Delicious Library: Buy Now, Upgrade Later for Free.
As you might have guessed after we shipped Delicious Library, we've been working on Delicious Library 2. Shocking, I know.
We've had some nice previews on Theocacoa, Ars Technica, The Unofficial Apple Weblog, and, of course, Apple.
We're working our butts off on version 2 ever since we shipped version 1, but there have been delays - first off, because we had two very major free updates to version 1 (the international release 1.5, and the new webcam barcode scanning algorithm for version 1.6) that took a long time each (as well as some minor updates), and second because we decided when we saw Leopard that we should re-target our release as Leopard-only, which meant spending a year debugging Leopard with Apple.
We're very, very close now, and I'm happy to announce that everyone who buys or has bought a license to Delicious Library version 1 (the current version, for sale now), on or after December 1st, 2007, will qualify for a free upgrade to 2.0 when it's available.
Delicious Library 1 (that will be 2) would make an excellent Christmas gift, or gift for whatever holiday you celebrate at this time of year, if any. Sure, it's too late for חֲנֻכָּה, but, uh, isn't פֶּסַח coming? In a few months, or something?
So buy now! Without fear! Momma needs Christmas presents! Daddy needs to pay the rent on the old Omni building that is now vacant and losing $10,000 a month!
[To make my lawyers happy, I should mention that, SHOULD SOME unforeseen complication arise and we never ship Delicious Library 2, this deal is null and void. Sorry. I will say that we are using out best efforts to get Delicious Library 2 out and do it in a timely manner, and that "best efforts" is a real legal term and does obligate us to really try, for serious, which doesn't really worry me because, seriously, I'm working nights, weekends, weekdays... ALL THE FREAKIN' TIME. Also, I mean, we've already won an Apple Design Award for version 2 -- obviously, we've gotta ship it.]
We've had some nice previews on Theocacoa, Ars Technica, The Unofficial Apple Weblog, and, of course, Apple.
We're working our butts off on version 2 ever since we shipped version 1, but there have been delays - first off, because we had two very major free updates to version 1 (the international release 1.5, and the new webcam barcode scanning algorithm for version 1.6) that took a long time each (as well as some minor updates), and second because we decided when we saw Leopard that we should re-target our release as Leopard-only, which meant spending a year debugging Leopard with Apple.
We're very, very close now, and I'm happy to announce that everyone who buys or has bought a license to Delicious Library version 1 (the current version, for sale now), on or after December 1st, 2007, will qualify for a free upgrade to 2.0 when it's available.
Delicious Library 1 (that will be 2) would make an excellent Christmas gift, or gift for whatever holiday you celebrate at this time of year, if any. Sure, it's too late for חֲנֻכָּה, but, uh, isn't פֶּסַח coming? In a few months, or something?
So buy now! Without fear! Momma needs Christmas presents! Daddy needs to pay the rent on the old Omni building that is now vacant and losing $10,000 a month!
[To make my lawyers happy, I should mention that, SHOULD SOME unforeseen complication arise and we never ship Delicious Library 2, this deal is null and void. Sorry. I will say that we are using out best efforts to get Delicious Library 2 out and do it in a timely manner, and that "best efforts" is a real legal term and does obligate us to really try, for serious, which doesn't really worry me because, seriously, I'm working nights, weekends, weekdays... ALL THE FREAKIN' TIME. Also, I mean, we've already won an Apple Design Award for version 2 -- obviously, we've gotta ship it.]
posted by Wil Shipley at 5:39 PM
45 Comments:
The message I've been waiting for!
Have all my DVDs stacked up and ready to scan :-)
DANKE
Nils
Berlin/Germany
What's the upgrade price for people who bought Delicious Library before December 1?
$20! A bargain! Just wait til you see what's in it!
I'm anxiously waiting for release 2. I have over 2,000 cds to log. Is there any benefit to getting the current version and then the free upgrade? How much will version 2 cost for a first time buyer vs. current price of $40? I've waited this long, I'm going to wait for 2 unless you convince me otherwise :-) Thanks! Carlos
Great! I've really liked how DL1 looks, but it's missing stuff that seems to be coming in DL2!
Bought it after reading this so I can get started on scanning everything in while waiting for DL2.
Thanks!
Seeing as how it was supposed to be released at the end of October its a bit shitty to offer the upgrade to people for free who buy it after December 1st.
to people for free who buy it after December 1st
I'm very sorry you feel that way. Software is often delayed, simply because software is hard write. "Supposed to be" is a funny term -- I mean, I was HOPING to have this release out two years ago, but it just didn't happen, so I guess you can say I was "supposed to" release it whenever you want.
None-the-less, I don't want any unhappy customers -- you can write to support ( at ) delicious-monster.com to get a prompt and cheerful refund. And please continue using Delicious Library if you'd like, with my compliments.
-Wil
blog owner approval thats fucking ridiculious, CENSORSHIP TO ALL!!! i take back my comment you guys fucking suck, worse than all the big companies put together and you guys aren't even a quarter of there size (3 wait 2 people) no wonder that other guy went to apple, they release software!!!! people leave bad comments because you guys fucked up and never released anything, what do you expect?
Ok, seriously. It's not "censorship" in any MEANINGFUL sense of the word for me to decide I don't want my blog defaced with spam or crazed rants.
This is not a public forum. It's not a press. I'm not a government. I'm a dude, I have a place, and I have every right to decide what I do and don't allow to be said on my site.
There are a million open forums on which you can express yourself. They are not particularly well-read because it turns out when you open up a forum for anyone to post anything, it quickly devolves into the same set of crazy arguments, spam, and people just trying to be noticed.
I also don't invite you into my home and let you spray-paint slogans on my walls. I suppose this is censorship as well.
-W
Carlos:
Delicious Library 2 will cost $40, so there's no harm in waiting to find out if it'll be better for you.
With 2,000 CDs, Delicious Library 1 is going to be too slow for you. If you have a decent machine, though, Delicious Library 2 should be fine -- but I encourage you to try it for yourself when it's out.
-W
i haven't seen any word on a wishlist feature. is this included? or not? or we will just have to wait to find out?
In general we have not announced all the features of Delicious Library 2, or even any of them.
However, I can tell you that wishlist support won't be in there. It's a great idea, and we'd love to do it, but Amazon doesn't really want to provide an XML API onto Wishlists (write now they have read-only support for them) because they don't like the idea of third parties logging in on behalf of the users.
So, we can do it, but it'll take more work. The focus of version three is going to be on community and web sharing.
-W
I've been waiting to hear when people will be able to upgrade for free.
I'm giving my mom her first Mac soon and she said "please can you get me that library application you told me about."
Expect two sales of Delicious Library 2 from me.
Thanks for the hard work guys.
Version 3? Probably wont be using DVDs and CDs in 2028.
Probably wont be using DVDs and CDs in 2028.
Har har. No, seriously, this release we both switched to CoreData and to CoreAnimation, as well as adding five HUGE features and several hundred smaller ones.
AND we were delayed a year when we had to go back and do things to version 1 for free (remember we're on 1.6 now).
Version 3 will, hopefully, go much smoother -- it's got a smaller feature set and does NOT include rewriting every darn line of code.
-W
"we decided when we saw Leopard that we should re-target our release as Leopard-only"
Does this mean DL2 will not be back compatible with 10.4x?
No, I'm sorry. Delicious Library 2 will only work on 10.5 and later.
CoreAnimation simply doesn't exist on 10.4, nor do some of the other frameworks we require. It's because of CoreAnimation and CoreData that we were able to speed up Delicious Library so much for large collections.
-W
"I would never switch Delicious Library 2 back to Tiger -- not with CoreAnimation and Objective-C 2.0. The changes to Cocoa are so fundamental that I feel I'm learning to program again, at yet a higher level. Going from 10.5 to 10.4 would be like going from 10.4 to Windows -- it's just not worth any possible monetary gain."
This decision excludes many users of DL1 from upgrading to DL2 because they may have hardware or application software restrictions or issues that prevent them from upgrading to Leopard. It's a shame that you closed an entire market of 10.4 users who are also loyal DL users.
This decision excludes many users of DL1 from upgrading to DL2 because they may have hardware or application software restrictions or issues that prevent them from upgrading to Leopard. It's a shame that you closed an entire market of 10.4 users who are also loyal DL users.
I agree, it's a shame. It's really an issue you should take up with Apple if your machine doesn't run Leopard. They are the ones who chose to exclude you, not us. In our case, we simply can't get the speed gains we need without going to Leopard.
We feel we also have an obligation to our loyal users who ARE up-to-date, to use the latest technology available to us to make the best application possible.
-W
I think it's a really great thing that you decided to go Leopard only. Feels so much better to run software that actually uses the latest technology Apple provides.
Most people will upgrade anyway in the near future. Tiger will be almost dead in a year.
I can't wait for DL2 to come out but you take your time to get it right. Seriously, why do people get bent out of shape about such things? It's a program (an awesome one but still just a program). Keep up the good work.
Dave
Will the new version have an API so that we could write extensions or plug-ins?
I like the fact that you can scan barcodes in from Amazon, but it would be really nice to have support for the LCCN since there are many books that just don't exist in Amazon's catalog but do have an LCCN.
There's an LCCN field in version 2, but you have to populate it yourself. We do sort correctly on it, using their byzantine algorithm.
You can extend DL2 using AppleScript, full read and write. You can read the database as well since it's standard sqlite, and we're going to publish our data model file so you can write your own CoreData apps that access our data.
-W
Hello! I was just updating my Delicious Library collection and thought "Gee, I should see if there's any more info on when version 2 is coming out" so I came here. It's a bit disheartening to see some of the rude comments folks are making on here so I thought I'd try to counterbalance things a bit.
I technically own two licenses for Delicious Library (I bought the second to get the scanner) - and I've been a happy customer since day 1! My only question as a Delicious Librar user: When will you release more info on the new features you expect to include in version 2? When do you hope to have beta testing done? Eagerly awaiting version 2's release... ~ Dan L.
Great. Thanks for the offer as I've been periodically checking back to see when DL2 was released. I have stacks of books in my dining room since I recently bought some new bookcases. While my biggest complaint was the lack of LCCN, real-life testing with DL1 and other products (including Windows, eck) was miles apart. The scanning is simply quicker and more accurate with DL. Give that propeller head a raise!
-- Jason
P.S. Nice retort regarding "censorship". Sadly, many people seem to think the "free speech" listed in our bill of rights guarantees them the opportunity to say whatever they want, however they want and wherever they want.
Thank you, finally the offer I´ve been waiting for. Licensed my copy of DL yesterday and now I´ll wait till you finish version 2.
Take another week or even two if it means a better, more shiny product...
BTW, I will be able to import my Library into version 2, will I?
Hello Wil,
Well, I've just write you an email with some questions about DL2, but I've just discover the "Delicious Blog" and find an answer to severals questions, but not all...
So about the Bluetooth barcode scanner :
- Is it really worth it ? (I've got between 3 and 4 thousands CDs !)
- Will it be working with DL2 ?
- If I decide to buy it with the 1.6.6 version, how long it will takes to received it (I live in France) ?
Finally, you said that DL 1.6 is going to be too slow with 2000 (or more) CDs to list...
Do you think I could already buy DL 1.6 and begin to scan my CD collection, waiting for DL2, or will it be a waste of time ?
Thanks in advance for your answer !
So about the Bluetooth barcode scanner :
- Is it really worth it ? (I've got between 3 and 4 thousands CDs !)
I would think so. The new scanner can hold several THOUSAND UPCs in-between dumps to the computer, and it is VERY fast at scanning.
It's the difference between pulling each CD out and scanning it and putting them back immediately, OR pulling them out, putting them by your computer in a stack, scanning them from the stack, taking the stack back and re-shelving, etc.
- Will it be working with DL2 ?
Yes, absolutely. Otherwise our existing customers would kill us.
- If I decide to buy it with the 1.6.6 version, how long it will takes to received it (I live in France) ?
It depends on which shipping option you use -- they are listed in the store inside the application.
Finally, you said that DL 1.6 is going to be too slow with 2000 (or more) CDs to list...
Do you think I could already buy DL 1.6 and begin to scan my CD collection, waiting for DL2, or will it be a waste of time ?
I would honestly just wait for 2.0.
-Wil
My only question as a Delicious Librar user: When will you release more info on the new features you expect to include in version 2? When do you hope to have beta testing done?
We're not planning to say anything on Delicious Library 2 ourselves before we release it, but I think you will see more press coverage of it soon if you keep your eyes open.
We hope to be done with beta testing on February 20th, but everything is subject to what the beta testers find.
-W
Hello Will,
Thanks for your answer about the barcode scanner.
In your answer, you told me : "The new scanner can hold several THOUSAND UPCs in-between dumps to the computer, and it is VERY fast at scanning"
Should I understand that you've replaced the Microvision Flic scanner by the new Microvision ROV barcode scanner with more barcode capacity storage (about 2500) ?
So, does it mean that if I buy DL 1.6.6 with the barcode scanner, I will received the NEW barcode scanner and not the old one ?
In fact, you don't talk about this new scanner on the website...
As I said before, I'm seriously thinking to buy DL with the barcode scanner and after your answer to my questions, I'm pretty sure to buy it, but I would be very very disapointed if I didn't received the NEW barcode scanner, replacing the old Flic scanner (with only 500 barcode memory).
So could you confirm to me that I will get the new barcode scanner if I place my order of DL 1.6.6 now (waiting to download the new and free update of DL2) ?
Otherwise, you told me that there's several shipping options for the barcode scanner in the DL Licensor (or store), but I can't find where...(there's only 3 steps and I just can type my coordonates and credi card details on step 3...)
And finally, I've received an answer from Mike Lee (I write my first questions email to all the people for which I've found email adress on your website), and Mike didn't told me about the new scanner, but he told me that the scanners are actually on back order from your supplier...
So I would be grateful if you told me more precisely what should I expect if I order the barcode scanner now (what model, how long it will takes before you received new stock for the scanner...etc...)
Sorry for this long message with a lot of questions, but I'd like to be sure about how things works before spending around 250$ !
I'm sure you'll understand that :)
Thanks in advance for your answer.
PS : you can answer me in private (enidivad@gmail.com) if you don't want to publish this long post on the DL Blog.
David
We are in the process of switching from the Microvision FLIC to ROV scanners. I met with them on Friday to set up a new deal, and we should get our first shipment this week.
HOWEVER, we don't have a signed deal yet, or have any inventory, so I'm not announcing or promising anything yet. I will say that they don't make FLIC any more, and we've sold out of our existing inventory. So either we sign this deal or we end up refunding some customers' money, which would kind of suck for all of us.
The shipping options you get depend on what country you've entered into Address Book. For overseas you might only have one option. I honestly don't know at this point.
I sure HOPE the scanner doesn't cost you $250 -- we list it for about half of what Microvision does, at $180 -- the lowest price you'll find, I would wager.
In the final analysis, I encourage you to wait on ordering the scanner, because, as I said, we're not getting any until later this week. If you want to be sure, wait until we announce.
Yours,
-Wil
Do you have any sense on when v2 will be ready? I'm mainly concerned that there are such huge lags between releases.
I understand that it seems like a huge lag between releases, but the thing to keep in mind is that there have been releases -- a lot of them. Just free ones. I simply failed to charge for them. I'm working 100% of the time on this software.
Version 1.5 added international support -- it wasn't just localized, it supported any user having books from various places in the world.
Version 1.6 had a whole new algorithm for barcode scanning, completely rewritten over five or so months to work with internal iSights, which cannot focus. It is unique in the industry.
--
But, to answer your questions, implied and explicit, (a) version 2 should be out in February according to my current FogBugz schedule, but that schedule is subject to not discovering more bugs, and (b) I'd like to come out with a major release every year, barring unforeseen things like hardware changes.
-Wil
Thanks for that posting, Will. That's what people like to hear. I am probably speaking for the majority of DL users when I say that we are fine with the delays between releases, as you make great software, but we just want to be updated about dates. It gives us something to look forward to.
Hello Will,
Any news about the new ROV Scanner ?
Did you received them ?
Is the deal with Microvision OK ?
I'm still waiting to placed my order, but I'm a little bit impatient !
DL is a very great software and I can't wait to finally begin to list my huge CD collection :)
Thanks again to keep me informed.
David
from France
The deal went through, and we're getting ROV scanners immediately. I won't know the exact day they arrive, since they are being shipped directly from Microvision to our shipper in Olympia, and then going out to our customers.
-Wil
I'm confused. The articles I've read talk about USB scanners and Web cams, but your home page says "any FireWire digital video camera". Does DL work with a Canon ZR25 MC digital camcorder?
Will,
I bought DL1 with the Flic scanner at the first MacWorld where you guys showed it.
Is there any reason why I'd want to get the ROV scanner now?
Also, will you folks have a presence at MacWorld?
/Gordon
Bought it (post December 1st), love it, can't wait for version 2 (and 3 for that matter!). Happy to support people who work in a coffee shop that I love and who encourage me to dream big. Thanks for the app and the inspiration!
"Is there any reason why I'd want to get the ROV scanner now?"
Well, I mean, if you have lots of money and love gadgets, then yes. The scanning technology is totally different -- it uses a microchip with a tiny-itty-bitty mirror on it instead of a large oscillating mechanical mirror to make the laser scan back and forth, so it's a billion times more accurate and less prone to failure.
Also, it can store like 2,500 numbers when it's away from your computer, instead of 200 or 400 or 500 (depending on which Flic version you got).
On the other hand, you have to buy a new scanner. I personally wouldn't do it, but, you know, if you like toys, feel free. You can read more about it here:
http://www.microvision.com/barcode/products/rov_scanner.html
We obviously sell it at a huge discount compared to everyone else (including Microvision) -- we have a VERY special deal, but even we are going to have to increase our price in a month or so, as our profit margin has gone to hell on this new scanner.
-Wil
The articles I've read talk about USB scanners and Web cams, but your home page says "any FireWire digital video camera".
For a long time low-quality USB webcams didn't work, but now many of them have drivers for Mac OS X, and they'll work with our 1.6 and beyond.
Our rule of thumb is basically, "if it works with QuickTime it should work," but some USB cameras ship with drivers which crash when put into grayscale mode, so we can't promise anything.
Remember, it's FREE to download it and try it! If you've got a camera, just try.
-Wil
I just bought the program a week or so ago and today accidentally discovered the blog. I love the program and am excited that a new version will be available soon. I had a question which I had emailed in a few days ago - the response was prompt and on the mark. That is just terrific service. Talking about service, I congratulate you on your philosophy regarding customers. People forget that they are ultimately the only ones that send in a check. Thank you again.
Verinder
So what's the latest word? I've been eagerly awaiting this release; it's mid-February; what's the score?
Cheers,
Jeff
Hello Will,
Can we hope to see DL2 released soon now ?
In a previous post you said "We hope to be done with beta testing on February 20th, but everything is subject to what the beta testers find."
So, could you tell us more ?
(I've bought the barcode scanner with DL 1.6.6 a month ago, and I'm still waiting for DL2 to start cataloging my huge CD collection)
Thanks in advance for your answer !
David
Early feedback has our release date still at least a month away... sorry.
Gotta be perfect!
-Wil
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