[bbales]

MacNN had an item about a new version of MacJournal coming out. It says this is journaling software. I'm wondering (and I think it is) if it's the same software currently available for free -- though i don't use it for journaling. I use it as aa kind of "catch-all," notebook kind of software. I have receipts, and all kinds of web research there.

But the software is free now. It would have to be one heck of a big improvement for me to pay $30 for it, particularly as I keep looking at alternatives. Anyone have any insight?

[monkeybrain]

It's the same program. If you follow the link to the page they have screenshots of it. I'm gonna grab the latest free version, it aint worth $30.

[osxisfun]

i think he mentioned that 2.xx would be the last free version.. then 3.0 would start to be sold thru Mariner software.


Groceries cost money....

[bbales]

Of course they do, and actually I fully sympathize. But I've been trying out various "notebook" style programs over the past months and one of the reasons I've stuck with this one is price. I'm not sure my decision will be the same when cost enters the picture. (Actually I'm completely frustrated with the whole genre. They all seem unnecessarily complicated and bloated. All I want is something to store whatever I want with a search field that will help me find it later on. I don't want to have to spend hours learning how to use it, either.)

[osxisfun]

hogbay notebook?

don't know. omnioutliner is fine for me...

[osxisfun]

oh like quickdex from the old OS 9 days?

what about this..

http://www.versiontracker.com/dyn/moreinfo/macosx/15650

[lavar78]

VoodooPad Lite is nice. It's like your own personal wiki.

[brettcamp]

I tried several recently, and liked a few, including iOrganize and Parsnips. But I recently settled on DEVONnote , which is on sale for another couple weeks.

[gzeus]

Originally posted by osxisfun:
i think he mentioned that 2.xx would be the last free version.. then 3.0 would start to be sold thru Mariner software.

2.7 is definitely not free - when the beta expires, you're sent off to d/l the 3.0 release. 2.7 introduced nested folders and a very cool full-screen mode, which would make the entry fill the entire screen. Oh well, $30 is just too much given the competition. As for a freeware replacement, try Notes .

[madmacgames]

quit your damn bitching about a well written program that only costs $30. How much did that Mac you're typing on cost you? Either use a different freeware application or write your own damn program if $30 is too much. Don't bitch to us about it. Frankly my dear, we don't give a damn.

[midwinter]

Originally posted by madmacgames:
quit your damn bitching about a well written program that only costs $30. How much did that Mac you're typing on cost you? Either use a different freeware application or write your own damn program if $30 is too much. Don't bitch to us about it. Frankly my dear, we don't give a damn.

Amen. MacJournal is a phenomenal piece of software and Dan has worked his ass off on it. If he can get better distribution, advertising and exposure through Mariner than he can on his own, then more power to him.

[leethomson]

Originally posted by midwinter:
Amen. MacJournal is a phenomenal piece of software and Dan has worked his ass off on it. If he can get better distribution, advertising and exposure through Mariner than he can on his own, then more power to him.

That's not the point. Would you pay $15 dollars apiece for nested-journals and full-screen mode, when you can continue to get everything but for free in Macjournal 2.6? It's going to take another major upgrade before I consider shelling out, even though I've been a MJ junkie for well over a year.

The market for notepad/creative writing apps is just too saturated right now. With the two features mentioned above, MacJournal has really become a product that justifies a charge for the entire package, but is it too late to move to this type of model? Having already paid for Copywrite I see no point paying again simply to type in full-screen.

Maybe this time next year.

[kcmac]

Originally posted by madmacgames:
Don't bitch to us about it. Frankly my dear, we don't give a damn.

Then why post?

I question why Dan went with Mariner. Could have gone with several other houses out there or simply told his users that he needed to start charging for MJ. There are many apps just like MJ now that do as much or more and cost less. I think Mariner inflated this cost.

Nobody here or other places this disappointing announcement is being discussed is getting down on Dan or the app. The price point is a problem. Something you would hope they could reconsider. Soon enough, I would imagine they will realize it as a real issue.

I wish Dan good luck however. He did sort of start the journal craze. Too bad he waited so long to try and profit from it.

[midwinter]

Originally posted by leethomson:
That's not the point. Would you pay $15 dollars apiece for nested-journals and full-screen mode, when you can continue to get everything but for free in Macjournal 2.6?

No, but that's because I don't need nested journals. If I needed them, I'd pony up.

The market for notepad/creative writing apps is just too saturated right now.

Yes, the market is saturated. And everything good costs (with the exception of VoodooPad Lite, which is what I use).

...but is it too late to move to this type of model?

Conventional wisdom says that in internets commerce, you can never go from free to pay. I think Dan is going to take some heat for this, but that in the end, it'll all work out.

Having already paid for Copywrite I see no point paying again simply to type in full-screen.

If you've got CW, I don't know why you'd need MJ. CW looks pretty amazing.

Anyway.

[leethomson]

Originally posted by midwinter:
If you've got CW, I don't know why you'd need MJ. CW looks pretty amazing.

Copywrite is pretty spiffing, and up to now, the two apps have served quite different purposes: Copywrite is a writing tool, MacJournal is a journaling tool. However, MJ's new bells and whistles have elevated it beyond that simple status and have put it ahead of Copywrite in two respects: full-screen mode is a wonderful aid to concentration and, for writers of screenplays, the ability to set tab-stops (something Copywrite lacks) is absolutely indispensable. MacJournal is now a better option for creative writers than CW - at the same price - and Ulysses - at $70 less.

I will end up buying it, but, like I say, not until the next upgrade.

[Randman]

MacJournal is a great app but I'll have to look around and see what else is out there if I do decide to upgrade from the free app.

What strikes me is how the price can jump. I realize a company will purchase it to make a profit, but to go from $0 to $30 is a big jump. Just like the ultra-cool FreeFall demoed by Steve-O was mentioned to be free. But a company bought it and is selling it for $30. And I've not heard of one person who has paid that price for it.

I'm just wondering what the fine line is between silly and profitable. For an app like MacJournal (or FreeFall), might not a company sell more than twice as many at $10 or $15 than $30?

[threestain]

Thing is though that if it had come out with a $30 tag it would still have been bought by many. Its the difference in price not the actual eventual price that seems to annoy people.

However, it seems a fair price for such an accomplished program, and fair dues to the guy who has spent such a long time doing it for free.

Bear in mind a brand new version is coming out - v3.0 which should have all kinds of funky bells and whistles!

[bbales]

Originally posted by threestain:
Thing is though that if it had come out with a $30 tag it would still have been bought by many. Its the difference in price not the actual eventual price that seems to annoy people.

However, it seems a fair price for such an accomplished program, and fair dues to the guy who has spent such a long time doing it for free.

Bear in mind a brand new version is coming out - v3.0 which should have all kinds of funky bells and whistles!

Amen -- I am NOT a cheap person. I pay for my software programs and I don't object to people making a profit. In fact, more power to them. People work hard developing a program, responding to people's suggestions and/or complaints and then improving said project. I don't even use MJ for journaling (although I may take a look at it for that), but for a notebook/storage kind of program. I'm actually looking for something like InfoSelect, which is Windows only, where I can dump whatever and then find it quickly. I started using MJ because I read about it online, it was free and it seems to work, for now, and I just got tired of looking through other programs and then have them not work easily and intuitively. This was free and it seems to do, at least for the moment, what I wanted. Once it's not free I'll have to give it a different sort of of assessment, that's all. Plus -- I wasn't positive it was even the same program. My personal feeling is that there's a certain price point that gives people pause -- and it's probably about $30. I hope people buy it, I hope the developer makes money. I just don't know what I'll do yet. I am going to take a look at some of the other programs, though I think I have before.

Anyone use NoteBOok or NoteTaker? I've kind of looked at those before, too.

[kcmac]

bbales,

Thing is, you will still be able to continue using the 2.6 version of MJ. It won't expire.

Notebook and notetaker are a little too much for me if you mainly use MJ or similar to dump ideas. If you have Office 2004 you could also use the notebook feature in Word although it is not as nice as either NB or NT.

I always thought viJournal and voodoopad lite are good if you are looking for something more similar to MJ.

I probably end up using TextEdit as much as anything however. Usually I just don't find myself storing ideas long enough to need dates and journaling that much. If I don't react pretty quickly to them, they just usually accumulate and I forget about them.

[bbales]

KCmac -- Nice to see you post again! I think our powerbooks were on the same plane nearly 2 years ago.

It's not so much ideas, though I dumpt those, too. It's more web page materials and research, etc. etc. I'll keep MacJournal for now. And I'll definitely investigate the new version to see what's been beefed up and consider buying that version.

[lavar78]

I have NoteBook, but it seems like overkill for most of the things I need. I have a few notebooks for some long-term things, but I use VoodooPad Lite and MacJournal more. NoteBook is nice, though. I got a great deal on it -- a $10 competitive upgrade from my Apple-bundled OmniOutliner when it first debuted. I doubt that deal's still available...

[ApeInTheShell]

Personally, I use TextEdit for typing stories and other ideas. The problem I find with online and application journals is I just can't keep up with daily "how i feel" messages to others or myself. I tried Omni Outliner and find it helpful if used for a purpose like a checklist for a project. Mac Journal does what it says and that is all we can ask from any developer. Well and to fix bugs.

Apeingly, it seems young men are rapidly taking over the teenage girl market of phones, diaries, fashion; Seeking recognition from their peers every second possible. Then again, MacNN forum members often do the same.

[kcmac]

Originally posted by bbales:
KCmac -- Nice to see you post again! I think our powerbooks were on the same plane nearly 2 years ago.

It's not so much ideas, though I dumpt those, too. It's more web page materials and research, etc. etc. I'll keep MacJournal for now. And I'll definitely investigate the new version to see what's been beefed up and consider buying that version.

Yeah, I remember that. I still use my PB every day and don't regret getting rev 1. This thing doesn't scratch like my previous iBook did. Still looks new.

Happy New Year.

[brettcamp]

In addition to the 3 apps I named earlier, there's also StickyBrain.

[bbales]

I have StickyBrain, but I don't really like the interface. It seems very, very cluttered, so I stopped using it. It occurs to me, however, taht I should at least go back and see what I stored there, two or more years ago.

Actually MacJournal has worked pretty well. It will be interesting to see what features are added in the new release.

[mattmarshall]

MacJournal is one of the best Apps I've ever seen for the Mac.

Buy it. You will love it.

[CatOne]

Originally posted by bbales:
I have StickyBrain, but I don't really like the interface. It seems very, very cluttered, so I stopped using it. It occurs to me, however, taht I should at least go back and see what I stored there, two or more years ago.

Actually MacJournal has worked pretty well. It will be interesting to see what features are added in the new release.

Stickybrain had a major update a few weeks ago. Version 3 has a completely different (and MUCH better) interface.

I use Notebook, though -- it's more an outliner (or collection of outlines) and StickyBrain is really for notes. You could look at Hog Bay Notebook for $20... it's pretty nice as well.

Lots of options in this area. Hog Bay and StickyBrain have EXCELLENT search engines.

[fiesta cat]

Originally posted by CatOne:
You could look at Hog Bay Notebook for $20... it's pretty nice as well.

Lots of options in this area. Hog Bay and StickyBrain have EXCELLENT search engines.

I'll vouch for Hog Bay. It's well worth the price for me (I've been using it for around six months or so), and the search engine is really good.

http://atpm.com/ (About This Particular Mac) devotes a large percentage of its articles to outliners (well larger than other sites/webzines/blogs) and they do a very thorough job of reviewing them.

With so many notebook/outliner applications out there, and with many starting to offer the same features, it's reaching a poing where interface and how you feel using it are more important.

When I first started using outliners/notebooks, I didn't think I would use them very much, but I found myself using them a lot more than I thought I would. A lot more. I'm wanting to get some time and check out Boswell, it's got me interested (although it's more expensive and does more stuff than 95% of most people need).

[threestain]

By the way, version 3.0 has now been released.

[lavar78]

Originally posted by threestain:
By the way, version 3.0 has now been released.

Here

[bbales]

Haven't had a chance to look at it, but version tracker says it's only $20, instead of $30. So sounds like a good deal -- and the developer will get some money, so that's good.

MacWorld talked about a Webstractor (i think I spelled it wrong), to compile web pages for research. I'm going to take a look at that, too.

[Fusion]

First - If version 2.6 worked for you, keep using it. It still works, and its still free.

Second - Dan went with Mariner not for money but for marketing reasons. He wants his product to get well known, and while Mariner software might be junk to us, the average consumer sees a software company with a marketing department. I am sure money was involved, but as was mentioned already, if thats all it amounted to, he could have just started charging for it himself.

Third - Right now, MacJournal is on sale for MWSF pricing. Its only $19.95 instead of $30, so if you plan on buying it but $30 dollars was a little steep, now is a great time to get in on it.

[brettcamp]

DEVONnote is also on sale through MacWorld for $10 if you're switching from another notetaking app or have a .mac account. Try the free demo first to decide whether it suits your needs as well MacJournal or the others mentioned here.