Extended 0.2.0 beta and a glimpse of 0.3.0...

[KB]

Well, the good news is that in the next beta you can tag more than document at the same time if you want to.

[bluloo]

The new version looks great. This is already (almost) my primary writing app.

Can't wait for the next rev.

Keep up the good work and be sure to let us know when we can make an advance purchase.

Cheers

[smolk]

Is there, or will there be, a way to have the binder view without the synopsis/index card? I do not need that index card, so it takes space, and I don't really like the way it looks. I see why it looks that way, and for certain purposes I'm sure it is extremely useful, but not for mine.

[KB]

You can hide the inspector bar entirely (containing the notes/tags and the index card). Everything can be hidden, in fact. However, there is no way to have only the notes visible without the index card. The index card (synopsis) is an integral part of Scrivener, and one of the reasons I created Scrivener in the first place (rather than use Ulysses or CopyWrite, both of which are sound apps); I wanted a way of keeping a synopsis handy that could be shuffled with other synopses.
Cheers,
Keith

[smolk]

That's a pity, because I need the notes, but without the synopsis. Without the notes I can as well use any other notebook/organizer. In Ulysses I don't like the intrusive part below the notes, in Scrivener the synopsis ... Is it impossible to make this optional? Can't the notes section just be moved over the synopsis one?

[Henk]

I am looking forward to the beta, especially with regard to the footnotes. Footnote support will be important for most non-fiction users.

[amberv]

Henk said:

I am looking forward to the beta, especially with regard to the footnotes. Footnote support will be important for most non-fiction users.

You'll have an instant convert with Mark Danielewski, too. Ha.

[amberv]

Not to bug you about release dates for .3, I know how annoying that can be, but May is rapidly approaching and unless I missed an intermediate comment -- our extended .2 versions will be expiring within a matter of days.

Just a reminder. No panic, yet.

[Jose]

Yes, I'm also seeing that the expiration date is getting closer. I guess Keith will release another extension right on time.

[KB]

Don't panic. Here's how things stand:

I got a long way through 0.3 (as you can see from the screenshots), and I suddenly realised that I just didn't like it as much as I should. What happened? Well, I realised I started trying to make it all things to all people again. All the things I said I was going to do (or rather, the stuff I said I was *not* going to do) - simplify it, streamline it - got lost in lots of non-crucial new features that started to weigh things down. Moreover, the interface just didn't sit right to me. The blue source list with the one pixel splitter looks great in Mail and in the iApps, but in a writing application I felt that it was all too cramped - I want my text to stand out a bit more.

The long and the short of it is that .3 is delayed again. Most of the code is written, but the interface is being overhauled again. I've settled on the final design (some subtle differences from the screenshot posted), but it is all going to take time. The trouble is that I am really trying to hone in on the perfect writing environment for *me* (and in the process hoping it will suit others too, of course), so there have been occasions recently where I have spent a week coding what seemed a brilliant idea only to realise that as beautiful as the idea was, it just didn't fit into Scrivener. I am still very excited about 0.30, though, and the revised (that is, revised revised) interface should *hopefully* be worth the wait.

THE GOOD NEWS: I am going to re-release 0.2.0 again before the expiration date, but with a very important change: there will be no expiration date on the next release. 0.2.0 - bugs and incompletion warts and all - will become freeware. (Actually, there is one known bug that I will fix.) The reason for this is threefold: 1) As a thank you to all of the beta testers still using Scrivener, so that they will not have to worry about expiry dates while the new version takes its time in development; 2) It takes some pressure off me and gives me more time to tinker with 0.30; 3) If users of 0.20 don't like 0.30 (which is in some ways a radical departure), they can always use the old version. And of course, it may even draw in some other users, who knows.

Anyway, the freeware 0.20 will be out sometime in the next couple of weeks (ie. before the 15th). 0.30 (which will be a release candidate) will probably not see light of day until the summer.

Thanks for hanging in there.
All the best,
Keith

[shorn]

Thanks for letting us know, Keith.

You are almost certainly right to concentrate on "the perfect writing environment for *me*" (that is, you). Some things shouldn't be rushed. I am glad to hear that things are progressing, however. (I've seen other promising applications simply stop because of the great difficulty of developing something "in your spare time".)

As for releasing 0.2.0 as freeware, that will be much appreciated by all of us I imagine, although I'll still be eagerly awaiting 0.3.0 when it is ready).

Cheers,
Simon

[Jose]

Keith, thank you for the update. We'll certainly appreciate the open ended 0.2.0 beta, and wait patiently for the 0.3.0 beta. I just want you to know that some of us are willing to help, and, more importantly, are ready to buy licenses as soon as you feel that Scrivener is ready.
Best wishes.

[dunx]

Another thank you from me for the update - and thank you for the open ended beta! Good news.

[amberv]

Thanks, Keith. We anxiously await .3 and the next round of bug squashing! Until then, thanks for the .2

[jan]

Thanks for the news. I think it's a smart idea to make Scrivener 0.2 freeware. This version is already more than good enough for a free program, and because everyone loves freebies it will certainly draw more public attention to the commercial version than any advertisement.

Btw, don't hesitate to ask for donations - I guess many of us beta testers are more than willing to support your R&D of the ideal writing tool with a small contribution. If the research took longer than expected or even if it didn't turn out any satisfying results at all, I still wouldn't consider my money wasted.