I really like the iUseThis site for Mac software updates. For one thing, the UI is extremely clean and easy to navigate. None of the clutter of some of the more senior update sites. For another thing, the guys who run it are really cool Mac nerds who accept feedback graciously and are honestly striving to make the site “breakthrough” in ways that I don’t think the other sites will be able to keep up with.

iUseThis is an indie site, so it’s no wonder indie software developers love it!

I got in touch with the guys in charge at iUseThis with a funny proposition. You know those supermarket promotions where the millionth customer walks through the door and balloons and confetti fly everywhere? I sort of wanted to do that for one of my customers, only I’m not quite at the million mark yet. So I had to pick a less lofty benchmark!

And The Winner Is…

Nick Loose is the 300th “user” of MarsEdit at iUseThis. Nick is a 15 year old German who was on the verge of buying MarsEdit when he clicked the “I Use This” button. His prize? A free copy of MarsEdit — and every other application I sell!

One of the unexpected joys of running your own business is you can perform random acts of fun. All the things you wish bigger companies would do more often, well you can just do them if you feel like it. I really like the idea of prizes, and this one is sort of arbitrary, but what the heck! 300 is a nice round number!

If you haven’t checked out iUseThis before, be sure to give it a look. An excellent way of testing it would be by visiting my product pages there and “using” them to show your love!

iUseThis MarsEdit Page

iUseThis BlackInk Page

iUseThis FlexTime Page

iUseThis FastScripts Page

iUseThis Clarion Page

Seth Dillingham does the hard work. We just donate the software. Red Sweater Software is proud to have joined many other Mac software vendors in sponsoring Seth’s charitable bike-ride across Massachusetts this year. In order to help raise money for cancer research and treatment, he’s arranged with software vendors to auction off “bundles” pretty amazing software at really amazing prices.

This year’s drive is coming to an end, and Seth’s very close to his goal of $6600 in raised money for the cause! It’s time to give it a look if you haven’t already.

To cap off the event this year, Seth’s trying something new. “Make him an offer.” He’s got a list of amazing software, and he invites you to put together a bundle of your choosing and offer a reasonable (good for charity!) price.

So if you’ve been thinking of picking up some great software at a great price and for a great cause, then get your butt over to Seth’s site and make him an offer!

I confess, I was playing along when I linked to Gus Mueller’s interview with himself, foretelling the release today of his latest product, Flying Meat’s Acorn image editing application.

What is Acorn? Gus describes it as “Simple Image Editing,” but I prefer to call it “the keep me from launching Photoshop tool.”

I’ve been lucky to beta test Acorn for the past several months, and as long as I’ve been using it, it’s where I go first when I say it’s “time for Photoshop.” I can accomplish a lot of my goals with the simple editing tools combined with layer support and a bevy of fancy transformation filters.

The worst thing you can say about Acorn is that it’s “missing such and such.” Of course it is. It’s a 1.0 release. But the fact that it’s cool enough to make you desperately want “such and such” means it’s going to be an exciting road ahead for this little app.

Congratulations, Gus. It’s been a long road but you’ve reached 1.0 with panache!

I just noticed a new entry on Gus Mueller’s blog that has me very curious. He’s got an interview with a developer, supposedly releasing a new product on Monday. The interview is sort of comically blacked-out in some important areas, I guess to preserve the secrecy of the product until it launches. But little clues here and there make me pretty confident I know what they’re talking about.

The C4 conference this year was packed with amazing developers, and many of them did hail from the Pacific Northwest. One of the traditions at these conferences is to show off works in progress to other developers. It sort of goes without saying that we’ll keep our traps shut in exchange for getting a glimpse at some of the exciting new things that are in store for the world.

I recall seeing one work-in-progress in particular that sounds like it could be the one in this interview. Boy, I had no idea we’d be seeing it this soon after C4, but if it’s what I’m thinking of, a large number of Mac users are going to be very happy on Monday.