MarsEdit 2.4
November 29th, 2009As an indie software developer, one of the biggest challenges I face is keeping a schedule. A real schedule that means I’ll actually ship software every so often.
When you work for somebody else, there’s usually somebody in charge of making sure that you stick to a schedule. These people usually have little concern for code correctness, refactoring, or frankly, anything that falls under the vague heading of “doing it the right way.” There’s something to be said for this: they get things shipped! And if a product is of shippable quality, it’s a shame to withhold it a day longer than necessary.
But I’ve fallen a bit into the mire of excessive feature development with MarsEdit. The old parable about the hand in the cookie jar applies here: I’ve got so many cookies in my hand, that it’s impossible to take my hand out of the jar without letting go of a few.
MarsEdit 2.4 is available today and features a few … cookies … that you might enjoy. In particular, this release fixes bugs, fine-tunes a lot of behaviors that have been bugging me for ages, and takes support for the increasingly popular SquareSpace to a higher level.
What’s New?
MarsEdit 2.4 changes in summary:
- Improved Squarespace support
- Support for server drafts
- Support for tags
- Support for adding new categories
- Improved error handling
- Post editor windows now automatically remember size and screen position
- Avoid accidental post publishing by disabling the send button when document is not frontmost
- Improved error messages for misconfigured Tumblr blogs
- Bug fixes
- Fixed Flickr image links so they produce valid HTML when align-centered.
- Fix a Snow Leopard problem that prevented the Save button from enabling immediately when document is edited
- Fix a rare bug that could cause locked up dialogs on the second launch
- Fix a crash that could occur when configuring a blog with an extremely weird URL
- Fix a bug that occurred when an invalid URL was specified for a blog home page
- Fix a bug that caused duplication of tags on a previously published draft
- Fix a bug that prevented existing open document from being located when opening a local draft.
What’s Next?
I’m still working hard on a number of features that people have been asking for. Yes, I’m kind of a jerk when it comes to disclosing details about future releases, but suffice to say I hear you loud and clear when you ask for WYSIWYG editing or support for WordPress pages and custom fields. Am I promising those features anytime soon? Not exactly. But let’s just say that I would be a fool if I didn’t take the demand for these items seriously ;)
Stay tuned for more cookies soon. In the mean time, enjoy these improvements in MarsEdit 2.4!
November 30th, 2009 at 2:58 pm
As a programmer, I understand exactly what you’re talking about. As a user, though, I would prefer that you do it the right way. :) Bugfixes are time-sensitive; new features, not so much.
Oh, and Typepad pages too, please. Whenever you get it done, no rush.
November 30th, 2009 at 7:19 pm
Hi Daniel,
I’m sure a lot of users prefer WYSIWYG editor instead of the actual one, but I don’t. Isn’t hard to create a good algorithm for it? Avoiding not necessaries html tags?
But i’d love to see wordpress pages support. Actually is the only thing I need in MarsEdit that the actual release does not cover.
Thanks and keep the good work.
November 30th, 2009 at 8:36 pm
I think MarsEdit is great as it is! Don’t stress yourself out adding features (and probably, bugs), it really is nice now, and we’re all happy whenever there’s a new little feature to play with.
For your own sanity, keep doing things right, *then* ship! Like you’ve been doing. We appreciate your efforts.
–Mike
December 1st, 2009 at 5:38 pm
Thanks for keeping this fantastic tool alive Daniel !
I quote Otávio on the editor: the fact MarsEdit is not ‘another’ WYSIWYG editor has been fundamental in choosing it.
And if you want my vote for future enhancement: WordPress Pages support & a Media manager that allow a full offline experience.
December 2nd, 2009 at 5:55 pm
Hi Daniel,
Totally hear you on all your points. I extend my sympathy. I know this shouldn’t be an excuse for you to rest on your laurels but MarsEdit is great as it already is, so don’t get yourself to worked up over what hasn’t been delivered.
I second the notions above regarding wanting something done right first instead of something simply being done (sloppily).
December 6th, 2009 at 3:25 pm
I’m so grateful for Mars Edit! I agree that wysiwyg is not a prime concern, but that wordpress pages and custom fields would be an amazing addition.
Offline images would be a good idea too
December 16th, 2009 at 10:14 am
I disagree that wysiwyg is not a prime concern. It is! I haven’t found a good desktop interface to my drupal sites. The lack of wysiwyg prevents me from choosing marsedit.
December 17th, 2009 at 4:46 am
Support for posting drafts on the blog is a humongous win. It allows me to know exactly how a blog entry will render before publishing. I can also imagine using that feature to collaborate on blog entries (e.g., getting someone to catch typos before I publish). It has instantly changed how I use Mars Edit and has made the product far more valuable.
Thank you for adding this feature, and thank you for making it obvious how to use it.
January 25th, 2010 at 6:30 pm
Just some more votes for the following (in order of importance…for me :-D) —
1) Custom fields for WordPress
2) Offline image editing
3) WYSIWYG
Keep up the good work.
January 27th, 2010 at 12:58 am
Hi Ken – the good news is that your priorities are pretty well aligned with mine :) Thanks for the feedback,
Daniel
January 27th, 2010 at 1:01 am
Very cool. And just as an FYI, a recent migrant from Blogo to Mars Edit. Really liking what you are doing and how the software continues to develop. Kudos.
January 27th, 2010 at 1:04 am
Awesome – glad you are happy with my approach to the problem. Hopefully you will be very happy with the way things evolve.