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• Remove Chronicle of Higher Education, whose puzzles are no longer updated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!

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!