October 29, 2015

Katana

(Originally posted on 2014-02-10)

Katana - Note app for Mac OSX
App Store Link
Price: $9.99

nvALT

It all started with Notational Velocity, created by Zachary Schneirov.

You could have a bunch of text files, and a program to interact with them. The program was unique in several ways:

1. Unimodal search and input window. One window to search your notes and the same window to create your notes.
2. Instant search of the title and content of your notes. Even for large collection of notes, the search seemed instant, almost, wicked fast.
3. Mouseless interaction. Tons of keyboard commands, letting the user move around without ever really touching the mouse.

Then Brett Terpstra and David Halter merged their forks of Notational Velocity and created nvALT. This changed the notetaking marketplace in the Mac OS space.

They took an excellent text editor and added Markdown and MultiMarkdown support. They tweaked, they fixed, they added, they enhanced: They created the ultimate Markdown and Multimarkdown based note-taking system on any OS. If you haven’t tried nvALT, you owe it to yourself to download it, and change your notetaking life. It is freeware. But if you use the program, consider donating to the fine folks who bought you this notetaking nirvana.

If you need help in trying to figure out how to use nvALT, you should read this Michael Schechter post.

Unfortunately due to the open source origins of the program, there is no money to be made of this software. Donations are great, but they are not a revenue stream. I am always afraid when I see no revenue streams. Will the bugs be fixed? Will they keep up with changes in the next OS? I like freeware, but I can’t find myself relying on it. So I have been keeping a lookout for commercial alternatives to nvALT. Which brings me to Katana - Note app for Mac OSX.

Katana

A new entrant into the field of notetaking apps for the Mac OS, Katana is a nice little program which does most of what nvALT does. It is commercial, well-supported and pretty.

Features

Katana has a search box like nvALT. Search is instant and it is progressive, it searches by title, content and tags. It is however not the place where you create new notes. New notes are created by tapping the plus icon, or by the usual ⌘ + N shortcut. If Katana is not active, you can also create a new note by a pre-assigned keyboard command, which you get to set in the preferences.

I must say that I prefer nvALT’s unimodal approach to search and note creation. But Katana’s approach works reliably and is functional.

It deals with individual text files in a folder. If you are using the same notes on iOS, keep your notes in a Dropbox folder and if you are using Notesy, Editorial, Write for iPad/iPhone, or some other text editor on the iOS, you will have access to the same notes, irrespective of the device you are on. It supports Markdown, and has extensive keyboard command support for the Markdown syntax.

The app supports Gruber’s markdown syntax and some enhancements from Github Flavored Markdown and MultiMarkdown.

Katana has a smart set of preferences. You get to assign a keyboard command to switch to the program and to create a new note.

Preference General

You have the ability to define your default font. Also, lets you specify the indent size of the tab key, specify the preferred markdown syntax for dealing with bold, italics and lists. Gives you control over the system functions related to spelling and grammar.

Preference Editor

You also have the ability to define where your files are going to be stored, and what your preferred extension is in dealing with markdown files. I use .md as the extension, you can use whatever you are comfortable with.

Preference Storage

The editor window maintains a Table of Contents view. In a reasonably large document, that is a feature which I find very useful. Katana also supports linking between notes. To link to another note, place its title inside the <" "> tag. This is another feature which is very useful when you are writing interconnected notes and want to have ability to move from one to the other. Very cool.

Looks

Katana is nice looking. It is also very customizable. Giving you the option to tweak most elements of your Markdown markup.

Preference Color

Gaps in the feature set

The problem with competing with nvALT is that it is a mature product with two very smart developers. They have added features to nvALT over the years and the product has a dedicated group of users. The good news is that this is a template for a notes app and Katana’s developer would be well served in looking at the nvALT feature-set for inspiration.

I would like a bookmarklet to be able to send articles from Safari/Chrome to Katana, preferably in markdown.

You can choose a note and ask it to Open in text editor. However you have no control over which text editor it will use to open the document. Whatever has been assigned in the system to deal with markdown files will open your document. I would like this to be user-selectable. That would make the process easier for text editor groupies like me.

Takeaway

Katana is new. It shows promise and is a worthy note-taking entrant in the Mac space. It is well-designed, fast and deals with individual text files stored anywhere on your Mac. I am looking forward to its evolution.

macosxguru at the gmail thingie.

Katana Notetaking nvALT

October 29, 2015

Review of Writer Pro

(Originally posted on 2013-12-26)

Writer Pro

All the talk this week for people who are obsessed with writing and their tools has focussed on Writer Pro. Information Architects Inc.(IA) have attempted to improve iA Writer. The new application is called Writer Pro. It comes in both a Mac version and an iOS version.

I am going to talk here mainly of the Mac OS version.

Features

They have taken the process of creating documents and broken it into stages.

1. A Notes Stage
2. A Writing Stage
3. An Editing Stage
4. A Read Stage

Conceptually, these are the stages of writing and they have their own representation in the application. The look changes over the four stages. How effective it is, is a matter for some debate, but it tries to break down the stages and provide an environment optimized to each particular task.

For instance this is the notes stage of this document:

It uses a different font and a green cursor to give you a sense of which stage you are in.

Write Stage

Notice, the font change. We now have the blue cursor.

Focus on Sentence

We can apply focus to Sentences and get to concentrate on a sentence, by sliding the Syntax to sentences.

In Edit mode, we can go through our document sentence by sentence, and the focus moves along. The cursor changes to a reddish variant and it is a different font.

Edit Mode Sentence focus

We can also highlight other things in edit mode. For instance, this is the syntax highlight of nouns in a part of this document.

Edit Mode Noun Highlight

The last mode is Read mode, and here the font again changes and the cursor disappears.

Read Mode

Look

IA is famous for the look of their applications. iA Writer created an absolute stir when it was released. They didn’t invent the product category but they did define it in some ways. The look of the original iA Writer was beautiful. The sequel doesn’t disappoint in that respect. It is beautiful. The idea of the different stages in the workflows and their particular nuances is gimmicky and irrelevant to your workflow. But it is not an uncomfortable environment to work in.

Usage notes

iCloud support is a feature of this application. I am not a fan. I understand that the integration between the iOS version and the Mac OS version is something that is integral to the feature set of the application but iCloud is a pain. I would have preferred Dropbox support.

I am spoiled. I use Sublime Text as my go to text editor. It has features I have grown to depend on and when I see that they don’t exist in other text editors, it makes me sad. Writer Pro is a markdown editor. Yes, it is a writing tool but it is also a markdown based writing tool. In markdown, we use links, we use links a lot. So, when I edit something I have written, I want to be able to turn it into a link. For instance, the first word in the section preceding this one: the Look of the application, I wanted to change the first word into a link. In Sublime Text I highlight the word, press the square bracket, and the selected text gets surrounded by [selected text], then I can press bracket which gives me () with the cursor between the brackets so that I can type or paste the URL to make a link. It is easy to do.

The process is manual and hence onerous in Writer Pro. It doesn’t autocomplete and when you type something with selected text it replaces the text that you have selected. Makes the process, like I said, manual and onerous. One of the main competitors of this application, Byword handles this the same way SublimeText does. It seems to be cognizant of links and Writer Pro and its sibling, iA Writer, seem unaware of links. It displays links fine, and it deals with links fine, but it doesn’t make the process of entering them all that convenient.

IA has always encouraged a minimalistic ethos in their Application User Interface. So, they don’t burden their product with preferences and choices. You are stuck with the choices the developers thought were optimal and that is it. On the whole, this has led to some good decisions and I am fond of the environment that the developers provide for me to write. But, I would like a dark theme. At night when I am writing on the iMac, I want a darker theme. I don’t like the screen emitting so much light. It hurts my eyes. In the world of IA, I am shit out of luck. Again, Byword wins this fight. Not a plethora of choices, but a few well selected ones, makes that program a tad more comfortable to be in.

Missing Pieces

I never write long pieces in one document. I write in chunks. That is why I prefer Scrivener or Ulysses III when I write large pieces. They have a file management system built into the app. I can move from chunk to chunk and then when I am done, I can compile my document, by putting the disparate chunks together in an order which makes sense to me.

Writer Pro attempts to tackle this issue but the implementation is weak and inefficient. It breaks the process into parts, but implements it all in one file. The Notes section is the same file as the Write section and it is the same as the Edit section. There is no ability to conveniently move the sections around and provide some flexibility in its ordering.

There are really two approaches to solve this problem. One of them is the multiple files later compiled into one file method of Scrivener and Ulysses III. The other is the one-file method of creation of which Writer Pro is a part. Even in this one-file from notes to read process, I prefer the implementation of FoldingText which attempts to solve this problem by letting you fold sections together and that gives you the ability to move sections around and conveniently provide an order to the document. Phraseology does a great job of this too by letting you move sections and sentences around in the edit phase.

Writer Pro needs improvement in this area. The only thing it does let you do is highlight a section and press ^ + ⌘ + Up Arrow or Down Arrow to move the section to where you want it. It is standard Mac OS behavior and not something added by Writer Pro.

Additions to the Paradigm

Syntax Control. This is the genesis of all the kerfuffle around Writer Pro that broke on Twitter last week. The basic question is the definition of innovation. If Apple in WWWDC shows all the attending developers a feature which has been implemented in the developer tools, is it innovative if you bring it first to market? And more importantly do you own that “innovation?”

I am not a patent attorney or a copyright lawyer. I am going to stay out of this determination.

There are a few writers on the web who have taken a definitive stand on this.

“Patent Pending?” iA’s Militant Stance on Syntax Control in Writer Pro | The Verge Forums

Writer Pro Developers Double Down on Innovations in Being Douchebags

Quote from Gabe at macdrifter.com:

I don’t like asshats. I like people that figure out how to make a living from being awesome and making things people want to buy. I also consider Brett Terpstra to be awesome and it pisses me off to see people mimic his work and then use it to threaten him.

Don’t Support Information Architects - the candler blog

And based on the spontaneous reaction online, the folks at IA, have walked back a few steps and are now trying to pass off the kerfuffle as a joke.

I find myself unable to get too excited about this episode. There are lot of other things in the world for me to get agitated about. I can’t bring any level of angst to bear on a schmuck trying to sell a product for $19.99 with however dubious a patent claim.

If you look at the videos at Writer Pro, the developers contend they have solved the problem of the users having “substantial control over the process and the structure of the text”. I disagree. There is no significant addition to the process of writing. Changing the font and the cursor are puerile attempts at providing a meaningful workflow. The one-document structure is as old as parchment. Writer Pro is beautiful, but not very useful or more importantly, innovative.

Syntax Control. Phraseology attempts to tackle the same problem in their iOS app. But this is a better implementation. The ability to highlight all the adjectives in your piece and the context in which they occur is a heaven sent for a writer like me, trying to find his feet in this craft of writing. I am so fond of this feature, that irrespective of where the piece originates or gets written, it is going to visit Writer Pro to get edited. It is an useful addition to my arsenal, irrespective of who is responsible for its innovation.

Takeaway

If you think Syntax Control is important to you, get the app. If you don’t see the need for that, both Byword and Ulysses III are better solutions to the process and craft of writing text in markdown.

macosxguru at the gmail thingie

Other Reviews

• First Thoughts on Writer Pro for iOS — Shawn Blanc
• Write Like A Champ With Writer Pro, Writer’s Successor | Macgasm

Writer Pro Mac OS Writing

October 29, 2015

Problems after upgrading to Maverick

(Originally posted on 2013-11-04)

With the release of a new version of the Mac OS comes two divergent reactions. Some people have no problems with the update and they tell you about how life is fantastic and they are liking the new update. There are these other folks who have the unfortunate experience of having everything go to hell and they face a whole bunch of issues with the update. Why does this happen? Why are there such divergent reactions to the same update?

This is not an easy question to answer. People fall in a wide spectrum when it comes to the way they maintain their Macs. Some people have it always in peak working condition, and others are not so meticulous. They seem to believe that the machine will maintain itself. Most users fall in the middle somewhere. They perform some maintenance tasks but don’t do it regularly enough.

There is no one solution to everyone’s problems. The only thing one can say with some degree of certainty is that there are certain things you can do to optimize performance once you have upgraded and are having problems. There are no guarantees here but there are measures you can take to make your upgrade process better.

One: Repair your hard drive

This is easy to do. Reboot the computer. Hold down the ⌘ + S key when it is in the process of rebooting. You are going to have the weird experience of seeing the command line on your Macintosh. Lots of text zipping through your monitor and most of it will make no sense to you. That is okay. Wait for all of it to stop. You are going to see a single user prompt after all this is over. In the prompt type the following:

fsck -fy

and hit enter.

The computer will tell you what is going on in a minimal way. Just let it do its thing till it comes up with another prompt. If the message is that there were things wrong with the drive and the drive was modified, type the above comment again. Hit enter.

It will do its thing. Tell you bits and pieces of information, none of it is really sensible, but what you need to wait for is the message which says, Your drive was okay. That is different from the your drive was modified message. If it was modified, keep running the command. It usually takes you to enter the command twice to get the “drive was okay” response.

After receiving the drive was okay response, type the following:

reboot

and hit enter.

Let the computer reboot and do its thing. It will eventually lead you to the Finder and you are now ready for Step 2.

Two: Repair Permissions

There is a very useful application on your computer called Disk Utility. It is the system application used to maintain, format, manage your disks and partitions. Launch it. You will find it in the sub-folder Utilities in the folder Applications. Another way of finding it is just invoking Spotlight (usually, ⌘ + Space), and typing in Disk Utility, when the application is selected in the Spotlight window, hit Return.

Highlight the drive on the left sidebar. Press on the Repair Disk Permissions button on the bottom left next to the sidebar.

Wait for the app to do its thing. What is the app doing? In UNIX, files have permissions attached to them. The root user can use this file and no one else, the owner of this account can use this file and everyone else can read this file but not write to it and so on. Repairing permissions is something that should be done periodically. It makes your computer purr along safely.

Disk Utility

The repair permissions should be done in a while and you are ready for a restart. Restart.

At this stage you should be in tip top condition. The computer should be responsive and your problems should be behind you. On the other hand, life doesn’t always work out the way I want it to and you might have problems still. What do you do now?

Install Mavericks again

If you still have problems it is a good idea to install Mavericks again. Go to the App Store. Re-download Mavericks and let it run and install itself again. Get a book to read on the iPad while you do this. You are going to be here for a while.

After the re-install. Use the computer for a while. Everything should be purring along at this stage. If it isn’t, we are going to go to the next stage.

Other stuff to check

Now we are in voodoo land. Every user has their own selection of programs running and they are in their own cocoon of software incompatibilities. I am not sure that I can give you specific instructions which can solve the problems you are having. But there are some general guidelines you might adhere to, to help the process of having a better computing experience:

1. Check whether the software you are having trouble with has a later version than the one you are using. If it does, update the software.
2. Go to the App Store and update all the software that needs to be updated from the App Store.
3. Go to the Users and Groups preference pane. >System Preferences… and then Users & Groups. Click on the Login Items. Delete items that you don’t use or don’t really know anything about. It is always a good idea to know what is specifically installed on your machine. If you are unsure about it, maybe some research would be in order.

Users and Groups

At this point, you have done all I can recommend without knowing the specific problems you are having. If the problems persist, a call to Apple tech support, a visit to the Genius Bar in an Apple Store, or an offer of dinner to your favorite Apple geek might be on the cards.

Happy computing.

macosxguru at the gmail thingie

Upgrading Maintenance Mac OS

October 29, 2015

Move email addresses around in the Mail app

(Originally posted on 2014-06-17)

You can just tap an address to highlight it, and then drag it to the CC field, or the BCC field. This trick lets you switch around email addresses to any of the recipient fields.

For your information:
To: This is the primary recipient of your message
CC: This is the person/persons who you are “carbon copying” on your message
BCC: This is the person/persons who are blind copied on your message.

Note: When you are sending email to a whole host of people, it is common courtesy to address the email to yourself, and blind copy your recipients. So put your own email address in the To: field and put the addresses of all the recipients in the BCC: field. That way the recipients email addresses are protected from prying eyes, you have provided them with privacy while you have the benefit of sending only one piece of email to all of them.

macosxguru at the gmail thingie.

Mail iOS

October 29, 2015

Forgot your phone number?

(Originally posted on 2013-12-15)

We never call ourselves. At least most of us don’t, which means that it is quite likely that you don’t remember your own phone number. If you do call yourself, I am not judging, mind. So, if you have a new phone number or find yourself not remembering your phone number you can start your Phone app and then tap the Contacts button. Scroll to the very top and your number will be listed as the topmost entry.

Saved from amnesia, you are.

macosxguru at the gmail thingie

iOS