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Apple Has Crippled iTunes 9

itunes 9With the release of iTunes 9, Apple has upset a lot of people, myself included.

If you scour their online discussion forums, you will see host of others complaining as well. From changes in long-standing design models to developers seeing huge decreases in their App Store sales since the redesign, there is plenty to be upset about.

Here are my main griefs with the latest fruity jukebox software, and I hope Apple is listening:

1. A long-standing bug that I have reported several times over the last 2+ years is still very present. For all of the details, view my post by clicking here.

2. iPhone and iPod developers are now seeing large drops in their sales revenue: up to 50%! This is because of the “improvements” to the App Store layout and design which seem to snuff out the little guys and further promote the “big dogs”. Read More

3. The green + button no longer sends the iTunes player into Mini Mode. I understand that they may have wanted to more strictly conform to their own Aqua Human Interface Guidelines, but they’ve left this feature in for far too long, and now lots of people are too used to it. It’s especially annoying when I’m working on music, because now you have to use two hands to minimize the iTunes player into Mini Mode by either holding Option while clicking the + or using the Command+Shift+M shortcut, making me put down my guitar or other instrument first.

The Green + is Broken

The Green + is Broken

4. The background color for many of iTunes layout modes is now a bright white instead of black. This is too harsh on the eyes of most people, and Apple needs to change it back to black, or a darker shade of grey, or at least let the background color be user-changeable.

5. Apple has removed the Shopping Cart feature of the iTunes Store, or at least made it much harder to find and use, and this makes the entire experience much less user-friendly. Now it’s too easy to accidentally purchase songs, and no longer can you create a shopping cart of items over time to purchase at a later date.

Apple needs to listen to their millions of users and the thousands of complaints on their own website alone and get these issues straightened out right away, or they risk alienating a lot of people (myself included, and I’m the biggest Apple fan I know).

If you agree, please take a moment to comment on this post (as a sort of petition), and/or file your grievance at http://www.apple.com/feedback/itunesapp.html.

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Dev Stuff TimeNet Law

TimeNet Law 1.9.9j is Available!

TimeNet Law 1.9.9j is now available. A public release will be issued tomorrow. To get the new version ahead of time, download here.

TimeNet Law 1.9.9j Release Notes

New Features:

  • TimeNet Law is now a multi-threaded application to take advantage of multiple cores/processors
  • Optimized for a 64 bit kernel and other Snow Leopard enhancements
  • Opening Matters is now 30-70% faster
  • Generating batch bills is now 50% faster (with a progress bar indicator)
  • New Trust Funds Report
  • New Escrow Funds Report
  • The client box no longer loses it’s scroll and selected status when opening and deleting Matters
  • Added many abilities to customize bill layout
  • Many improvements to bill layout
  • Timers in the Timekeeper Timer window can now be manually changed
  • Data structure improvements with data redundancy and temp files
  • Companies in Address Book now properly appear and import
  • Client’s full name appears in file name of batch-generated bills
  • Include Notes and Show Only Notes settings now remember their states

Fixes:

  • Fixed: issue with possible false previous balances
  • Fixed: deleting a client from the Main Window didn’t work
  • Fixed: issue where date didn’t appear on bill until Preferences window was opened
  • Fixed: issue with logo not appearing on bills until Preferences window was opened
  • Fixed: issue where creating a slip from a timer and clicking cancel before finishing could result in lost data
  • Fixed: deleting a Matter with the contextual menu didn’t work
  • Fixed: possible OutOfBounds cast exception when creating invoices
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Dev Stuff Fun Stuff

Snow Leopard vs. Leopard – Real World Speed Tests

Snow Leopard is fast. It really is. Benchmarks can’t really show this, as they primarily only measure hardware speeds. Unless you got a new Mac with your new Leopard, the best way to compare speed is by timing a task several times and taking the average of it. This is what I did.

A few Mac review/blog sites have posted benchmark comparisons, but these don’t show off the true speed increases you’ll achieve with Snow Leopard. Here are some real-world tests I’ve done on my own on my two personal machines.

* note that for this experiment, both machines had completely wiped hard drives and fresh installs of Leopard and then Snow Leopard.

imac2GHz Intel Core Duo iMac 20″
Western Digital Caviar Green 7200rpm 1TB HD
2GB DDR2 SDRAM
2006 model, 3+ years old

With 10.5.8 Installed

Full Boot: 48 seconds
Launch Photoshop CS4: 7.4 seconds
Launch xCode: 21 seconds
Launch REALbasic: 1 minute 22 seconds

Copy 750MB of files in Finder: 2 minutes 54 seconds
Empty 2GB from the Trash: 1 minute 19 seconds

Wake from Sleep: 3.5 seconds
Activate REALbasic from being hidden in the Dock overnight: 40+ seconds
Load apple.com: 4 seconds
Login to MySpace.com: 9 seconds
Login to PayPal.com: 14 seconds

Max download speed from ISP News Groups using Panic’s Unison (as reported in Activity Monitor): 642KB/sec

Shut down: 26 seconds

With 10.6 (Snow Leopard) Installed

Full Boot: 27 seconds
Launch Photoshop CS4: 3.9 seconds
Launch xCode: 14 seconds
Launch REALbasic: 54 seconds

Copy 750MB of files in Finder: 2 minutes 12 seconds
Empty 2GB from the Trash: 58 seconds

Wake from Sleep: <1 second Activate REALbasic from being hidden in the Dock overnight: 1.5 seconds Load apple.com: 2.8 seconds Login to MySpace.com: 6.5 seconds Login to PayPal.com: 11 seconds Max download speed from ISP News Groups using Panic's Unison (as reported in Activity Monitor): 714KB/sec Shut down: 3.5 seconds macbookpro 2.2GHz Intel Core 2 Duo MacBook Pro 15″
Western Digital Caviar Green 7200rpm 250GB HD
2GB DDR2 SDRAM – 2006 model, 3+ years old

With 10.5.8 Installed

Full Boot: 39 seconds
Launch Photoshop CS4: 6.9 seconds
Launch xCode: 17 seconds
Launch REALbasic: 1 minute 4 seconds

Copy 750MB of files in Finder: 3 minutes 7 seconds
Empty 2GB from the Trash: 1 minute 12 seconds

Wake from Sleep: 2 seconds
Activate REALbasic from being hidden in the Dock overnight: 30+ seconds
Load apple.com: 5 seconds
Login to MySpace.com: 10 seconds
Login to PayPal.com: 15 seconds

Max download speed from ISP News Groups using Panic’s Unison (as reported in Activity Monitor): 628KB/sec

Shut down: 14 seconds

With 10.6 (Snow Leopard) Installed

Full Boot: 29 seconds
Launch Photoshop CS4: 3.5 seconds
Launch xCode: 11.5 seconds
Launch REALbasic: 51 seconds

Copy 750MB of files in Finder: 2 minutes 4 seconds
Empty 2GB from the Trash: 49 seconds

Wake from Sleep: <1 second Activate REALbasic from being hidden in the Dock overnight: <1 second Load apple.com: 3 seconds Login to MySpace.com: 7 seconds Login to PayPal.com: 11 seconds Max download speed from ISP News Groups using Panic's Unison (as reported in Activity Monitor): 708KB/sec Shut down: 2.9 seconds The Results: Snow Leopard Runs Circles Around Leopard in Every Task

As you can see, Snow Leopard is A LOT faster in just about every basic task. Some tasks, such as waking heavy apps from being open but inactive for 12+ hours, are just insanely quicker. Other tasks are just a smidgeon faster, but multiplied by a few times each day over a couple of years, the time saved adds up quickly. Getting info on a big folder to figure out its size, searching within Mail.app, Spotlight indexes and searches, everything feels genuinely snappier.

The speed increases alone are enough to warrant an upgrade to Snow Leopard, but add all of the additional new (albeit small, but very welcome) feature enhancements, and more importantly, the foundation for future potential that this operating system promises. In another year or so, expect many apps and common tasks to fly at much quicker rates than my modest 3 year old Apple hardware can currently achieve; meanwhile, I’ll enjoy my 15-35% speed increase throughout.

Go Snow Leopard!

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Dev Stuff

New Master of My Domain Videos

I want to thank the wonderful folks behind www.apptorial.com and www.macosxscreencasts.com.

Jeremy made a great MOMD video tutorial for us. You can watch it here.

Bernd gave MOMD a wonderful video review in HD! You can watch it here.

Be sure to visit their websites often for more great video resources. Thanks again guys!

Categories
Dev Stuff

Snow Leopard Compatibility Report

snowleopardI’m very happy to announce that our retail copy of Snow Leopard arrived this morning. Here is the official compatibility report:

TimeNet Law – 100% compatible, no problems.

TimeNet – 100% compatible, no problems.

Master of My Domain – 100% compatible, no problems.

MOMD Scanner – 100% compatible, no problems.

Color Converter – 100% compatible, no problems.

Snow Leopard is a great update, and so far we’ve experienced no issues. Apple has another hit on their hands. To all the early adopters, enjoy your new Mac OS X and enjoy your compatible AppleSource Software! Have a great weekend!

happy mac

Categories
Dev Stuff

TimeNet 4.0 First Look

We have been super hard at work on TimeNet 4.0, and we’ve kept much of it a secret. We’ve leaked a few lists of expected new features, but that’s about it.

Now, I’m pleased to announce that 4.0 is looking fantastic, and should be ready in the next several weeks.

We’re going to keep the entire feature list under wraps until a little closer to the release date, but for now, I’m going to share with you one simple screenshot: the new Main Window.

TimeNet 4.0 will allow you to organize your clients into groups. This will make moving around within the software much easier and more streamlined. In addition to groups, projects can now go through various phases, or stages. More on this later.

Here is a look at the new TimeNet 4.0 Main Window:

tn4mainwin

This is just a rough preview, and things may (and probably will) change before the final release is done. There will probably be a few more options, filters, and info fields here and there in the Main Window. But for now, enjoy the sneak peak of the new and highly improved TimeNet 4.0

More to come in the following days!

If you are interested in beta testing TimeNet 4.0, contact us!

Categories
Dev Stuff

Master of My Domain 1.7.1 Released

From the Media:

Medford, OR – August 19th, 2009 – AppleSource Software, maker of popular business applications and internet utilities for Mac OS X, has released a new update to Master of My Domain, their domain tracking and monitoring solution (version 1.7.1). This update will be available for free to all licensed Master of My Domain users.



Features:
* Built from the ground up for MacOS X (Universal Binary)

* iCal syncing of your domain expirations
* 256 Bit Blowfish Encryption
* Password protection keeps unwanted eyes away from your domain libraries
* Store an unlimited number of domain names
* WhoIs lookup automatically gets registrar and expiration date for most domains

* Scanner lets you quickly see which (if any) domain names are offline
* Import/Export full domain libraries with CSV support

* FTP login tester ensures you’ve entered the correct credentials for your domain
* Companion menu bar app MOMD Scanner will scan domains for uptime periodically and can SMS or Email you if a domain goes down



Bug Fixes and Changes:

* Fixed an issue where Auto Update could hang MOMD on launch
* Improved the interface to comply more closely with Aqua Human Interface Guidelines
* Fixed an issue in MOMD Scanner with the Launch at Login setting


New Features:
* Added the Provide Feedback option under the MOMD Application menu for quickly sending us messages from within MOMD


Relevant Links:
AppleSource Software: http://www.applesource.biz
Master of My Domain: http://momd.applesource.biz
Download MOMD: http://www.applesource.us/pub/bin/files/momd_1.dmg
Purchase MOMD: http://applesource.biz/order/index.php?act=viewCat&catId=3

For over 9 years, AppleSource has been serving fun and practical productivity applications to Apple’s wonderful Mac OS X. We are a unique blend of young and talented software developers, marketing and design specialists, and general tech enthusiasts brewed locally from the Pacific Northwest.

###
Perry Fjellman
CEO
AppleSource Software
541-261-9785
perry@applesource.us

Categories
Dev Stuff

The Infamous Hang-On-Startup Bug

debug_warningRecently, we’ve had a number of people tell us that when launching their software the software hangs in an infinite loop requiring a force quit (and thereby rendering the software unusable). We’ve only had reports of this happening on TimeNet Law, but TimeNet and MOMD could be effected too.

I’m pleased to announce that earlier today we figured out why this happens, and have already resolved the issue in TimeNet Law. Turns out it was caused by the Auto Update function used in our software, which tries to contact the AppleSource server upon launch to verify that the software you have is the most current version.

In addition to this fix, TimeNet Law has seen a slight interface overhaul, new calendar buttons, and improved control layout. 1.9.9g can be downloaded here.

We will be applying this fix to MOMD with a 1.7.1 release tomorrow morning, and will of course be applying it to the 4.0 release of TimeNet due out in the next few weeks.

This issue has cut down on TimeNet development time for today, but now that it is resolved, tomorrow can go full-speed-ahead on the TimeNet 4 update.

Check the blog tomorrow night or Thursday morning for sneak peak screenshots and some details on TimeNet 4.0 – it’s coming along swimmingly!

Categories
Dev Stuff TimeNet Law

TimeNet Law 1.9.9d is Available!

TimeNet Law 1.9.9d is now available. This update fixes several issues and adds a great new feature: The Timekeeper Timer (TKT).

The TKT allows you to have multiple timers running. They can be created quickly and do not need to be immediately attached to a Matter. You can apply one or more at a time by selecting them from the TKT and right-clicking (or using the action menu) and selecting “Link to Matter”.

The selected timer(s) will quickly be applied to the chosen Matter.

TKT Window

Timekeeper Timers are saved when you quit TimeNet Law so they will re-open exactly where you left them the next time you open the software.

Download the new version at http://www.applesource.us/pub/bin/files/timenet_law_1.zip.

Full Release Notes

  • Meticulously cleaned up every window to meet Apple Human Interface Guidelines
  • The new QuickTimer function has been replaced with the new Timekeeper Timer (TKT)
  • Corrected all issues with foreign numeric formats
  • Corrected several issues with creating Timekeepers, Flat Fee Item Slips and Clients in demonstration mode
  • Corrected an issue where time rounding preferences weren’t read correctly
  • Corrected an issue where trust and escrow deposits wouldn’t effect the fund balance if it had been changed since the window opened
Categories
Dev Stuff

Master of My Domain 1.7 Released!

This weekend, we had our web host with the most Kris Parker dive into the MOMD Beta. In 3 days we went through 5 betas and 2 release candidates. The result? About 10 great new features since Thursday afternoon! Kris loaded up his domain library (featuring dozens of domains) and put MOMD through some rigorous tests. We’ve added:

  • A search field at the top of the domain list
  • A resizable splitter between the domain list and the content
  • A resizable splitter between the email addresses and the notes field (added bonus: this splitter stores its position for each domain!)
  • A way to quickly query the WhoIs of any website (not just ones in your domain library)

You can download the new version here: http://www.applesource.us/pub/bin/files/momd_1.dmg

picture-1

Full Release Notes:

Bug Fixes

  • Vastly improved WhoIs query uses the shell instead of 3rd party web forms
  • Vastly improved Scanner ping method improved reliability of Scanner reports
  • Improved parsing of WhoIs data to correctly deduce expiration date and registrar
  • Date formats should now be correct regardless of US or non-US date formats
  • Fixed bug where Domain Scanner could crash the program if it was closed before all domains were scanned
  • Bug where information could sometimes switch from domain to domain fixed

New Features

  • Entirely new data structure:
    • dramatically reduces load times
    • prevents program lockups in the event of data corruption
    • can attempt to repair files in the event of data corruption
    • allows for simplified and fast data backups, virtually eliminating data loss
  • Resizable splitter between domain list and content area
  • Resizable splitter between notes field and email field (the size sticks for each domain, too)
  • Sort Domains by Expiration feature
  • Full Blowfish 256 bit encryption of all data
  • FTP Test function lets you verify ftp server and username/password from within MOMD
  • Refreshed interface with enhanced control layout, new icons
  • Invalid dates are shown in the date field in red to prompt you to fix before iCal syncing
  • Application feedback via Growl (http://growl.info)
  • Contextual menus let you add/remove domains, quickly get WhoIs info, launch the domain
  • Cmd+Up Arrow and Cmd+Down Arrow changes the date by one day in the date field
  • Bonus menu bar app included for constant scan/notification of server status
  • Brand new 21 page manual
  • Brought back the Blocks game!