User Profile for steve r.

SyncBar 0.2.1 (Mac OS X)

Yea, it's great but...  

... it would be so useful to have the option to turn it on and off, rather than just having to quit SyncBar and re-launch it when I want to pause the automatic sync process. So yes, it works, it's free, but the addition of a "Pause" menu item would be fantastic. [alert admin]

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Thursday, January 24 2008 @ 12:00 AM PST

Deltopia DeltaWalker '08 1.5.8 (Mac OS X)

Performs very well  

I am testing the 30-day trial version (downloaded here) and was put off by the windows-like feel at the beginning. After a few minutes though, you really appreciate the simple way the program works. (And though it may be windows inspired it's at least not ugly, if that matters) If you have large chunks of data and need to compare folders and even MOVE or sync folders, I have found this to do the job reliably and quickly (scanning 1200 files / 100 GB in a few seconds). Folders / Files that are identical are greyed out in the scan result list, different files / folders are bold. A double click reveals their differences (ie in text files). I shall report back and update this review if I run into serious problems, but at the moment, I look forward to weeding through a few hundred GB of data before archiving it with this software. [alert admin]

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Wednesday, January 16 2008 @ 12:00 AM PST

Freeway Express 4.4.1 (Mac OS X)

One of a kind software - fantastic product.  

This piece of software bridges the gap between "click-and-drag" entry level applications (iWeb, RapidWeaver) and complex high-end applications such as Dreamweaver and GoLive. The bottom line for me turned out to be: if you need software to create a custom website, rock solid compatibility with different browsers and operating systems, this is the one. It's not the same as using a layout program, but once you get your head around it, it's almost a thrill to see what you can do. The developers seem to be very confident anout their product to offer a 30-day fully functional (!) trial. Actually I programmed a full website just during that period and purchased the license *afterwards*! Imagine that. Also, the support really is as good as previously described by others - regardless of if you're in the trial period, or own the "Express" of "Pro" version. [alert admin]

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Thursday, November 29 2007 @ 02:04 AM PST

Cleaner 6.5 (Mac OS X)

cleaner 6.5: A long-awaited dissapointment  

I went to download the 30-Day trial version, although that name is misleading. It's a "limited to 50 uses" and "add watermark" trial version. On top of that, you have to agree to receive emails from Autodesk AND any company they wish to give your information to. I repeat: it's not optional, the only alternative you have is not to download the trial. That would have all been fine, if it had worked, which it didn't. I applied H.264 and started to convert a part of a DV clip. The output file was a fraction of the length of what I had selected, and it also created an "unflattened" file on the desktop, which seems to be a work-in-progress file that Cleaner forgot to delete after completion. QuickTime 7 and/or Compressor will do most of the conversions I need, and I use Flip4Mac for Windows Media conversions. It's not as convenient as an all-in-one solution, but hey, at least they work! That's it. Bye, bye, Cleaner. Autodesk have had a few years to produce 6.5 from 6, which I was a big fan and registered customer of. But they made a buggy beta version instead. $599 or $125 for the update? What for, I ask? [alert admin]

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Friday, July 21 2006 @ 02:48 AM PDT

Apple Final Cut Studio 5.1 (Mac OS X)

Plug ins not supported on Intel Macs: 5.1 for PPC and Intel are NOT the same!  

Go to Apple's website and have a look at the Final Cut Pro 5.1 features, you'll be promised "Support for many third-party After Effects plug-ins". Buy it, install it on your new Intel Mac, and you'll find Apple has dropped support for these plug-ins! Read the small print on Apple's 5.1 release notes: "Final Cut Pro 5.1 does not support Adobe After Effects plug-ins on Intel-based Macintosh computers."

This is an outrage! If you use After Effects plug-ins as a professional editor, this is an unacceptable decision, and you may want to stay on a PPC system for quite a while to protect your investments. For example, users of Redgiant's excellent $400 plug in "Magic Bullet" can't grade from within FCP anymore, they have to switch to Motion 2. (If you are working with several video tracks forget getting them back after you reimport from Motion.)
Apple MUST re-introduce support for After Effect plug-ins on Intel Macs! [alert admin]

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Saturday, May 13 2006 @ 05:05 PM PDT

Audacity X 1.2.3 (Mac OS X)

WARNING! do not use with USB headsets  

The first voice recordings I did with this software using my Plantronics USB headset resulted in crackling noise in the background, I assume after changing the a bitrate setting in the audio preferences in Audacity. HOWEVER, the crackling did not stop even after quitting the application, or even uninstalling it! Before launching Audacity, my headset worked great, now I get crackling noise in every recording, no matter wich software I used. I plugged th headset into a different computer and it worked fine... So I downloaded Audacity again, launched the software with its default settings, and somehow it "reset" whatever Audacity changed at a very deep system level back to what it was before. I quit Audacity and now the crackling was gone on all system levels. In my twenty years of Apple Mac experience, this was a stunning error. There is no comparison. This app changed the way OSX worked wit the USB headset EVEN AFTER quitting and deleting. I RECOMMEND TO STAY AWAY FROM THIS APPLICATION ! [alert admin]

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Friday, May 27 2005 @ 08:31 AM PDT

PocketMac Pro 3.4.4 (Mac OS X)

I tried, I really did...  

... but it doesn't work for me. I downloaded the demo version, which supposedly allows you to sync stickies notes. At first, it seemed to have worked flawlessly: All 28 notes or so seemed to have moved from my G4 PowerBook (OSX 10.3.8) to my BlackBerry 7100v device. But a closer look revealed that some notes had been "cropped" after the first line or two, while others were in their original state. A few tries later, PocketMac wouldn't recognize the device anymore, until finally the software started crashing, and I had to restart, because "force quit" had no effect.
I contacted tech support vial email, who were very quick in replying and helpful in trying to solve the problem, but a few emails later I was thinking to myself: Hey, I'm not a developer. I actually don't have the time to troubleshoot a demo version of a flawed piece of software. I just uninstalled it using their uninstaller.

A final note: I've been trying to sync Palms Pilots, Phones (i.e. T630), and recently BlackBerry with mac applications for years. There has never been software which I found reliable, including Apple's isync. I don't understand why it is so hard to sync data. [alert admin]

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Wednesday, April 06 2005 @ 02:00 AM PDT