Justomatic

I've been tossing a few ideas around for a while now. Most of them weren't very good. Then something happened; I had a problem. A problem I've had many (many) times. A problem with a small, but distinct audience. A problem without an existing solution!

"What is it?" you ask?

Unfortunately, this is the part where I tell you I can't reveal exactly what that problem is. I can't tell you because it would keep me up at night waiting for someone who actually knows what they're doing to knock out this application in a week and leave me with nothing to do but cast disparaging remarks at them on Twitter. Suffice it to say, it's niche.

"Well, from what you've told us so far, it sounds great!" you say, and I thank you for that.

So now I've got this idea, like I said, and it's pretty good one. But there's a catch, you see. I don't really know Objective C, or Cocoa, or Cocoa Touch if you want to be a jerk about it. I have little experience writing desktop applications and I'm honestly still a little uncomfortable around words like "retain" and "release". While I'm a pretty quick study, there's something to be said for hitting the ground running.

So this gives me a new idea! Maybe if force myself to document my experience writing this application it will help motivate me. Maybe, it will help someone else and I'll earn some brownie points with the Universe. Maybe if I actually finish this thing someone might stumble across this blog and feel so sorry for me that they buy the application out of pity! That's a win-win-win by my reckoning (it's also a lot of "maybes").

So what's next? I'm not entirely sure. I'll probably try to summarize what I've done so far to prepare myself (you know, montage style). I might also get distracted and lose interest. I don't know, and that's what makes this fun.

I'm a switcher. I had no interest in anything Apple OS 9 and earlier. With the switch to X86 and OS X's geek-approved (and web development friendly) Unix foundation, I was forced to re-evaluate my position. Here are a few excellent applications that have struck a chord with me in my time with Apple.

TaskPaper

The GTD movement is officially out of control. That said, this little application from Hog Bay Software is a testament to the power of simplicity. If you'd rather spend more time working then you spend setting up your to-do lists, this app is for you.

Skitch

Everyone loves Skitch. Take a screen shot, annotate it, draw on it, upload it. If you're a software developer, once you file your first LOLBUG, you'll be hooked.

DrawIt

DrawIt has a clean single window interface, a simple plugin infrastructure, non-destructive editing and and good export options. While still not a replacement for Photoshop, this has become my favorite Core Image editor.

Media Snap

MediaSnap allows you to search Youtube and download the videos to your desktop as Quicktime movies. It's simple. It works. It's free.

TextMate

There are two kinds of software developers. Those who use huge, monolithic IDEs; and those that prefer a simple, lightweight, text editor. TextMate is the answer for anyone who falls into the latter category.

Edit: Added the URL for DrawIt's web site.

Jeff Atwood has a great write up on his blog about why we should support DRM free music. For the most part I agree with his points (I love that Andy Baio quote). However, I think there's an aspect of the situation that's overlooked.

The real reason the iTunes music store was successful while so many others failed was in it's design and execution. Apple was the company that figured out how to make purchasing digital music fun, easy, and aesthetically pleasing. There's real value in the experience that Apple has created, that Amazon fails to provide.

I have not purchased DRM protected music in a long time. There's just too many other legitimate options these days. But if I have the choice of iTunes DRM free or Amazon I will choose Apple every time.

When I first heard the new iMacs were shipping with ONLY glossy LCDs I was bummed.

"I'm a designer" I said with only a touch of self-congratulation, "and it's impermissible for us to use a glossy LCD!"

Never mind that LCDs themselves were technology non grata in the design world not long ago; a glossy screen was out of the question until I realized...

These days I do probably 90% of my work on the web where color reproduction is about as reliable as font availability or screen resolution and testing my designs on a variety of displays (including glossy ones) was much more important than the accuracy of my monitor.

Now I only have one problem. I can not stop cleaning this damn screen! I tilt the monitor so the light hits it "just so" and buff it over and over again with the little included cloth until my arm aches; and then I buff it some more. I buy expensive pre-moistened cloths. I get far too much satisfaction from see my reflection in it's perfect glossy black surface. My glossy screen has made me OCD.

Edit: Changed the title.