Robert's blog

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A new version is here. I have added a new tab to the preferences window that lets you choose which file types BetterZip should open when you double-click them in Finder. I have also changed the recognition of zip archives a little: Instead of only looking at the file extension, BetterZip now actually looks into unknown files and checks whether they are in zip format or not.

BetterZip 1.4.2 contains an updated version of the unrar utility which enhances the compatibility for newer rar archives. It seems that the old version did not work perfectly on Intel based Macs.

For a complete list of changes see the version history.

Okay, Robert out. I have to go back and play a little more Frenzic. It's a complete waste of time, a lot of time.

If you use archives with non-English character filenames inside, please get this version! I mean it.

Three days after the release of version 1.4 there are naturally not many new features included. Actually, I have only added one button to restore the default four regular expressions for cleaning CVS and .svn folders.

Speaking of cleaning with regular expressions: Long time users might have been puzzled when they first clicked the clean button and the ._ files simply ignored them and remained where they were. No, it's not a new, more resistant breed of ._ files, but a major change in the clean function:

Removing the resource forks and Finder settings is now done by changing the archive mode, either via the File menu or the button in the status bar. The clean button in the toolbar uses the regular expressions you configured in the preferences window (tab Cleaning) to remove files at the moment you use the function. In contrast the resource forks etc. are split and written to ._ files at saving time.

I wanted these two functions to be independent of one another, e.g., I want to remove .svn folders in my source snapshots, but I want to keep the resource forks. Other people might use cleaning to strip .htaccess files in one use case and make Windows compatible archives in another.

So, if you switch to "Compatibility mode", the archive should be kept free of ._ files and __MACOSX folders how ever often you save it.

As always, please find a complete list of changes and bug fixes in the version history.

I have just uploaded the new version 1.4. After more than 3 months this is a long overdue update. It has some neat, new features, enhancements, and important bug fixes.

The new version can not only strip Mac specific files, e.g., resource forks or Finder settings, from archives, but also arbitrary files. This is particularly useful for removing all version control folders with one click. You can enter your own search patterns using regular expressions (Preferences, tab Cleaning). The patterns for the major version control systems Subversion and CVS are already included.

Extracting single files from zip archives is a lot faster in the new version, especially for larger archives. Until this new version BetterZip had to extract the whole archive in the background, even if you only wanted to view one small file. This is no longer necessary.

BetterZip will now remember your favorite archive format and use it for saving new archives. The new 1-Click-Save function can create archives in one step without asking for a filename, folder, or archive format.

BetterZip 1.4 can now open and extract DEB and RPM archives.

Last but not least, extracting archives is now a free functionality. Of course, in a limited way: You can only extract the whole archive in one step. But that should be good enough, to let other people extract archives that you created with BetterZip, e.g. AES-256 encrypted zip files which include resource forks.

For a complete list of enhancements and bug fixes, please see the version history.

Yes, a new product will be announced today. A product so incredibly secret that there exists only this one picture of it. Of course, the image is of low quality, but try to sneak a big camera into the super secret lab twelve stores below the surface in Cupertino. It's impossible.

It will be the fastest "desktop" computer on the market, the Mac Pro Ultra. The first 30 years were really just the beginning and the design of the new flagship is a reverence for those good ol' times.

-- Click for a larger view --

The best part of the new machine is definitely the all new scroll wheel. In fact it is so mighty that we can't see the rest of the Mighty Mouse in this picture. Also take note of the new Cinema Display with true rounded corners and what looks like an integrated iPod Hi-Fi.

The new keyboard not only has USB ports but also an integrated line printer.

Dashboard has been abandoned completely and the widgets have been added directly to the case which has a lot of space anyway. If you look closely you can see gauges for various temperature sensors, a weather widget, CPU meter, internet bandwidth meter (yeah, this one has a neat acronym), and many more meters.

Instead of buying Apple stock it may be wiser to invest in real estate, since many Mac users will be looking for larger homes soon. Right after the Stevenote, I would think.