03 AM PDT
Works for me; loads as a System Pane. Maybe you have a more fundamental problem or do not meet the system requirements? J
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Wednesday, October 26 2005 @ 08:29 AM PDT
