My favorite app for writing long form pieces in Markdown, [Ulysses III](https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/ulysses-iii/id623795237?mt=12&at=10l5TL),[^fn1] has just been updated with some great new features.[^fn2] I highly recommend giving it a shot.
[^fn1]: Affiliate Link (as is the post link).
[^fn2]: My personal favorites are upgraded Microsoft Word export, global search, and auto-completing tags.
This is a welcome addition.
> Adobe and Apple have worked closely together to test Adobe® Creative Cloud applications and Adobe Creative Suite 6 applications for reliability, performance and user experience when installed on Intel® based systems running Mac OS X Mavericks. (v10.9). All Adobe CC and CS6 products are compatible, but a few products require updates to the latest builds to work properly. Adobe Photoshop® CS5, CS4 and CS3 were also tested with Mac OS X Mavericks and there are currently no major issues known.
Good to hear. Normally, Adobe seems to be one of the companies whose software is not ready for the release.
This is a major bummer. I was hoping *this* would be the release that really started a push to replace Microsoft Word.
Dr. Drang is having the same problem I have been having:
> I’ve been having a small but persistent audio problem that can be really annoying. Every few days, the audio controls in the Control Center stop working. Play/pause, volume, skip—none of them work. In and of itself, this doesn’t bother me much because I don’t use CC’s audio controls very often, but the bug goes hand-in-hand with another problem that bothers the hell out of me.
It is a pain in the butt[^fn1] and it seems like the only way you can fix it is restart your phone.
[^fn1]: It is especially frustrating when you are driving.
In his piece on [Media Temple being bought by GoDaddy](http://www.baseballnation.com/2013/10/16/4843104/alcs-game3-peralta-bad-call-one-run-games-red-sox-tigers), Marco makes some recommendations about where to host your website. I agree with this recommendation:
> For VPSes, I use and recommend [Linode](https://www.linode.com/?r=0a0ee6d9705b4ea2ace5f56965fd14bde1b69828). They’ve been remarkably consistent over the last couple of years, and their control panel is excellent. I ran some test servers on the cheaper, SSD-equipped [DigitalOcean](https://www.digitalocean.com/) over the last few months, but found them to be inconsistent and immature. I think they’re having trouble keeping up with their growth.
I have been using [Lindoe](https://www.linode.com/?r=0a0ee6d9705b4ea2ace5f56965fd14bde1b69828)[^fn1] for a couple of years to host all of my websites, and I really, really like it.
[^fn1]: Affiliate Link (as is the Linode link in the quote.)
Raleigh, NC development shop Might Rabbit Studios has released their newest game: *Breach & Clear.*
It is available for [iOS](https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/breach-clear/id655749677?mt=8) and [Android](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.gun.bnc&hl=en)
This piece has been widely linked to online, but I was particularly interested in:
> So we’re doing something different on the Mac App Store – and we’re going to buck the trend a little. We’re not going to devalue our Mac apps by putting them on sale, we’re going to ask a fair price that ensures we can keep on building the apps you love. It’s as simple as that: stable, sustainable prices for apps that we think you’ll love.
I know that I always avoided buying Realmac software at full price, because I just assumed it would go on sale in a few days.[^fn1] Now, I might be more inclined to buy Realmac’s products as they are released.
[^fn1]: I have no idea if their stuff actually was on sale very often, I just know it *felt* like it went on sale all the time.
A major upgrade to the stellar Markdown previewer and toolkit. I use Marked every day, and have been eagerly awaiting this release.1
If you want more information on what Marked 2 can do, check out Cody Fink's review over at MacStories. ↩
In a bad piece by Ellis Hamburger on *The Verge*, this might be the worst paragraph:
> Even so, and despite Clear’s very low price tag, your frustration is warranted if you bought Clear within the last couple months and now have a to buy a new version, or if you bought Reeder, an RSS app, expecting months or years of updates and now have to buy a new version. Reeder developer Silvio Rizzi left his iPad users out in the cold by abandoning the app when its syncing engine, Google Reader, was killed off by Google. Several months later, Rizzi debuted Reeder 2, which works on both iPhone and iPad, but many of his Reeder for iPad users were appalled. The previous version of Reeder for iPhone still works, while Reeder for iPad users were forced to upgrade or find another RSS app. Some of them likely would have been more forgiving had Rizzi been more communicative during the process, but the developer is notoriously quiet online in comparison to others in the iOS community.
This whole paragraph is completely wrongheaded. People’s expectations for what applications, mobile or otherwise, should cost are completely out of touch. Developers spend weeks, months, and even years developing these applications and people get upset because a developer charges 99 cents for them? It is beyond ridiculous.
I have utmost respect for the [Omni Group’s](http://omnigroup.com) decision to release new, $20 versions of its apps as part of the iOS 7 upgrade cycle. I wish more developers would follow in Omni Group’s footsteps, and, relatedly, that people would recognize the value they are getting from their applications.
Federico has a new iBook on [writing with Editorial on the iPad](https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/writing-on-ipad-text-automation/id697865620?mt=11)[^f4101]. As someone who has completely moved my iPad writing workflow over to [Editorial](https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/editorial/id673907758?mt=8&at=10l5TL), I was pleased to find some new tricks that help make the app even *more* powerful.
For $2.99, this book is a no-brainer for anyone who uses [Editorial](https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/editorial/id673907758?mt=8&at=10l5TL)[^fn1], as well as anyone who wants to help support Federico and the great work that he does.
[^f4101]: Affiliate Link (as is the original post link, and the *Editorial* link.)
[^fn1]: Seriously, it is worth the $2.99 for the Feed Wrangler workflow alone.
Apple recently rolled out a [new affiliate program](https://phgconsole.performancehorizon.com/login/itunes) managed by PHG. Unfortunately, I cannot figure out whether this program does or does not require a privacy policy on new applicants’ websites. In Apple’s [FAQ about the new program](http://www.apple.com/itunes/affiliates/resources/documentation/faq_en.html) Apple says reasons for a rejected application may include:
> [The site] [f]ails to clearly state an online privacy policy to visitors.
and in the Terms and Conditions associated with the program, Apple and PHG state that:
> (g) [the Publisher of the website] shall provide a clear and conspicuous link to its privacy policy from each page on its Site;
> (h) [the Publisher of the website] shall include a statement in its privacy policy that PHG and/or Advertiser (or another third party, where applicable) may use code or cookies on Publisher’s website to track the performance of Advertiser’s marketing efforts, and that no personally identifiable information is collected in such process;
Yet, a [number](http://shawnblanc.net) of [prominent](http://www.macdrifter.com) [sites](http://david-smith.org/about/), that I assume are part of the new program, seem to have no privacy policy. Does this mean that Apple and PHG are not enforcing this part of the Terms and Conditions? I cannot tell.[^fn1]
[^fn1]: Before I submitted my site to join the new affiliate program, I added a basic [privacy policy](https://johnkiv.us/privacy-policy/) to my site that include the required language from the Terms and Conditions.
A [new version of ReadKit](https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/readkit/id588726889?mt=12&at=10l5TL)[^f4625], has been released with [new sharing options](http://webinhq.com/blog/brand-new-icon-sharing-and-more/). I really, really want to love this program and use it as my Mac FeedWrangler client. I never seem to never be able to get a sync to complete with it, however.
[^f4625]: Affiliate Link (as is the post link.)
Hairston was pulled over going 93 in a 65. A few hours later, Roy Williams suspended him indefinitely. This summer is turning out to be an absolute disaster for Hairston.
I *really* want this.
A list of great apps that are currently free[^fn1].
[^fn1]: It appears to be related to Apple’s App Store being 5 years old. There also appears to be some confusion as to if that is *really* the reason.
> The first Mac I purchased and the Mac I’m still using is a polycarbonate MacBook, a laptop that’s been far surpassed by today’s MacBook Airs, yet still a computer that has plenty of life in it and is certainly capable enough for writing and browsing the net. It’s going to be a five year old computer this year, but I’m not sure if I’m really ready for another big purchase. Lion is the latest OS that will run on my machine, although I’m mostly content with that.
I am in the same boat as Cody. I have a Black Macbook that I put a SSD in that still runs really well. Unfortunately, I cannot upgrade its OS past Lion due the compatibility decisions Apple made between Lion and Mountain Lion. No matter how cheaply Apple prices Mavericks, I will not be able to upgrade that computer.
> A free Mavericks sounds temping towards encouraging adoption, but I suspect Apple won’t change the price of the next version of OS X. As John points out any price above free can still be seen as an obstacle, and although Apple doesn’t need the money there is no point leaving it on the table. Marco also makes the point that Macs last a lot longer than there iOS counterparts, contributing to the overall Mac user base longer. And until Apple improves the upgrade process so that it is worry-free there will always be a hesitation over upgrading. With automatic application updates on the horizon for the next version of OS X, it appears as if Apple is taking the right steps towards worry-free, zero-cost, operating system updates. Just don’t count on Mavericks catching the wave this time around.
Sounds right to me.
I described the power of Smart Streams in my [breakdown of Google Reader replacements](https://johnkiv.us/2013/06/27/picking-a-google-reader-replacement/). Shawn Blanc [goes into even more detail](http://shawnblanc.net/2013/06/feed-wrangler-smart-streams/), including explaining how to set them up.
I am glad that Reeder for iPhone has joined Reeder for iPad and Mac in the “getting a major new update” camp.[^fn1] I am disappointed to learn, however, that those updates will not be available until after the Google Reader shutdown. On the bright side, I figured this would happen and have been setting things up Feed Wrangler-centric and Reeder-less workflow for a few weeks now.
[^fn1]: Especially since the first cut of Feed Wrangler support will apparently not include Smart Streams.