Mindful Ink

Last year there was a little something called MacHeist. It was right after I got a Mac, and I was very excited about it. Coming from the PC world I didn’t have a lot of faith in ShareWare…. in fact, it was pretty much a dirty word. The years had taught me to fear and shy away from it. Now, don’t get me wrong - I know there’s lots of great shareware on the PC - but this was then.

I wasn’t quite prepared for the glorious smorgasborg of Mac independent developers. I buy quite a bit of software, and at the prices most Mac developers charge I can afford to even on my paltry student cash resources.

MacHeist, however, really got me started. I don’t remember what all came with it, but it was a pretty nice setup and I still use some of the software today. At any rate, it exposed me to my options.

This year it they’re doing it again. There’s some pretty solid software in the bundle (I love AppZapper, myself) and a lot of middling software, but the prize will be Pixelmator. I tried the demo - it’s really quite nice, like a cheap Photoshop Elements with a beautiful UI. I don’t do enough graphic editing to warrant the purchase, but if this MacHeist had more (and more that I didn’t already own) I’d be on it.

Let me do a quick rundown of what’s involved here. As more people buy the software, more of the software is “unlocked” (that is, included in the bundle.) Right now everything but Pixelmator is unlocked (Snap Pro X says its not, but it technically is). There is nine more days, however, so odds are good you’ll get Pixelmator.

The Software….

• 1Password - I’ve heard good things about this, but never used it. I store my info in other ways. Demo
• CoverSutra - Nice program. I bought this a while back, but then ended up using the free “GimmeSomeTune” (Donationware). I’d say they’re about the same. Since this new version is out, however, I’m going to give it a bit of a try. Demo.
• Cha-Ching - It’s a money program, never heard of it before. Demo
• iStopMotion - Never heard of it…. and I’m not quite sure why it’s there. It’s kind of a one trick pony doing a trick most people don’t need their ponies doing. I’m sure it’s lovely software, but it is a bit hard to get pumped about unless you’re going to break out your old Transformers. Demo
• Awaken - Lots of software like this out there, but I’ve never used any of it. Looks nice. Demo
• Speed Download - Looks similar to Hazel (which I’ve demo’d and really enjoyed, but not 20 dollars enjoyed). Demo.
• AppZapper - GREAT program. Why OSX doesn’t have something like this built in is beyond me, but luckily for these guys it doesn’t! Demo
• Taskpaper - It’s a todo list, but simple. I remember trying this, but it didn’t do much for me. To be fair, I don’t like separate todo lists though. I like stickies or some the Outlook/Mail type setup with it built in to the calendar. HogsBay has some good software, though. And I’ve heard a lot of good stuff about Taskpaper. Demo
• CSSEdit - Looks like a nice piece of software, but it’s out of my area. Demo
• Snapz Pro X - Screencasting and screenshot software. Looks nice, and I’ve considered doing some Screencasts before, but that’s all I have for you. Sorry. Demo
• Pixelmator - I’ve talked about this already. Get the demo.

So, if you’re wanting a big pile of software for a good price - this is your place. It helps charity, too! And let’s not forget our friendly neighborhood indie software developers!

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Update:  Package was officially completely unlocked right after I finished posting this!  Happy Consumering!

MacHeist

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merch, OSX, Software