Sprouted ~ Software that grows with you...

“Journler is provided free of charge and always will be. No matter how often Journler is updated or what additions are made, you will have free access to all of its features for an unlimited time.” — Philip Dow, August 2006

When Journler 2.5 was released I introduced a distinction that I hoped would allow me to remain as close as possible to this promise. I wrote at the time that, as an indie developer I was doing my best to stay true to my original intentions but it was becoming more and more difficult.

It has continued this way. Generally speaking, downloads do not lead to donations, and when they do it is often the minimum. In the past few months, Journler has become more and more popular but I have earned less and less money. I have come to accept the inevitable fact that an approach to software development which sustains itself primarily by gift is difficult if not impossible to maintain.

The problems are frustrating and circular. As Journler became more popular, the support requirements became greater. I ended up spending more time supporting users than releasing updates. With fewer updates, less income came in. The result is that, paradoxically, Journler’s recent popularity has led to fewer earnings.

It has been suggested that I solve my problems by hiring additional help. But in order to hire help I need Journler to produce more income. In order to increase my income I must release updates. In order to release those updates I need to hire help, which of course costs money. Quite the bind.

I remain committed to producing a great product with steady updates supported by timely customer service. Thousands of users from across the world have found in Journler a useful and dependable application. I aim to keep it that way. Not to mention the great improvements that I’m just itching to work on if I can only find the time. I want to see Journler grow just as much as you do.

To make sure this happens I have settled on the difficult decision of transforming Journler into a shareware application. Beginning with 2.6, the unenforced distinction between personal and non-personal licenses will be eliminated. Instead, a single license will cost $34.95 with an evaluation period of 60 days. Student and bulk discounts will be offered.

If you have already purchased a license or donated, the cost of the 2.6 upgrade will vary depending upon the circumstances of your contribution. For anyone with a non-personal license, the 2.6 upgrade will be free. Users who donated for a personal use license will be required to make up the difference between their contribution and the current price of $24.95. For example, if you donated $10 then the 2.6 upgrade will cost $14.95.

On Wednesday, January 23rd I will effect the price change while leaving the fee noncompulsory until 2.6 is actually released. That is, beginning Wednesday I will still be requesting donations for personal use and requiring licenses for non-personal use, but at the single price of $34.95. As in the past, you may choose whether you will abide by those terms. However, once 2.6 is released there will be an evaluation period of 60 days at which time the purchase of a license will be required.

You may purchase a license at any point between now and Wednesday. Doing so ensures a savings of $10 on the price of v2.6, whether you make a partial or full purchase. Individuals who purchase a license for $34.95 after January 23rd will not be required to pay any upgrade fee for v2.6.

This has been a difficult decision, but it is the right one. Software has become my business, and the only way I am able to continue offering quality products with regular updates and timely customer service is if I treat these products as any business does. Thanks for your support and understanding.

After a bit of a lull I’m back in the full swing of things. I was home over the holidays and took a break from the coding to focus on my overflowing support inboxes. I answered and filed hundreds of emails, some as old as a year! It is a huge relief to finally have most of the support emails answered. One of my news year’s resolutions is to go over the inboxes every two weeks to prevent them from becoming unmanageable. There are still emails to answer, so if you haven’t heard from me yet wait a few days and then write back if there’s still no reply.

Journler 2.5.4 is just around the corner. The 2.5.4 update ensures Leopard compatibility, fixes a number of problems and greatly improves tagging. The beta 14 version has been afloat for over a month and I’m pleased with the results. A beta 15 was released yesterday. There are just a couple more issues to address and then 2.5.4 will be ready for the public. If you can’t wait any longer you can give the beta a go, or if you’re running Mac OS 10.5 Leopard you should already be using it. Download Journler 2.5.4 b15 and read this post.
I’ll be roaming the Macworld trade floor this afternoon and tomorrow. If you’re in town for the conference and would like to meet up or even see some of the beautiful North Beach neighborhood where I live, send me an email.

In my last blog post from mid October I mentioned that the Journler license would be changing. I have made a final decision in this regards and will discuss the changes in my next post.

Journler 2.5.4 For Leopard
It’s a big day for Mac users. Mac OS X Leopard is available, and I’m certain many of you are already installing it. There are a lot of great changes to the OS, and developers have been busy preparing their applications.

Journler 2.5.4 beta is the pre-release version of Journler’s next incremental update. Journler 2.5.4 includes a number of changes, but most important for early Leopard adopters, it ensures compatibility with the new OS.

Although 2.5.4 is still in the beta stage, it is strongly advised that Leopard users update their copies of Journler. The current version of Journler sports a number of compatibility issues which 2.5.4 addresses. Of course, Mac OS Tigers users may update to the beta as well, but it is not necessary.

Download Journler 2.5.4 beta

Please note that it may be necessary to reset your password with this update. You’ll find the instructions at the Journler wiki: Resetting your Password. All beta users should enable auto-updating in Journler’s preferences and monitor the beta forum for announcements.

Journler Drops Support For Blogging
I have decided to drop blogging from Journler. I originally added blogging because it was a popular request, but I have never been able to fully realize the feature. Rather than continue to support a half-finished product which I feel reflects poorly on the overall quality of Journler, I chose to remove it. If you are a prolific or even causal blogger you will need to use another program such as MarsEdit or Ecto for that portion of your journaling.

Journler 2.5.4 is the Last Donationware Version of Journler
I intend to release the final version of Journler 2.5.4 by November 15th. This will be the last version of Journler to use donations or the dual license system. Slated for release in two to three months, Journler 2.6 will include a number of major improvements and fully take advantage of the new Leopard features. It will require a full license for all uses.

I have not come to this decision lightly. While there are many reasons why I have chosen to stop offering Journler as donationware, two stand out. First, Journler has grown too big. I am no longer capable of single handedly managing a project of this size. I require assistance and additional expertise, and both come at a price.

Second, I have come to the conclusion that the donationware model is not sustainable. Software development is what I do for a living, and while I have had some financial success, this is the second month I will not break even since Journler 2.5 was released. Software development is a cyclical business, I understand that, but I must be able to pay the bills consistently. And if I’m going to take on additional help, I’ll certainly need a steady income.

The pricing structure for Journler 2.6 will be announced at a later date. In the meantime, enjoy the 2.5.4 beta if you’re on Leopard, and keep an eye out for the final version in mid November if you’re not.

Edit: Yay! It’s the 16th and the downloads are working again.

Download Journler 2.5.3 here

I have reached the bi-weekly bandwidth limit on my .Mac account and the spigot has been turned off. External access to the account has been suspended until the 16th. Because I host the Journler download on my .Mac account, direct links to the Journler download from any number of sites are not working. Up until about five minutes ago the auto-update feature was also not working.

It blows my mind that I can move 125GB of a 9.8MB download in two weeks, but it is the case. I guess that’s a good thing! A maxed out .Mac account offers 250GB of monthly bandwidth, roughly 26,000 Journler downloads, but it is split into two periods for the month. The one begins on the 1st and the other on the 16th. If you surpass half the total during the first period, as I have, the download stream is disabled until the start of the second. This isn’t terrible. My account is still active, I just have to wait until the 16th for downloads to resume.

Until then I have implemented a temporary workaround. I am now hosting the Journler download from journler.com itself. If you tried to auto-updated earlier today and it did not work, give it another go. If you are looking to download Journler directly, you may use this direct download link instead. Sites which insist on having a hard link to a fixed location, such as VersionTracker and MacUpdate, will not work with the Journler download until the 16th.

Journler 2.5.3 is out and ready for download! Use Journler’s auto-update feature (Journler menu > Check for Updates) or Download Journler 2.5.3 now. For complete instructions on updating Journler, see below.

v2.5.3 is a maintenance release for the 2.5 series and is a recommend update for all Journler users. v2.5.3 features numerous improvements and a lot of behind the scenes work, including:

1. German localization - many thanks to Andreas Häne
2. Danish localization - many thanks to Preben Nielson
3. Crash fix related to Safari 3 beta
4. Fixed memory leak related to live word count
5. Punctuation now allowed in smart folders, no apostrophes or quotes though
6. Improved resource management
7. Attachment drags from Mail now work
8. Updated help files
9. Many, many more improvements and additions

If you are updating Journler using the direct link provided above, follow these steps to install the new version:

1. Quit Journler
2. Download the disk image. It will mount on your desktop
3. Drag the version of Journler on the disk image to your Applications folder or wherever you keep your Journler application. It is ok to replace the old version of Journler. Your journal data is stored elsewhere and will not be effected
4. Once you have copied Journler to your Applications folder, you may close the disk image and trash it
5. Run Journler 2.5.3. Journler may ask for access to your Keychain. This is normal and you should allow it

Be sure to check out the Journler Forums if you have any questions or run into any problems with the update. Enjoy!

MacTech has announced the 2007 MacTech 25: The Mac technical community’s most influential people. With open public voting that started in March, the MacTech 25 allowed the community to recognize those who are the most influential — through their work, writing, or any other effort they may make.

If you can believe it I’m one of the honorees! I want to thank everyone who voted to honor me in the contest. My name appears alongside other huge names in the Macintosh community. Many are individuals I have not personally met but with whom I’ve interacted online, individuals whose names I recognize because of the code and articles they have written or the help they have given me and other developers.

When I began working on Journler some two years ago I never expected the project to take on such dimensions. The program and the community that has developed around it have grown enormously. It’s incredible the interest in Journler and the enthusiasm so evident in Journler’s users. I love to see all the activity on the forums, especially users helping one another out, and to read the positive reviews and comments that appear all over the blogosphere.

Check out the article for a complete write up, which includes images of the honorees.

2007 MacTech 25 List:
Aaron Hillegass, Adam and Tonya Engst, Allan Odgaard, Amit Singh, Andrew Welch, Andy Ihnatko, Ben Wilson, Brent Simmons, Chris Breen, Daniel Jalkut, Dave Nanian, Glen Fleishman, Gus Mueller, Joe Kissell, John Gruber, John Siracusa, Jonathan ‘Wolf’ Rentzsch, Matt Neuburg, Paul Kafasis, Philip Dow, Ric Ford, Rob Griffiths, Scott Stevenson, Ted Landau, Wil Shipley

Honorable Mention:
Adam Christianson, Alex Lagutin, Bruce Lacey, Chris Forsythe, David Pogue, Leo Laporte, Merlin Mann, Schoun Regan

I have decided to institute a minimum donation policy for personal use licenses. I’ve received a number of very small donations and have in the past issued licenses for them. My reasoning has been, perhaps this really is all a person can afford.

I remember when I was a little kid in New Orleans with my parents. We were in the French Quarter at my dad’s favorite café eating airy doughnuts covered in powdered sugar. A street musician was playing jazz trumpet on the corner. I played the trumpet as well and I loved his music.

There was a penny in my pocket, all the money I had. I wanted to give it to the trumpet player. My parents advised against it, for even with the best intentions it could be taken offensively, as though I thought his music were only worth a penny.

Today I received a donation for $0.01. A penny. Single dollar donations unsettled me, but I was willing to give the individual the benefit of the doubt. A penny starts to push it.

On the one hand maybe this is a kid like I was who can’t afford more than a penny, just as there are probably individuals who cannot afford more than a dollar or two. Maybe I’m wrong to get upset about this.

On the other hand, Journler works whether an individual makes a contribution or not. There are no limitations built into the software. A person making a donation of less than five dollars or one of a penny because that’s all their finances allow need not make a donation at all. You need those dollars more than I do.

A few numbers to put things into perspective. A non-personal use license is $24.95. I make no recommendation for a personal use donation. There are ~580 registered users. Of that number 60 have made a donation of $9.99 or less. That’s 10%. 52 users have made a donation of $5.00 or less, about 9%. The average donation is $17.00. Comparing Journler’s price to related software…

Journler: $24.95 or donation
Kit: $24.95
MacJournal: $34.95
Scrivener: $34.99
Yojimbo: $39.00

Average cost: $31.80.

Journler has one of the most generous license policies of any software in its class. I have instituted this policy intentionally, moving as honestly as I can from a freeware/donationware approach to a donationware/shareware one.

Quite frankly, though, it is not working well. Many users do purchase licenses or make donations, and I am extremely thankful for it. Nevertheless, only a small percentage of downloads actually leads to a financial contribution, and the average donation is significantly less than the non-personal use price.

I am a frugal individual. I need little and want less. I like living simply, and I would stand on a soap box and encourage everyone else to do the same. It’s good for the planet and it’s good for your soul. However, in less than two months my cost of living will double with a move to San Francisco. At the current rate I am only just barely able to meet my projected expenses.

Effective immediately I am instituting a minimum donation policy for the personal use license. A donation of $10.00 or more is required for licensed, personal use of Journler. I will simultaneously be recommending a donation of $20.00, where I once made no recommendation at all.

If you have already made a donation and it was less than $10.00 don’t worry. I don’t want you to feel guilty or bad in any way, and you don’t need to make another payment to cover the balance. A personal use license was and is yours. If you were wanting to make a donation but cannot afford the $10.00 minimum, also don’t worry. You need the money more than I do, and Journler will continue working whether you donate or not.

Mac Fanatic is celebrating 50,000 podcast downloads with the Mac Fanatic Software Giveaway. Thirteen software titles are available, including Journler, and you could win one of them! The contest is open to anyone with a valid email address. Participants have a chance at winning their selection from the available software, including Rapidweaver, Delicious Library and Paralleles Desktop among others. The contest is open from April 23 to June 1, 2007. Sign up at at the Mac Fanatic Contest page.

Oh man what an experience. I managed to introduce a small bug into the 2.5.2 download that would prevent certain long time users from accessing their journals. Emails were coming in from all over the place, and it hadn’t even been 20 minutes since the post!

Luckily the problem was an easy fix and I’ve already posted an update. If you were one of the unlucky few, simply redownload Journler from the same location and install the update as you normally would.

Download Journler 2.5.2 + fix

Just like the good ole days! Three weeks into 2.5.1, Journler 2.5.2 is available for download. If you’re already a Journler user, expect an automatic update or select Check for Updates from the Journler menu.

Journler 2.5.2 includes a number of fixes and improvements, and the interface has been modified to take into further account recent user interface reviews. The download is recommended for all users. A list of major changes follows. Enjoy!

• Latest update of iLife media browser
• Added custom label names
• Added AAC QuickTime movie format to audio recorder
• Storing relative path information in addition to alias when adding files
• Added keyboard shortcuts for new window and new floating window
• Fixed a memory leak with bookmarks bar
• Fixed a bug with new, auto-tagged entries not immediately appearing in parent folders
• Optimizing drawing in custom views
• Fixed a problem with returning to journler via dock icon click when in full screen mode
• Numerous user interface improvements