Skip to content
Thoughtful, detailed coverage of everything Apple for 33 years
and the TidBITS Content Network for Apple professionals

TidBITS Watchlist: Notable Software Updates for 20 April 2015

OS X Server 4.1 — Updated for the recently released OS X 10.10.3 Yosemite (see “Apple Releases OS X 10.10.3 with Photos,” 8 April 2015), Apple’s OS X Server 4.1 is also improved to take advantage of enhancements introduced in iOS 8.3 (Profile Manager support for new features, Mobile Device Management commands, and payloads). The update also improves Caching Server configuration with an option to output DNS TXT records in Windows format, improves group access in the Messages service, enables you to export User and Group accounts to
a file, improves Profile Manager device searching, and fixes a bug that could cause OS X Server to stall when updating Profile Manager and Wiki services. ($19.99 new, free update, 198 MB, 10.10.3+)

Read/post comments about OS X Server 4.1.

Nisus Writer Pro 2.1.1 — Nisus Software has issued Nisus Writer Pro 2.1.1, a maintenance update that addresses several issues that were discovered after the previous version was released (see “Nisus Writer Pro 2.1,” 17 March 2015). The update improves stability by fixing several crashes and hangs (such as when using a document window’s popover, deleting styles in the stylesheet, balancing text in a multi-column section, and more), ensures that the Ignore Rich Text Commands option works correctly, adds the capability to permanently grant macros automatic access to files and folders
(using Macro > Application > Manage Macro File Access), and fixes an issue with mail-merging CSV files containing double quotes. Additionally, receipts from the Mac App Store can be used to license Nisus Writer Pro downloaded from the Nisus Software Web site. The Mac App Store edition of Nisus Writer Pro remains stalled at version 2.0.7. ($79 new, free update, 242 MB, release notes, 10.7.5+)

Read/post comments about Nisus Writer Pro 2.1.1.

OmniOutliner 4.2 — The Omni Group has released OmniOutliner 4.2, updating the user interface for both the Standard and Pro editions to fit better with OS X 10.10 Yosemite. The outline and information organization app now caches thumbnail images used in the resource browser to improve speed, removes the Keynote export option (due to incompatibility with the current version of Keynote), fixes a crash when using the Dictionary popover, and updates the Help documentation. ($49.99 new, free update, 21.6 MB, release notes, 10.9+)

Read/post comments about OmniOutliner 4.2.

Tinderbox 6.2 — Eastgate Systems has released Tinderbox 6.2 with more than 100 improvements to the personal content assistant (see “Light Your Fire with Tinderbox,” 14 October 2002). The release adds the new Edicts feature, which enables you to specify housekeeping actions that do not need to be updated frequently (for example, occasionally archiving obsolete notes). It also adds several new Export tools that enable you to export files to a number of familiar formats, improves map performance (automatically hiding links in complex maps during scrolling to enhance
performance), brings the capability to add tables and lists to the text pane, improves page-up/down scrolling in outlines, adds the capability to import .webarchive files, and adds autocompletion to the search field. ($249 new, free update, 45.3 MB, release notes, 10.8+)

Read/post comments about Tinderbox 6.2.

LaunchBar 6.3 — Objective Development has released LaunchBar 6.3 with improved support for Finder tags. The keyboard-based launcher refines how it works with multiple tags, enabling you to search for files that have multiple tags as well as apply multiple tags (add, remove, or replace them) via a single action. The release also adds multiple-selection dragging capabilities. If this sounds familiar, this feature was touted in the previous release (see “LaunchBar 6.2,” 4 April 2015), but it was not enabled in that version due to a mistake in the build process. LaunchBar
6.3 also adds the Detect Search Templates bookmarks indexing option, restoring the capability to detect search templates (URLs containing an asterisk) in your Web browser’s bookmarks. It also adds an Instant Calculate option to the Calculator preferences, which automatically calculates and shows the result when you Instant-Send an arithmetic expression to LaunchBar. ($29 new with a 20 percent discount for TidBITS members, free update, 9.8 MB, release notes, 10.9+)

Read/post comments about LaunchBar 6.3.

Final Cut Pro X 10.2, Compressor 4.2, Motion 5.2 — Apple has updated its lineup of professional video editing apps, releasing Final Cut Pro X 10.2, Compressor 4.2, and Motion 5.2. Adding the capability to create animated 3D text, Final Cut Pro X 10.2 includes cinematic templates with built-in backgrounds and animations, and enables you to customize text with hundreds of combinations of materials, lighting, and edges. The update also adds support for displaying up to four video scopes simultaneously,
improves color grading precision, enables you to apply super ellipse Shape mask to any clip, adds support for using Smart Collections at the event and library level, and brings support for several additional camera formats (including Panasonic AVC-Ultra, Sony XAVC S, JVC H.264 Long GOP, and RED RAW anamorphic formats).

Compressor 4.2 now enables you to create packages for iTunes Store submission, which include a movie file as well as trailer, closed captions, and subtitles. You can preview closed captions and subtitles in the Viewer, plus zoom in to watch content with true pixel accuracy. Version 4.2 also provides hardware-accelerated, multi-pass H.264 encoding on compatible systems and adds support for dual GPUs when using Send to Compressor. Motion 5.2 enables you to create dynamic 3D titles with multiple lights and cameras, as well as multilayered scenes with 3D titles that cast shadows and reflections on other objects. Motion 5.2 also adds 12 new generators (including Manga Lines, Sunburst, and Spiral Graphics), improves keyframing, improves mask
and shape creation for rectangles and circles, and improves performance of FxPlug plug-ins and built-in effects that use multiple frames (such as Echo and Trails). (Final Cut Pro, $299.99 new, 2.82 GB, release notes, 10.10.2+; Compressor, $49.99 new, 428 MB, release notes, 10.10.2+; Motion, $49.99 new, 2.20 GB, release
notes
, 10.10.2+; all three titles available from the Mac App Store with free updates for previous purchases)

Read/post comments about Final Cut Pro X 10.2, Compressor 4.2, Motion 5.2.

OS X Yosemite 10.10.3 Supplemental Update 1.0 — Apple has released OS X Yosemite 10.10.3 Supplemental Update 1.0, a small maintenance release that comes just a little over a week after the original 10.10.3 update (see “Apple Releases OS X 10.10.3 with Photos,” 8 April 2015). This release fixes a video driver issue that bedeviled many users, preventing the system from starting up when running certain apps that capture video. AppleInsider and OS X Daily report that affected users had to resort to booting via Safe Mode, resetting the PRAM, or resetting the startup disk selection in System Preferences. This supplemental update is available via Software Update or via direct download from Apple’s Support Downloads Web site. (Free, 1.8 MB, 10.10.3+)

Read/post comments about OS X Yosemite 10.10.3 Supplemental Update 1.0.

Subscribe today so you don’t miss any TidBITS articles!

Every week you’ll get tech tips, in-depth reviews, and insightful news analysis for discerning Apple users. For over 33 years, we’ve published professional, member-supported tech journalism that makes you smarter.

Registration confirmation will be emailed to you.

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA. The Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.