Manuscript for Mac

User Reviews

• Better Alternatives

  fdavison1957November 22, 2005

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  This review was originally posted on VersionTracker.com.<br />This app has not changed much in several years' time. It doesn't take advantage of *any* of what OS X currently has to offer applications. It seems completely at odds with its OS. There are better alternatives. I recommend CopyWrite by Bartas Technologies. If that doesn't suit you, try Ulysses from Blue-Tec (though they're a lot more expensive) or Avenir from Return Self.

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• Great idea, poor execution.

  VersionTrackerUserOpinionAugust 30, 2004

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  This review was originally posted on VersionTracker.com.<br />I wanted to like this. I've looked at other software for writers, Ulysses and Copyright, and I like the layout and the logic of this much better. Notes are right there in the margin where they make the most sense. Easy notes, and a bit of organization are all I'm after, which this program provides with a nice Chapter View. <p> But the interface is too screwy. There's no undo that I could find. When I start a new chapter, all the ensuing text is underlined. Many little things that add up to unusable.<p> I say this all in the spirit of encouraging the developer to continue. I think it's an easier, smarter tool than the others, but not there technically yet.

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• Install faulty

  bobcarr1February 20, 2004

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  This review was originally posted on VersionTracker.com.<br />I was unable to use Manuscript after installing. First, the "authentication" failed (even though I supplied the correct password). Nevertheless I was able to launch Manuscript. Then I selected NEW from the FILE menu. However a NEW file was not displayed. A new untitled.man file was created in the Manuscript folder in the Documents folder. It does not have a creator or file type. It cannot be opened in manuscript. I was able to open it in other text files and it contains garbage. Thus I am not able to use or evaluate Manuscript.

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• I think this is a great program.

  rapidrojoFebruary 16, 2004

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  This review was originally posted on VersionTracker.com.<br />I have tried them all, from Mellel to Z-write, and Manuscript demonstrates an acute understanding of how the creative mind works. Within 30 minutes of downloading it, I basically had the whole thing figured out, which is truly remarkable for a computer idiot such as myself. The notes drawer and autosave are great. As someone who sits in front of a computer way too much, I gotta tell you the simplicity of the ease by which you can magnify the text as well as the brownish tone of the background on the main page are a godsend to my overworked eyes. You can adjust the color, but I found the brown tone worked the best for me. And, at the risk of sounding like a simpleton, let me tell you my favorite feature. Writers spend way too much time alone. So there I was, typing, and I clicked on the button that enables your work to be read aloud to you, as a joke mind you, but after I got past the robotic sounding voice, I was hooked. I always write to rhythms in my head, but now I could actually hear whether or not what I was writing was working, rhythmically. You can also highlight a section and it will read only that passage, something I discovered accidentally, and I think maybe that should be mentioned in the help text somewhere. Anyway, it has made writing for me more of an interactive experience. Try it and see what I mean. As Einstein once said, â??Things should be made as simple as possible, but not any simpler.â?? The artfulness of this program lies in its beautiful simplicity.

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• Fills a Niche

  estuary_englishJanuary 6, 2004

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  This review was originally posted on VersionTracker.com.<br />I've been using this since version 1.2 and can recommend it to writers. I'm not a reluctant computer user but I do see it as only a means to an end; I still think in terms of bits of paper and so the thrust of Manuscript's design appeals to me. Using it I can work the way I think and I don't think in terms of files or windows but in terms of text on a piece of paper. Those of us long in the tooth will recall that this principle - making the computer the servant rather than the master - guided Apple in the good old days and make Macs what they were. A few specific points: Margin - best thing about manuscript. I don't use it a lot but when I do there's just no other way I would want to do it. Be good if we could edit the notes. Notes window - use this a lot and being able to edit the categories was what made me pay for Manuscript. This was crucial for me because I can't (won't) be organised enough to think about where notes ought to be when I write them but organising them afterwards actually helps me make creative decisions. (no problems entering categories by-the-way - using 10.3.1). Last Edit button - use this a lot. Would be good to have a way of highlighting the text as you do with a highlighter pen on a page. Word count - great twist to be able to set the number of words per page instead of having the computer decide for you. I would also find very useful an indication of progress towards a word target. Format View - nice footer. Could be a few more tools along the lines of the double-spacing button for instance a button to embolden and center the chapter titles. Overall I think the product is filling a unique niche between a notepad and a general word processor ( I used to use Clarisworks then switched to TextEdit when Apple didn't supply a free version of Clarisworks for OSX). Probably quite a small market so I doubt the creator is getting rich but he's got my $25.

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• suggestions

  jgiammatteoMay 16, 2003

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  This review was originally posted on VersionTracker.com.<br />I truly WANT to like Manuscript, however, the first stumbling block is trying to figure out how to use it. I can't seem to find any worthwhile documentation and I can't even find an email address to ask the developer. I like the notes drawer, though I think it should be an option in the prefs if you want notes on the sides or bottom? I happen to like drawers on the sides. Also, the minimum size of the window -- why? a minimum size. For me it's no problem as i have a 22" Cinema Display, but for others it would negate the use of a bottom drawer. Also, I found chapters and categories completely baffling. I couldn't figure out how to use categories. I like the margin notes; that is great. One suggestion for the notes would be to have a window on the side, like the chapter window, but be able to have a folder hierarchy of notes so that simple clicking on them would display them, and preferably with the option of displaying them in a separate window. I have been waiting for a program for writers to come along and have been shuffling back and forth between Z-write, the standard WP's and even MacJournal, but to date, nothing has been complete. I hope you can make Manuscript the one.

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