So I have finally found about 30 minutes of free time to just have fun with XCode 3, Objective-C 2, Interface Builder 3 and the like all bundled in Leopard. I’m extremely impressed with all the improvements made to the development suite, minus one major shortcoming: HUD Controls.

HUD (Heads Up Display) are those gorgeous black windows that have started popping up all over Mac applications. Especially in iPhoto and Aperture, as well as Pages and more, these beautiful windows serve a specific purpose. Apple went so far as to finally include a HUD window in Interface Builder, so that developers don’t have to use a hacked together version (Interface Designers like uniformity, so it is better when everyone is using the same thing vs 15 different versions of the same window, which is the case now). So, I naturally assumed that Apple also provided HUD versions of buttons, lists, and more, to match this window.

I was wrong.

I can create this nice window with no effort now, but as soon as I place something on it, it looks stupid. The simple screenshots above illustrates the effect. (Also notice the differences in the window itself. See how big of a difference there is just on the lines at the bottom right of the window where you resize? Now imagine that every time I had to write an application, I had to make this from scratch. With all the Mac developers out there, you can imagine that there are lots of variations). I sure hope that Apple fixes this soon and doesn’t wait until 10.6 and a new window style to add this for developers.

Introducing CandyBar 3, only for Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard. Brought to you by Panic and the Iconfactory, CandyBar 3 lets you easily and safely customize your Leopard system icons like the trash can, volumes, and even the infamous Leopard default folders, so your desktop will be uniquely yours. And now, with Pixadex’s feature set built right into CandyBar, users can import, organize and search huge numbers of icons quickly and easily, making it super simple to find just the right icon.

Greensboro, NC - November 27, 2007 - From the start, you could tell they were meant to be together. Pixadex, our intuitive and familiar icon organizer, and CandyBar, our safe and cheerful icon customization utility, always worked hand-in-hand to transform your desktop into a place you could call home.

Now, thanks to the power of modern computerized technology, unthinkable magic has happened: these two apps have been joined into one!

Introducing CandyBar 3, only for Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard. Brought to you by Panic and the Iconfactory, CandyBar 3 brings the best of CandyBar 2 and Pixadex 2 together into one powerful, new application. CandyBar, as always, lets you easily and safely customize your Leopard system icons like the trash can, volumes, and even the infamous Leopard default folders, so your desktop will be uniquely yours. And now, with Pixadex’s feature set built right into CandyBar, users can import, organize and search huge numbers of icons quickly and easily, making it super simple to find just the right icon.

But wait, there’s more! CandyBar 3 goes even further, now allowing users to even customize the look of the Leopard dock, just by simply dragging and dropping new images from the Finder. Better still, specially marked iContainers - neatly packaged sets of icons, available now at The Iconfactory - even contain built-in replacement Docks, usable with a single click.

With a brand new interface, 512 x 512 icon support, Quick Look integration in the Finder, super fast icon loading and browsing, improved smart collections, and much more, this is truly an upgrade to be reckoned with.

CandyBar 3 is available today from Panic for the low price of $29. Discount upgrade pricing is available for registered users of both CandyBar 2 and Pixadex 2. Additionally, users who purchased CandyBar 2 or Pixadex 2 on or after October 1st, 2007 qualify for a free, instant upgrade to CandyBar 3

As an extra bonus, CandyBar 3 also includes a built-in brand new icon set, Float, from The Iconfactory. Automatically installed on first launch, and with a a clean, simple style, Float makes your system feel lighter than air.

Visit Panic.com for full details and to download your free trial version today!

Marketcircle’s Billings, the quoting, time-tracking and invoicing Mac business software that promises gorgeous, professional invoices in minutes, is now Leopard compatible. Billings won MacUser 2007 “Business Software of the Year” - once again proving that Marketcircle is the Mac business software company.

You can check out my review of Billings here.

Aquafadas is sponsoring an Indie European developer software discount with several great Mac apps such as RapidWeaver, CSSEdit, iDive, Money, Feeder, and of course, PixelMator.

Huge discounts are in place and the kickoff for the event is Nov 27. Be sure to check it out for great deals on Mac software, up to 70% off!

Give Good Food to Your Mac

So I was browsing YouTube after viewing a video of the latest Mac commercial appearing on websites today, and came across this older video from CBS News talking about the similarities between Vista and Tiger. As always, the comments proved interesting and I had to post my favorite one below:

The authoring of software doesn’t mean others can’t evolve it or include it in their OS. Thanks to Microsoft now those features that appear on both OS will be more stable and neetly polished rather than performing a rush job typical of Apple. Wintel PC are cutting edge, Apple lovers it’s time to switch to a reliable and stable Wintel PC

Yep, Mac users, it’s time to switch to a reliable and stable Wintel PC.

So the incredibly amazing and addicting game from the IconFactory is now available as a beta for the iPhone. It is a webapp, so you just point Safari on the iPhone or iPod Touch to http://frenzic.com/iphone/ and you can play the game as if you were playing it on your Mac!

I was just generally impressed with this commercial from Subaru advertising the new Forrester.

The Employment Non-Discrimination Act passed the House of Representatives on November 7, 2007 with a vote of 235 to 184.

The Knoxville News Sentinel states:

Passage of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act came despite protests from some gay rights supporters that the bill does not protect transgender workers. That term covers transsexuals, cross-dressers and others whose outward appearance does not match their gender at birth. The measure would make it illegal for employers to make decisions about hiring, firing, promoting or paying an employee based on sexual orientation. It would exempt churches and the military.

I’m personally excited to see this bill make it this far. However, it still has to pass the Senate as well as President Bush, so I’m not expecting it to make it into law until the new Congress convenes with elections next fall. One important point here is the fact that gender has been ignored in this version of the bill. While it would make me very happy to have sexual orientation added to the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, it will still ignore those in the LGBT community which feel confined by traditional gender roles.

I’m interested to hear other people’s opinions on the exclusion of gender identity in the ENDA bill. In the student organization I’m involved with in on campus, we are struggling amongst ourselves for our group policy on the matter and how to pursue it in the University. Anyone with past experience, etc, it would be great to hear what you have to say.