Best iCal alternatives?

My wife and I depend on our calendar system heavily now more than ever, raising three young boys and running multiple businesses with complex schedules, plus iphone access. iCal was a dog to begin with, mostly due to bad synching problems. (I learned after a very long time to remove MobleMe from the picture entirely.) However the new iCal in Lion has sent me off the cliff. I just can't tolerate it. What kind of weed were these developers smoking who designed this thing?? I can't tell one color "dot" from another in month view because the dots are so tiny. The defaults when entering a new event cause me to constant re-edit it, and sometimes I end up with a 2-day event that should have been a 1-day event (which isn't obvious on screen until you go to print it or look at it with the iphone), and so forth. It's like they took a dumb calendar system and dumbed it down, hoping that the horrible looking leather strip at the top would win hearts.
So I started looking for iCal alternatives. It must be able to synch with another calendar on my network, and the interface has to be practical and useable.
I stumbled across BusyCal. Wow! It looks just like the old iCal except without all the bull, and actually improves upon it in many logical ways. This is what iCal SHOULD have been. Look at some of their video demonstrations:
http://www.busymac.com/busycal/videos.html
But holy jeebers, $80 for a family license? [Gasp!]
Before I fumble out my wallet, do any of you have other suggestions that are ironclad?

Yeah, I must say, iCal has got to the point where I'm looking for alternatives. Adding events is a total pain if you have multiple calendars (if there's already an even from another calendar and you want to add a new one for the same time you have to click an 'empty' time and then move it later, new events are loaded under existing ones and the new one is the one you are likely to want to edit! editing events is a total pain because of the UI..... I could go on).
Did you ever get anywhere with a fair priced alternative?

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What is the best Mac alternative to Tag & Rename

Hi
On my PC I near-daily used a programme called Tag&Rename to manually manage my MP3s.
I found itunes never tagged correctly and often screwed them up with wrong imagery etc.
Details of Tag&R here: http://www.softpointer.com/tr.htm
Tag & Rename was ideal - I could change literally every tag in the MP3 - both singularly or as an album or compilation. It even allowed me to highlight a selection of MP3s and auto tag them according to Amazon - including adding file and folder images.
I've now replaced my PC with a Macbook Pro and sadly Tag&Rename is not available
Can someone advise me on the best alternative please - either as a software download or from the Mac App Store.
I'm happy to pay for it as I have a lot of MP3s and it something I used daily
Thanks in advance

Fatboyslick,
I have not found a program for the MAC as good as Tag&Rename. Music Tag Editor is as close as I can come to Tag&Rename. I have asked the developer of Tag&Rename if a MAC version would ever be possible for a MAC version and he indicated that he was currently working on one. I have no idea where he is at on the development.
The best thing about Tag&Rename was that I could tell it where to save the file by automatically telling it the drive\directory\artist name\album name\title.mp3
Music Tag Editor lets you rename the file and do a SaveAs but it is way to many steps and I have to change the directories for every artist. You can't create a driectory within the program....
So in short. There is nothing in the MAC world that is as good as Tag&Rename.

Ical alternative

I have nothing against iCal, but it seems to lack the one capability that I need most.
Back in the early-mid 90s I used a very simple software product named Auspice for reminding me of appointments and such. It was not a personal organizer with address books, telephone numbers, or all the other things iCal has, its sole purpose was to remind me with a pop-up window of an appointment.
What I really like about it was its ability to defer reminders. In other words, if a message popped up I could tell it to remind me again in 22 seconds of 12 years or 33 minutes, or whatever time delay I wanted.
Does anyone know of anything similar for OS 10.5?

Hi Martin,
Although iCal doesn't give you a yearly calendar view (which would be nice) you can view events over several months in list view.
To do this open the search results list (the button at the bottom right of the main iCal window with 3 horizontal lines). When you select individual calendars only events from the selected calendar will appear in the results. You can sort by calendar, time, type or name.
In the calendar list, to select one calendar quickly, Cmd-Opt-Click the checkbox by the calendar's name. To select all calendars again Cmd-Click any calendar's checkbox.
Best wishes
John M

What is the best iBook alternative

I was so looking forward to being able to read my books on my Mac but after experiencing the debacle that is the iBook app I've already moved my collection back to iTunes and deleted iBooks.
So my question is, what is the best alternative to iBooks? Assuming there is an alternative - I'm sure all the books I've purchased from the iBook Store are overflowing with DRM.
I'd prefer not to have multiple libraries - I like the way iTunes manages my collection. In a perfect world I'd like to be able to double click on a book in iTunes and have it simply open up on my Mac for reading, highlighting, notating, etc...(which is kind of how I expected the iBooks app to work)
Is there anything out there that comes close to that?
Cheers,
David

Here is how to delete iBooks and get book management functionality back to iTunes:
1. Open Activity Monitor and kill the bookstoreagent service.
2. Delete the file for that service:/System/Library/PrivateFrameworks/CommerceKit.framework/Versions/A/Resources/boo kstoreagent
3. Use AppCleaner to remove iBooks app completely.
4. Restart iTunes and Books menu will appear again there.
5. Copy our ebook files from our backup back to internal storage. This is mainly for ebook files that we didn’t purchase from iBookstore. Don’t worry about books that we purchased from iBookstore, we can re-download them again.
6. Delete the ebook files from~/Library/Containers/com.apple.BKAgentService/Data/Documents/iBooks/Books so iTunes library will detect them as missing. Right click for each book, choose “Get Info” and it will ask the location of the file. Point the location to the ebook file that we have restored. Yes it’s probably a long and tiring process especially if we have plenty of books.
7. An alternative way of step 6 is to delete all the books from iTunes library and re-import them from the files. All the metadata we created before should remain unchanged.
8. Re-download books that we purchased from iBookstore. Or alternatively if we have those books in our iPhone or iPad, we can just sync them with iTunes and choose to transfer those books.

What is the best limewire alternative for 10.4

What is the best alternative ti Limewire for Mac OS X 10.4.11.

None... Don't use it. Most that is available via Limewire is illegal, not to mention can open yourself up to hacked versions of software being sent your way. Get the genuine article from http://www.macupdate.com/ or C!Net's replacement for http://www.versiontracker.com/ Do not use MacKeeper either, as that is malware.

What is the best iTunes alternative for a 4th Generation iPod Touch?

iTunes is the worst music application I have ever used and would love to be able to use a different application to sync music with. I have a really nice computer, but it is taking 10 times longer to sync music than Windows Media Player. I'm beginning to understand all the hate people have for Apple, besides how over-priced all their products are.

white_dynamite wrote:
Found one.
Are you sure? That doesn't look (to me) as though it's suitable for managing an iPod.
I'm guessing, since you mention Windows Media Player, that you have been using it for a while and have just bought yourself an iPod. In that case, you simply need to get used to iTunes, in the same way as a car driver needs to get used to a new vehicle or a new employee has to get used to the demands of his or her new job.
I find iTunes much better for managing the device it has been designed to work with (Apple products) than anything that other MP3 players or Portable Media Players use. Often the software used to manage other MP3 players isn't specifially designed for the device at all and it can be like forcing a round object into a square hole.
Try understanding how you can get can get the best out of iTunes instead of trying to make it do what Windows Media Player does.

What is the best database alternative?

I am collecting data (alarm & counter) from several serial devices which have memory and RTC. Therefore I have to take into account that the collected data will not be chronological and I may need to sum newly collected data to existing records and then overwrite the record. It is possible to reach about 50,000 records/month. In addition, I need to add the data together and graph hourly, daily, weekly, monthly, etc. So read speed is very important for user interaction.
Can someone recommend the best file type or data management practice for this? I am using LV 8.5, so would like to use TDMS but cannot overwrite records in this version. Currently I've settled on MGI Read/Write Anything, but is this the best solution? I'd like to avoid DB Connectivity Toolkit and don't think I'd get any speed advantage anyway. I just need the best way to pull out an individual record, overwrite it, and scan quickly through the entire file.
Are there any other tools in later LV versions other than overwriting TDMS records?
Clint
Solved!
Go to Solution.

Consider SQLite, a very fast "database in a file". The LabVIEW wrapper I use is here; no DB Connectivity Toolkit needed. All the stuff you describe is easy in SQL. Write speed is greater than 100k timestamped readings per second, and read speed is higher. You'd need to upgrade your 8.5 LabVIEW, though.

Sound blaster 5.1 DE was the best any alternative?

Hi
i used the sound blaster 5. digital edition http://images.ausprices.com/images/product/550_-x-.jpg for about three years, it had?a great?surround mixer http://www.hardware-one.com/reviews/...ixer-5-big.jpg?with some amazing voice effects like chipmunks robot etc. Another big feature was the li've echo for microphone. i do a lot of online singing so this card was such a charm to sing with.
Not being able to use this card after upgrading to vista, thats a heartbreaker.
i have now already tested:
1the usb xf-i: dint help at all, no effects what so ever
2 pci audigy value: no special effects for mic, no echo for mic
3 usb xf-i surround 5.: close to what i want, no effects or echo for mic (even though the karaoke patch fixes the microphone delay)
I am just wondering: which one of the current creative product offers these same effects or better? does it come with small form factor pc support? which one of these will suit a laptop?
May be i have asked too many question but i really wonder who can take place of such a champion soundcard in a vista world
Best Regards in advance

Re: sound blaster 5. DE was the best any alternati've? I'm not entirely sure what model is the usb X-Fi that you're refering to. However, a product that comes close will be the X-Fi Go! It's a flashdri've sized usb audio device that has voice morphing and echo enhancements.
Check out the info here under software features ->
http://support.creative.com/kb/ShowA....com,case=5490
Microphone effects
Morph into another person while chatting with your friends over your instant messaging software using our in-built microphone effects feature!
Karaoke software (free bonus software download from Internet)
Not a gaming fan? This software is just for you! Sing along with your favorite songs and in the key that you are most comfortable with using our Pitch Shifter function.
Just to be extra sure, i suggest you contact the presales team on the feature set

ICal alternatives

I have nothing against iCal, but it seems to lack the one capability that I need most.
Back in the early-mid 90s I used a very simple software product named Auspice for reminding me of appointments and such. It was not a personal organizer with address books, telephone numbers, or all the other things iCal has, its sole purpose was to remind me with a pop-up window of an appointment.
What I really like about it was its ability to defer reminders. In other words, if a message popped up I could tell it to remind me again in 22 seconds of 12 years or 33 minutes, or whatever time delay I wanted.
Does anyone know of anything similar for OS 10.5?

I've been using BusyCal for almost six months and I won't go back to iCal. I think iCal is fine for a personal or family calendar, but for business use or "power users", BusyCal is the way to go.
The calendar list and ToDos that carry forward are a must for me and syncing with Google is a breeze. I sync it to my iPhone and iPad using iCloud (prior to iCloud, I synced with MobileMe). The ToDos sync to all three (using BusyToDo on the iPhone nad iPad).
Works great and the one question I had was answered the same day by thier support team via email. Go for it.

What is the best rated flash alternative for iPad?

What is the best rated alternative for adobe flash for the iPad?
<Edited by Host>

If you want ratings, why haven't you gone to the App Store, searched and read the reviews?

Sidebar missing from iCal in Lion - seeking a third party product to restore lost functionality

Apple has removed the sidebar, the always-on list of calendars that required no click.
The shallow popover that appears only when clicked — obscuring part of the calendar before disappearing — is to me (and some others) an unacceptable substitute for working with multiple calendars, especially where calendars are grouped across multiple servers.
I'm aware of third party alternatives to iCal. (Most full-featured calendar interfaces do have an always-on full-height list of calendars. Probably the best known alternative to iCal is BusyCal.)
This topic does not seek alternatives; I do wish to continue using iCal, albeit in a way that is less frustrating than what Apple forces upon users of 10.7.
This topic seeks:
a third party product that will restore lost functionality to iCal.
To any developer who reads this topic: please, I beg you, on my knees, submit your iCal sidebar app — or whatever you wish to call it — to the App Store as soon as you can. I'll gladly pay, and more than gladly help to test any pre-Store development version.
Other readers please note: whilst I'm extraordinarily frustrated by Apple's design decision, this is not an invitation to rant. Let's gain something constructive from this discussion.
If you wish Apple to restore the sidebar to iCal, as an option, then please:
submit iCal feedback to Apple, with your use case; explain why for you personally the limited disappearing popover is a poor substitute; explain how the sidebar will improve both (a) your productivity and (b) your appreciation of Apple's software.
Side note: no category includes iCal, so I file this opening post under Using Mac OS X v10.7 Lion.
Thank you
Graham

Gauroch wrote:
the new way
Many things in the new iCal are beautifully designed. I am certain that the new iCal will be enjoyed by people who use the new multi-session screen sharing for Mac OS on iOS (that should be a separate topic).
iCal's aqua popover default may be perfect for people who have only a handful of calendars.
Critically
The new design fails completely to offer an always-on full-height list of calendars — invaluable when working with more than a handful of things.
The screenshot below, taken whilst evaluating BusyCal, shows a subset of my list of calendars (more than the average user, that's why an always-on list is so valuable). In shot: three accounts on a CalDAV server. I have other, lesser used accounts on other CalDAV servers. Also some use of Exchange servers. My own case is extreme but there's a guiding principle for a variety of use cases:
some users need to see the list of calendars all the time.
What's exmplified below has become impossible in iCal 5.0 (1535) in Mac OS X 10.7 (Build 11A511).
I plead with Apple, or a third party developer, to restore the sidebar list of calendars to iCal.
Apple's limitation is acceptable when the user has only two calendars —
— but for some other classes of user, completely inappropriate.
The percentage of users troubled by the loss of functionality may be less than the percentage enjoying the popover, but that in itself does not reduce the trouble, the frustration.
The sidebar was present in 10.4, removed in 10.5. Many users of 10.5 complained.
The sidebar reappeared in 10.6. Removal in 10.7 is almost completely dumbfounding.
I would like to say, "give it time — the more you use it, the more it will be appreciated" but for me this is not true. For some weeks I tried to work with this build of iCal and the more I used it, the greater the frustration. I grew to avoid iCal.
In most ways the feature set of iCal is unequalled. Support for many standards is excellent. The removal of the sidebar is a blight on this brilliance.
I plead with Apple or a third party developer to fix this at the earliest opportunity. I want Apple iCal — but user-friendly, not crippled.

View holidays in iCal 5.0.3

sorry may be a dup...
how do I view holidays in iCal 5.0.3???

Apple does not comment on their design decisions, and certainly won't do so here. If you want to comment to Apple, you can do so via their feedback page:
http://www.apple.com/feedback/macosx.html
The only way to "resolve" the issue as of right now is to use some other calendar application. But even BusyCal, the most common iCal alternative, doesn't display more than one month at a time in the sidebar.
Regards.

Why is ical 5.0.3 search inaccurate?

For example, if I type in "Dad" then I get Dad events but a number of other events without the word dad.

Apple does not comment on their design decisions, and certainly won't do so here. If you want to comment to Apple, you can do so via their feedback page:
http://www.apple.com/feedback/macosx.html
The only way to "resolve" the issue as of right now is to use some other calendar application. But even BusyCal, the most common iCal alternative, doesn't display more than one month at a time in the sidebar.
Regards.

Ical 5.0.3

Any reason why Apple would "upgrade" a perfectly reasonable aesthetic for ical with one with a "vintage" look and at the same time diminish its functionality?
My point: it seems that in "month" view, one cannot have a small side bar with previous month and future month displayed.
Frankly, this is one of my pet peeves re: "hard copy" calendars. If there's a way to resolve, I would love to know!

Apple does not comment on their design decisions, and certainly won't do so here. If you want to comment to Apple, you can do so via their feedback page:
http://www.apple.com/feedback/macosx.html
The only way to "resolve" the issue as of right now is to use some other calendar application. But even BusyCal, the most common iCal alternative, doesn't display more than one month at a time in the sidebar.
Regards.

Best CLI DVD ripper IYO?

What's the best CLI DVD ripper IYO?
There are quite a few options as far as ripping a DVD from the commandline goes; there's burn, the python script, or dvd-backup, another decent command line utility, or the script on the wiki for use with mplayer's mencoder.
I'm looking for opinions as to which is the best, or alternatively, why you like the one you've got. Being a CLI-fanatic, I want the best ripper I can run in a terminal, with the lowest number of dependencies possible, and preferably no gui at all (i.e. not mencoder, which requires you to have mplayer installed) :cry:
Your thoughts?

shadowhand wrote:Two questions about dumping DVDs: Can you loopmount the dump? And if so, can you rip the loopmount? :shock:
You can loopmount it with mount -o loop movie.img. But why would you want to? You can play them with mplayer -dvd-device movie.img dvd:// or set the dvd device node of your favorite multimedia player to movie.img.
As for the second question: I'm not entirely sure. There'll probably some dvd rippers that can rip from an image. I also know that FreeBSD has a program (vndconfig?) that can create a device node that points at the image. I'm not sure Linux can do something like that. But again: why would you want to?

Best iCal alternatives?

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