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!

MarsEdit 4.4.12 is now available on the MarsEdit site and on the Mac App Store.

This update includes a real mish-mash of delightful little fixes. Here’s the complete list:

• Improve the VoiceOver accessibility of Preferences and Blog Settings
• Fix a bug that prevented custom media folders from working on Apple Silicon Macs
• Fix a bug that caused blank values in the the Author column of the main post list
• Fix a bug that prevented newly added blog from becoming selected in the main window
• Avoid a hang-up that occurred when trying to download a preview template with no blog configured
• Custom field values can now be set on a post via AppleScript
• Selecting “New Post” from the app’s Dock icon menu now activates the app as well
• Increase the text size of labels in the Media Manager

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.

Over on my development blog, Indie Stack, I shared a lesson learned about developing for iOS, where I’ve been making some progress on Black Ink.

The problem? Black Ink’s keyboard shortcuts don’t show up as expected when holding down the Command key on an iPad keyboard. The solution? Suprisingly simple. Follow the link above if interested. Here’s how it looks now!

Progress on the iOS version has been slow but relatively steady. I hope to push through to a public beta release which I’ll share within the next few weeks. Hang tight!

It’s been a long time coming, but I’m happy to announce that the Red Sweater Store now supports Apple Pay!

With this change, I took the opportunity to revise the whole checkout process in the store, adapting to the latest features that Stripe, my payment processing company, has to offer. This means that customers whose cards adopt 3D Security features will also now be able to authenticate their purchase right in the store with no additional hassle.

The Stripe support for the “Apple Pay” button extends beyond Apple Pay. Theoretically it supports Google Pay, Microsoft Pay, and others. I don’t expect that most of my customers will use those payment options, but it’s great to know that they’re there in case it’s what happens to work best for the buyer.

I also took this opportunity to revise the amount of information requested from customers when making a purchase. Historically, I asked for name and mailing address, because that was typically what payment processing companies required. These days it’s not unusual to make payments with just an email address and a credit card, so that’s all I’m requiring now. It makes for a much more streamlined purchase flow.

How well does this new store work? I don’t know, why don’t you give it a try and let me know!