Our Verdict
Boy , there are a set of writing applications on the market now . In accession toMicrosoft Word for Mac 2011 ( ) , there are word processors that specialize in handling alien nomenclature ( Nisus Writer , Mellel ) , others that specialize in varlet founding ( Pages ’ 09 ; [ ] ) , and apps that you’re able to use in your web internet browser ( Google Docs ) . Then there are basic text editors , advanced text edition editors , estimate management tools , screenplay - written material program , notetakers , desktop blogging applications , simple committal to writing tools that emphasize attractive font design , outliners , scrapbook , and many other genre that I ’m forgetting . One way to draw the landscape is to say there is something for just about everybody . Another way to describe it would be to say there areway too many options .
MacJournal 6(Mac App Storelink ) offer a remarkably good compromise . It is n’t trying to replace Word , at least for business or pedantic purposes : MacJournal does n’t offer change tracking , footer , endnotes , or indexing . It ’s not a really a page cut tool , either , or an outliner . Nevertheless , as a writing puppet , it is pretty versatile and broadly speaking capable . As a means of organizing or deal your writing , it may be without rival . MacJournal is usually categorized as “ journal ” software . There are mountain of folks who do need to keep day-by-day journal , either for personal or business reason . But MacJournal is a much more generally utile tool and a broader verbal description might be appropriate , say , apersonal writing organizer .
Personal tool
MacJournal is a personal writing tool . It ’s not designed for the form of collaborative redaction that you may do with Microsoft Word or Google Docs . You will do the penning on your own . And if you want to keep your thought to yourself , MacJournal take in it easy , by allowing you both to password protect and code your journal and entrance .
On the other hired hand , if you desire to share your thoughts , MacJournal is design to aid you with that , too — it is one of the good web log editor program I ’ve used . MacJournal is especially useful if you blog at more than one service and want to be capable to keep cartroad of what you ’ve said across web log , with a single , excellent drug user port . I work with both WordPress and Blogger fairly often and have work with Tumblr occasionally , and it is a bit get to to have to cover with the different on-line tools . It take only a minute or two to countenance MacJournal know about my blog accounts at all three services . I had no problems posting to WordPress and Blogger , though work out with Tumblr is a scrap pip - or - neglect .
You ca n’t edit your blog ’s hypertext markup language in MacJournal but that could be a practiced thing for folks unfamiliar with HTML code . Uploading images can also a bit circuitous reckon on the restrictions dress by the on-line service ; Tumblr ’s blogging API , for exercise , does n’t support direct upload of images . MacJournal helpfully lets you know this and instructs you to create a separate upload positioning for pictures . I configured my Tumblr info inside MacJournal to employ a Picasa Web Albums account . After that , images sweep into my daybook entry were uploaded to Picasa Web Albums , the text of the launching was uploaded directly to Tumblr , and the motion picture were referenced . The result ? The web log displayed online exactly as I look . This study a difficult technological job and handles it about as nicely as it could be handled .
you’re able to also print your journals , send an entry to someone by email , or produce an iCal entry from a post . In version 6 , you could even create a leger from a daybook by export to ePub , though I experience a problem export journals containing flick . Mariner technical school support was very helpful and they articulate they are form on a fix .
Writing tools
MacJournal is built upon the writing tools built into Mac OS X , the tool you see and apply in TextEdit . MacJournal has a library of build - in role styles , business line spacing and the other basic initialize options author frequently want .
MacJournal is also very in effect at handling pictures and other non - textual adornment to your writing . To add a picture to an entrance , just drag and miss the picture where you require it to go . control condition - click or right - click the picture to resize it .
Entries are automatically give a “ topic , ” which is the current date and time stamp , but you may change if you like .
MacJournal ’s focussed editing lineament is n’t simply full - blind editing ( as in Pages ) , but a extra green - on - pitch-dark redaction environment that eliminates just about all beguilement . icon appear in focused editing , and dim-witted data format such as italics will be displayed as well . But focalize redaction hides the organizational environment — the panes depict your journals and entries — and lets you focus on the current entry .
Organizing tools
And now we come to the dimension of MacJournal that sets it asunder and above the alternatives : devise your writing efforts . You could use Pages , Word , or TextEdit and pay tight tending to where you were salvage files in the Finder . But distribute with the Finder is so last 100 . MacJournal ’s user port organize your committal to writing for you .
MacJournal ’s organizing puppet are extensive but very easy to read , because they resemble those in other program we all employ , such as iPhoto or Aperture for photos , or your favorite e-mail program , or iTunes . The basic pecking order in MacJournal has three layer . At the top , you have one or moredocuments . Documents containjournalsorsmart journalsand these in turn are collections ofentries . You might never ask more than one document , but some may want to keep personal writing whole separate from work writing , and for this , creating two documents would be the obvious solution . A college professor , for exemplar , might have a document list School , with a daybook for each national teach , and entries for each lecture . Only one document can be the main text file , the one that open automatically and is indexed by Spotlight . Smart Journals , like Smart Playlists in iTunes , automatically collect entries according to criteria you define .
machinate entries by journal and entering is just the commencement . Entries can also be impute tags , label andmoods .
Moving a journal to the applesauce is done immediately , without expect for confirmation . This is in line with the path things work now in OS X and the iOS . The good newsworthiness is that MacJournal has its own trash . When you pan something , it is n’t sent to your Mac ’s trash straightaway . You have to empty the trash in MacJournal . There is a Trash icon in the sidebar , so you may view items you ’ve deleted before you empty the trash for good .
Ease of use
For the most part , in maliciousness of its all-encompassing feature of speech go down , using MacJournal is simplicity itself . You ’ll be creating and edit out entry in no clock time .
I did hightail it into a couple of small problem with the user port . For example , at one point , I expend some time seek to figure out why the Smart Journal menu bidding was dimmed . The corroboration is in the main good but I did n’t observe what I needed there . In the end , the client support folks come through with prompt answers to questions .
Macworld’s buying advice
MacJournal does n’t accost every trouble you may encounter when write . But if you keep a journal , write a blog ( or a yoke of blogs ) , or just want to have a great billet to jot down down your thoughts without occupy about losing them , then MacJournal 6 is hard to flummox .
[ William Porter is an independent software system developer , writer , and case photographer living in Dallas , Texas . ]
