Update on Bookends Cocoa

[Jon]

I want to share the plans for the Cocoa version of Bookends with our users and prospective users. I've said on this forum that we were working on a Cocoa version, and I can now say that it's close to being ready. Moving to Cocoa has required an enormous amount work, with almost every aspect of the application being "touched". Styled text is stored differently, the formatting engine has been rewritten from scratch, the database engine has undergone a major upgrade, and all UI elements were redone using Cocoa APIs. Although the final product looks very much like the Carbon version, under the hood it is very, very different.

The Cocoa version is called Bookends 12 and requires OS X 10.6 (Snow Leopard) or later. Some features require 10.7 (Lion) or later.

Bookends 12 has a full screen view option, spellchecking, and support for Retina displays.

Because there are so many changes in the code, I want to test Bookends 12 even more rigorously than previous releases. We will have a public beta program that anyone will be able to participate in just by downloading the beta. The public betas will work with the same registration codes as Bookends 11, so users of the current version can use Bookends 12 just as they do now. However, the betas will be time-limited, and the release version of Bookends 12 will require new registration codes. Anyone who buys Bookends 11 from now until release will get the upgrade for free (there will also be free upgrades for people who bought Bookends recently, the exact date is to be determined).

The availability of the public beta will be announced on this forum, probably within the next several weeks. The time from that until release will depend on how many problems are uncovered during the beta process.

Jon
Sonny Software

[ozean]

Oh the exitement! Jon, thanks a lot for investing into the plumbings. A double “Yay!” for infrastructure works!

[taja]

This is excellent news! And will hopefully make the final stretch of my PhD much easier to bear!

[macula]

This is fantastic! Eagerly awaiting the beta releases!

[Jon]

Update on the update:

Bookends 12 (Cocoa) has been undergoing private beta testing since my first post. This turned up lots of issues, some substantial, that needed attention. I'm happy to say that we're now at the point that I think it is ready for a public trial. I'll be out of town for a bit, but barring any new problems I expect to begin public beta testing when I return. If you're interested, keep an eye on the forum towards the end of the month. I'll post its availability here and in the Announcement section.

Jon
Sonny software

[taja]

Can't wait!