2025-12-01 20:37:52
With nearly over 500 apps installed on the MacBook I use for testing, keeping everything updated is a daily chore. If I wait a week between scans, I end up with 60-80 available updates to install. Based on my experience, the app updater that catches everything doesn't exist. Historically, the app that does the best job is MacUpdater, but, absent any breaking news, it will become deprecated at the end of December.
Today, I ran several updaters on my system to determine how they compared.
2025-12-01 17:47:31
"Bang the Drum All Day" by Todd Rundgren
Share a song that perfectly soundtracks your commute. Well, I'm actually retired, so my commute is the hallway from my bedroom to my computer desk, but I still get the regular honey-do list from Wonder Woman. I've played this song for years at full blast when I wake up with an attitude.
2025-11-28 19:02:20
If you have been taking advantage of all the Black Friday sales, You've got a bunch of information to track - serial numbers, download links, upgrade policies etc. I keep all my software licensing information in KeyKeeper, an app by the same team that operates Bundlehunt. I've been buying Mac software since the days of the classic OS. Believe it or not, some apps I purchased as far back as 2004 are still functional, requiring the original license key when I set up a new system. Shout out to SuperDuper!
I've used various methods to track licensing information: a spreadsheet, Evernote, an email tag, Obsidian, the freeware app, Licensed All of them are functional enough, but when I saw the features in KeyKeeper, I decided to try it out.
KeyKeeper is security focused, requiring a password to enter the database. The design follows modern Mac conventions. There are all of the database fields you'd expect for this type of app, but you can add unlimited custom fields and file attachments, useful for screenshots and apps that have downloadable license keys. The fields for URLs are live, so if you need to visit a product website or redownload the app, you can do both right from KeyKeeper. A feature I like is the ability to create your own categories for your apps and make your own assignments. You can also create a favorites list. If you've been tracking your app purchases in a spreadsheet, you can import the data into KeyKeeper and save yourself all the manual data entry. Once you have the data in KeyKeeper, you can export it into a spreadsheet as well. You can use Python to convert the exported spreadsheet into Markdown notes for Obsidian, if you think that would be helpful.
A single license for KeyKeeper is good for use on two Macs. The regular price is $21.99 if you miss the Bundlehunt special.
2025-11-27 19:27:03
Everyone need a backup plan. The more complex your workflow is, the more complex your backup strategy will become. I use a combination of cloud services (Koofr and kDrive) and syncing across multiple devices (two Mac Laptops, two Linux workstations and a self-hosted server/NAS) with FreeFileSync, Syncthing and SmartBackup. But, the base of my plan is the native macOS backup app, Time Machine. An Internet friend recently suggested an addition to my plan, Backup Loupe by Soma-Zone Software, and after evaluating it, I happily paid full price ($33.53) for a license.
BackupLoupe is a “front-end / analysis / browsing” tool for backups made by Time Machine. Rather than being a replacement backup engine, it helps you inspect, analyze, and restore files from your Time Machine snapshots in a far more transparent way than the stock Time Machine provides. Point it at a backup volume (local drive, external drive, or NAS), and it lists all snapshots (backups), shows their timestamps, and lets you explore each snapshot to view the backed-up files/folders, including their sizes, dates, and changes over time. Basically BackupLoupe gives you insight into your backup history, what changed, what’s large, what’s redundant, in a way Time Machine alone doesn’t.
Backup Loupe is not without its quirks.
Make no mistake, Backup Loupe is definitely a power user tool, not a smooth, commercial instrument for new or inexperienced users. It won’t replace your broader solution but it gives you a human-friendly, detailed lens on what Time Machine is doing. It might help you spot inefficiencies, unnecessary disk usage, or orphaned backups.
2025-11-26 20:25:34
It's always good to see a sale on popular, well established apps. Today through Friday, you can get a dozen quality Mac user favorites individually for half price or as a total package for $77. I've reviewed a few of these apps before and some of them i use every day. Check the links below to see the reviews.
The remaining apps in the sale are:
2025-11-24 21:09:32
Downie
If you want to download video from YouTube, there are a variety of ways. There is a Raycast Extension. There is the great free YouTube muti-action app, Freetube. Finally there is Downie from Charlie Monroe. Downie not only downloads from YouTube, Youku, Bilibili and Vimeo it can download from more than 1,000 sites with more being added bi-weekly. You can even write to the developer and request that a site be added and chances are he will act on it. He even offers to help if you run into a problematic video on a site already in the supported list.
Downie can download 4K video, which not all downloaders can do. It can also convert to MP-4 (for iPad and iPhone use) or do only audio extraction on the fly. It supports iCloud synchronization to maintain your download history over different devices. The app has muli-language support and the developer offers free licenses to anyone who adds a new language to the support library. If you have a legacy operating system, past versions of Downie can be downloaded.
Downie is normally a one-time purchase of $19.99 but it is now on sale for $8 and a single license is good for all the computers you personally own, although if that is greater than three you need to contact the dev for an accommodation.
Downie is also available on Setapp.
There was a minor controversy some time back when the developer left empty threats in his code to delete files from the computers of those running pirated versions of the software. He has since apologized for doing that and no files were actually deleted from anyone's machine.
Permute
Permute by Charlie Monroe (developer of Downie) makes media conversion simple regardless of whether you need to manipulate images, video or audio. Its simple drag and drop interface instantly identifies the media you are working with and uses presets to convert the file to the format you want.
Permute does not require you to download any plugins for video conversion. It can convert FLV or MP4 files natively into dozens of other formats and vice versa. The current version of Permute is 3x faster than previous versions. If you have multiple videos to convert, the app has a scheduler so that you can do the conversions during off hours instead of pegging out your CPU while you are trying to do other work. Another valuable feature is Permute's ability to merge videos so that if you have a part one and a part two, a simple right-click > Merge is all you need to make a single file.
Audio files can be turned into Apple Lossless or FLAC using the same simple drag and drop interface. If you have a video that you want to save just the audio portion of, Permute can easily do that as well.
Permute can turn PDFs into multiple image files, one per page if you need that functionality. It can also do the opposite, turning a folder full of image files into a single PDF.
There are so many other great features in Permute - adjust volume of an audio file or an audio track in a video. Batch-resize, rotate and flip images and videos, convert images to text. And more. When used in conjunction with Downie, you can auto format the downloaded videos for the device where you intend to watch them.
Permute is on sale for $5. There is no current difference in the two versions. It is also available from Setapp.
