MarsEdit 4.4.13 is now available on the MarsEdit site and has been submitted to the Mac App Store.

This update features a grab bag of fixes to improve the reliability and utility of the app:

• Improve reliability of in-document anchor links in blog preview window
• Protect against a possible crash when inserting image from the Media Manager
• Fix a bug that prevented setting custom field values via AppleScript from working
• Fix full keyboard accesss navigation of the “New Blog” window
• The HTML editor now strips problematic 0x0B (vertical tab) and 0x0C (form feed) characters

If you enjoy MarsEdit, please consider writing a review or rating the app on the Mac App Store, spreading the word on Facebook or Twitter, and of course, writing about the app on your own blog! Thanks for your support.

Black Ink 2.1.4 is now available on the Black Ink site and on the Mac App Store.

This update refines the recently restored download capabilities for the New York Times puzzle. Solvers who are excited to download and solve the puzzle early (after 6:00PM Eastern on weekends, after 10:00PM Eastern on weekdays) can now count on Black Ink to download the puzzle when it’s ready.

This update also includes a fix for a bug that affected users who live in time zones east of GMT. These users would be prompted again to log in to their NYT account when checking for new puzzles at certains times of the day.

If you enjoy Black Ink, please consider writing a review or rating the app on the Mac App Store, and spreading the word on Facebook or Twitter! Thanks for your support.

Black Ink 2.1.3 is now available on the Black Ink site and on the Mac App Store.

This update restores authentication support for the New York Times Crossword, so subscribers can login in with their credentials to download premium puzzles directly from Black Ink.

The update also includes a number of other fixes:

• Restored support for logging in to download Premium NYT puzzles
• Fix visual glitches with puzzle source icons after switching between dark and light modes
• Fix a bug that could cause puzzle source icons to draw very large in the Open Web Puzzle menu
• Improvements to letter alignment within puzzle squares
• Fine-tune the placement of the focus ring when entering special answers
• If special entry is open while the window is resized the field now moves with the window
• Remove Chronicle of Higher Education, whose puzzles are no longer updated

If you enjoy Black Ink, please consider writing a review or rating the app on the Mac App Store, and spreading the word on Facebook or Twitter! Thanks for your support.

I’m often asked by MarsEdit users which other blogging applications I’d recommended. Usually, the person asking is a happy MarsEdit customer who is struggling to find a suitable alternative on Windows or iOS, but sometimes they are looking to scratch an itch that MarsEdit just isn’t suited for.

I’m sure I don’t know about all the various options available, but I’ve started a reference article on the Red Sweater Help that will hopefully serve to help people who are searching for alternatives. It currently lists BlogJet and Open Live Writer for Windows, Micro.blog, Ulysses, and Drafts for the Mac, and the official WordPress apps for multiple platforms.

Read Red Sweater Help: MarsEdit Alternatives.

I am strong believer in serving the customer both when I can, and when I can’t. If I offer the best solution for a customer’s needs, I am delighted to serve them directly. But when somebody else has a better offering, I’m also delighted to send the customer “down the street”, so to speak. If anybody knows of blogging solutions apart from those I’ve listed, please drop me a line and let me know!