Marc Charbonneau’s Blog

Just a quick update for anyone who bought (or is thinking about buying) the new iPod Classic or iPod Nano. I picked one up last week, and it works great with Runner’s Log; no updates needed. Keep in mind that this only applies to the Stopwatch application. The Nike+ won’t work until the next version of Runner’s Log, which should be ready to go sometime early this fall.

Seth Dillingham’s software charity auction is finally live. It includes tons of great OSX applications from all kinds of developers, including my own Runner’s Log. All applications in the bundle come with a fully registered license. If you’ve had your eye on any of these apps, this would be a great opportunity. Of course, all profits go to charity.

You can find more information on Seth’s blog, or view the auction here.

I finished Runner’s Log 1.0.3 last weekend; have a look at the changelog, or download the new version. 1.0.3 has several new improvements, but it’s mostly bug fixes and cleaning up some old code that I wanted to get out of the way before I started on a bunch of new features I’m planning for 1.1.0.

Runner’s Log is also the featured download in Apple’s Downloads section today. Neat!

It’s with great pleasure that I announce the 1.0 release of my latest application; Runner’s Log. I started work on Runner’s Log late last fall, when I was looking for the best solution to record distances and times when I went running. Looking at my options at the time, I realized I had a few neat ideas I didn’t see anywhere else, and so I began work on Runner’s Log.

Before posting this I spent a few days trying to think of any advice I could offer other developers, but I think if you spend a little time reading mailing lists and sites like CocoaDev, there’s not much anyone needs to add. Definitely start with a few core requirements, rather than try to come up with a laundry list of features that probably aren’t that important. Even the smallest of applications is going to take a lot of your time, especially when you start thinking about things like designing a licensing scheme, or making a nice website and storefront. Pay attention to your customers, and respond to any questions, comments or complaints they might have. Also try to make sure that all of the features of your application fit and work together in a nice way. Even if it’s something small, like the design of a toolbar icon, if it’s not done correctly it might detract from the genuinely good aspects of your application.

Most of all though, have fun. Take a break from your office desk every now and then and spend some time working outdoors, from cafes, or listening to some live music. It’s how I ended up programming a lot of Runner’s Log, especially parts that were becoming tedious or boring. I genuinely enjoyed working on it, and I hope some of that shows through in the application itself.

With 1.0 out of the way, it’s time to go back and fix some of the minor bugs that still exist. After that, there’s a lot I plan to add in the near future, so definitely check back in the future and send me an email if there are any features you would like to see.

The third beta of my new application, Runner’s Log, is now available. Beta 3 includes many new features and bug fixes, including some graphing features which are especially useful. Here’s a screenshot from the new version:

More information and download links are here.

A new version of Runner’s Log is complete! Beta 2 contains a few new features and several bug fixes. You can find more information and the download link all at the product page.

As always, feel free to get in touch if you have any feedback, good or bad.

Runner’s Log, my latest OSX application, is finally available for download. Get more information here, or go directly to the download.

One of my goals from the start was not to spend a lot of time adding extra features, but to get something out to the public where I can see what other people want from it. In other words, I’m really hoping for some good feedback during the beta testing period. Feel free to get in touch with me if you have any comments!

Stay tuned for the first beta. Moving into a new apartment has delayed things a bit, but it’s on its way.

It’s been a busy month here (not that it ever isn’t). When I haven’t been distracted by Lost or Battlestar Galactica, I’ve been focusing on completing Runner’s Log, my upcoming OSX application. The past two weeks have been spent fixing the remaining bugs, cleaning parts of the code and generally making sure things are working as they should be.

Anyhow, I’m happy to say that every major feature for Runner’s Log 1.0 is done. My next task is to hire an icon artist to design the toolbar and application icons, and while that’s progressing I’m going to spend my time on QA, making sure there aren’t any critical bugs remaining and tweaking the behavior in a few spots. Since I started working on this project, one of my goals was to get to a beta out to the public before winter, and it looks like I’m still on track.

Stay tuned! I hope to have some screenshots to put up soon.

I’ve been focusing on Runner’s Log recently, but took a small break tonight to finish a new release of Widget Manager. It’s a small update, all bug fixes and such. Grab it here.

I have some neat ideas for the future of Widget Manager, and I expect once Runner’s Log 1.0 is finished I’ll start working on some new features. Keep an eye out!