MacGourmet News

There's been some confusion about the fact that MacGourmet 2.3 requires you to update your plug-ins. Please note that there is no additional purchase required, and that you just need to download the latest versions. You can download Nutrition here. You can download any web site importers here.

If you repurchased Nutrition, thinking you had to, please contact me for a refund. All of the updates are free ones, so no additional purchases are required. Sorry for any confusion.

MacGourmet 2.3, a free, minor update with some great new features, is now available.

Also available today is Mealplan 1.0, a new optional plug-in that adds meal planning, menus and more to MacGourmet. Mealplan includes a weekly meal and recipe planner, menu and planner printing and integration with iCal. Mealplan is available for $9.95 and requires MacGourmet version 2.3.

MacGourmet 2.3 includes the following changes:







New print theme: "Formally"
This new theme includes more information in the printout, like nutritional info, if calculated.







Better Window Management
MacGourmet does a better job of keeping the editor on top of the main window, so that it doesn't get "lost" in the background.

Automatic updating using Sparkle.
A much improved way to keep your copy of MacGourmet up-to-date.



Improved application and document icons
Slight improvements make the files associated with MacGourmet easier to identify.

Many bug fixes and small enhancements
See the Release Notes for the full list of changes.

One benefit of the partnership with Mariner Software is that they are going to be advertising MacGourmet Deluxe in popular Mac magazines, right along with their other applications.

They are currently running a series of magazine ads that feature interesting people doing interesting things with the products they sell. So, are you an interesting person using MacGourmet in an interesting way? Want to be featured in an ad for MacGourmet Deluxe? If you answer "yes" and "yes" then send an email message to macgourmet [at] advenio.com telling me who you are, what makes you interesting, and how you are using MacGourmet!

Mealplan, a brand-new new plug-in for MacGourmet, will add a whole new suite of ways for you to use the recipes in your library.

Plan your weekly meals and print schedules for each week. Make and print menus. Send your meal plans to iCal in one easy step. Mealplan can do all this and more.

Mealplan will be available in the same way that Nutrition is, as an optional add-on to MacGourmet. You'll be able to try it out, and if you like it, you be able to add it to MacGourmet for an introductory price of just $9.95. If you don't need it, you won't be forced to pay an upgrade fee to get something you don't want (MacGourmet 2.3, which is required, will be a free update). Mealplan will also be part of MacGourmet Deluxe.

Mealplan is getting close to release and I'm looking for some help shaking out any remaining issues. If interested, just click on the link to send a request to macgourmet [at] advenio.com. Thanks!

Labels: Beta

The latest beta of the next MacGourmet update, version 2.3 is now available for testing in the Test Kitchen, along with updated versions of Nutrition and the Amazon.com Shopping plug-ins. Note that the plug-in format has changed, so to use these new versions, you'll need to use MacGourmet 2.3. The details can be found in the Test Kitchen.

Version 2.3 has the following changes:

1. All-new shopping list editor, with simple pantry/favorites and column ordering/hiding functionality added.
   
   You'll want to add some often used items to your favorites list. Auto-fill when creating new shopping lists depends on existing shopping lists, and favorites. So, if you want item aisles, categories, and stores filled in when you make a new shopping list, you'll want to have a master shopping list you keep/and or a well managed favorites list.


2. Improved application and document icons (Still being revised).


3. All-new shopping list recipe box display theme, and print theme. Shopping lists are now displayed in a much cleaner way. There is also now a print theme specifically for shopping lists called "Notebook."


4. New display theme: Stacked, that is geared more towards widescreen displays.


5. New print theme: 'Formally', that includes more information in the printout, like nutritional info, if calculated.


6. Widescreen mode (the new default) gets new mouse-over popups that display more information. If you hover your mouse over a row in the table, more information will get displayed. These can be turned off in preferences if you want.


7. Nutrition is now a "1st class" feature when the plug-in is installed, it has a menu in the main menubar instead of being in the Tools menu.


8. Instead of displaying standard "blank" image when an empty list is selected, helpful context sensitive tip "blurbs" are displayed. You can turn these off in the Help menu.


9. App does a better job of keeping the editor on top of the main window, so that it doesn't get "lost" in the background.


10. MacGourmet now has automatic updating, which will get tested in the beta. Please turn update checks to "Automatically" in Update preferences.

So If you're interested in helping test the new version, just head on over to the Test Kitchen and grab the files. Current testers can just let their beta 2 copy update automatically.

Also coming soon, the full details and beta for meal planning...

With the press release officially announcing the partnership with Mariner Software to release MacGourmet Deluxe, I thought I'd post some basic questions and answers about what this really means to new, future, and existing MacGourmet users:

Q: What does this all mean, really?
A: MacGourmet Deluxe is an all new "bundle" that will make the current version of MacGourmet, packaged with all the features you can optionally add to it (like Nutrition, with a couple more in the pipeline), available in retail stores around the world. If you are a current MacGourmet user, nothing really changes for you, unless you want to upgrade to Deluxe (see below). Version 2.3 will be a free update, as will Nutrition 1.2, and you will still be able to buy MacGourmet for $24.95 and add Nutrition to it if you want to, just like you always have.

Q: Why did Advenio do this?
A: This partnership allows MacGourmet to be available in many ways it wasn't before, and it provides much needed help with the things that people have been waiting for, like a German and French version of MacGourmet. Among other things, this parnership also makes it possible to do things like show MacGourmet at Macworld.

Q: Does this mean someone else will be developing MacGourmet now?
A: Nope, MacGourmet will still be developed and updated in the same ways it always has. This partnership doesn't change the development of the product or ownership.

Q: Will the original version still be offered?
A: Yes, the "standard" version will still be available for sale for $24.95, just like it always has been. You can also add Nutrition to it, just as before, and you'll be able to add Mealplan to the standard version as well (more on this later). Nothing on that front changes. MacGourmet version 2.3 will also be a free upgrade.

Q: Will I have to upgrade to Deluxe just to get new features?
A: Nope, you don't have to upgrade unless you want everything in one package.

Q: When will it be released?
A: It is expected to be released on or around late May/early June.

Q: How much will MacGourmet Deluxe cost?
A: $49.95 - boxed for retail, $44.95 - download.

Q: Can I upgrade from the original version of MacGourmet?
A: Yes, if you want to, an upgrade to Deluxe will be available for sale for $9.95.

Q: How can I upgrade to MacGourmet Deluxe?
A: When the time comes, you will be able to purchase a new license from the Mariner web site using your existing MacGourmet serial #. You will then be issued a new MacGourmet Deluxe serial number.

Q: Is there a competitive upgrade?
A: Yes, an upgrade will be available from competing products for $29.95 (proof of purchase required).

Q: What will happen to the Advenio site?
A: For the most part, nothing. What this partnership does is allow MacGourmet to be available in retail stores around the world. It also gives us a great partner that will help make MacGourmet an even bigger success.

Mariner Software "unofficially" broke the news today of a new publishing partnership between Mariner and Advenio for a new product to be known as MacGourmet Deluxe. More details will be released over the next few months, but you can read the news here: Announcing our new product!.

This is great news for MacGourmet, as it will open many new markets for the product, and will allow many things people have been asking for, like localizations, to move forward finally. Keep following MacGourmet News for the latest updates, as they are announced!

[Update: Just to clarify, for most of you this won't change much, as MacGourmet development will continue more or less how it always has, nothing changes on that front. The publishing partnership will, however, make MacGourmet available in retail outlets around the world. Note that this is not an acquisition or transfer of ownership of any kind.]

[Please note: I had to reject a couple of anonymous comments (something I don't normally do) because they were based on inaccurate assumptions. If you have any concerns, please feel free to email me and I'll clarify what I can.

Mealplan for MacGourmet.

Plan your meals, print your menus.

Details coming soon...

After an extended outage (caused by an incompetent web hosting provider) MacGourmet.com is back online and things should be working normally again. Please bear with me as I work through the support backlog. I apologize if your support email bounced or got lost during the outage. If you think this happened to you, please try sending your request/comment/question again. Thanks!

(Please also note that the forums will be down for a while, and some images will be missing until I can move them over to the new server)

TheMacWeblog (now down) posted their 5 Mac Applications that should really, really be iPhoneized (and why the developers would make a mint) and sent me some questions regarding MacGourmet on the iPhone. My responses were posted in a follow-up (which like the original article has now been taken down), but I sent them the following:

Can you see MacGourmet coming to the iPhone or iPod Touch?

Absolutely, and I've said as much already:

In my year-end summary
When Apple announced their intentions: Apple's Plan to have iPhone SDK in Developers Hands by February Means MacGourmet:To Go, Coming Soon!
When the iPhone was released: MacGourmet iPhone Support is Coming...

So I think you can see that yeah, I'm on the record as wanting to do this. I'm the MacGourmet developer, but also a cook and user too, so I want a nice iPhone way to take my recipes, notes and shopping lists with me too. I was also one of those "crazy" people waiting in line the say iPhones when on sale, so it's a platform I'm personally excited to develop for.