MacRabbit Blog http://macrabbit.com/blog The latest scoop! Tue, 30 Dec 2008 00:51:28 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.2.1 en Espresso is Vaporware No More http://macrabbit.com/blog/espresso-is-vaporware-no-more/ http://macrabbit.com/blog/espresso-is-vaporware-no-more/#comments Tue, 30 Dec 2008 00:51:28 +0000 Jan Van Boghout http://macrabbit.com/blog/espresso-is-vaporware-no-more/ After a long, long wait we’re incredibly happy to tell you that the first public release of Espresso is available! You can get it now at the Espresso website. This release is a Public Beta, so it is not yet finished.

Espresso PB1 comes with a powerful text core, and contains default support for HTML, XML, CSS and JavaScript (more Sugars are already available, but we decided not to include them yet). Previewing has Overrides just like CSSEdit, so updates are smooth and easy. Publishing offers you fool-proof synchronization, and a complete Browse mode for FTP, SFTP and S3. To get a first feel of Espresso, go try it out!

A Public Beta is not the 1.0 we expected when we announced it. We would like to explain why we dropped this ball, for those who have been anxiously awaiting a release. MacRabbit is currently two guys, and we are both still studying. Our academic workload this year was a lot heavier than we anticipated, and progress suffered as a result. Espresso is an ambitious project, so its complexity might have caused a delay in any case. Our biggest mistake was announcing too early.

With all this in mind, we’re now going into When It’s Ready mode. There’s still a lot of work to be done! New Public Betas will appear as we’re moving towards 1.0. A very happy 2009 to everyone! — Jan & Lénaïc

]]> http://macrabbit.com/blog/espresso-is-vaporware-no-more/feed/ Of Coffee and Eddys http://macrabbit.com/blog/of-coffee-and-eddys/ http://macrabbit.com/blog/of-coffee-and-eddys/#comments Thu, 04 Dec 2008 19:55:45 +0000 Jan Van Boghout http://macrabbit.com/blog/of-coffee-and-eddys/ As many of you have noticed, November has come and gone without seeing an Espresso release. The main reason Espresso is still vaporware for you (unless you are a tester) is that we underestimated the amount of work that goes into documenting and polishing the inner workings of an extensible engine. CSSEdit was very much closed off like any traditional app, so exposing Espresso’s guts to the cruel outside world was uncharted territory for us. As a result, we’re only now approaching the point where we feel comfortable giving it to the general public. Stay tuned for more.

In CSSEdit related news, the “CSS editor that could” was honored with a Macworld Eddy. Many thanks to Macworld for an awesome end of 2008!

]]> http://macrabbit.com/blog/of-coffee-and-eddys/feed/ Espresso in Motion: Search http://macrabbit.com/blog/espresso-in-motion-search/ http://macrabbit.com/blog/espresso-in-motion-search/#comments Wed, 29 Oct 2008 16:50:26 +0000 Jan Van Boghout http://macrabbit.com/blog/espresso-in-motion-search/ While the Espresso Preview website gives you a good idea about what features you can expect, some things are really not quite as exciting in a picture as in a movie. I’d like to share a little movie showing Espresso’s live searching, which you will be right at home with if you’ve used Safari’s search before.

The best thing about live search, however, is the live regular expression searching. When switched to regex mode, the search bar will provide coloring for the expressions, and display all matches right away. Live search especially makes replacing things much more convenient, as you’re never wondering exactly what you’re going to change — you just see it!


]]> http://macrabbit.com/blog/espresso-in-motion-search/feed/ Espresso, a fresh breath of air in web development http://macrabbit.com/blog/espresso-a-fresh-breath-of-air-in-web-development/ http://macrabbit.com/blog/espresso-a-fresh-breath-of-air-in-web-development/#comments Thu, 18 Sep 2008 21:59:45 +0000 Jan Van Boghout http://macrabbit.com/blog/espresso-a-fresh-breath-of-air-in-web-development/ You’ve all been asking for it, now we we’re announcing it: a HTML editor to go with CSSEdit. Luckily, it’s more than that: a full web development editor with projects, publishing and a rock solid extensible engine. Check out our extensive preview at Espresso, and discover why it will be more productive than caffeine! (Update: it’s on Digg, share the love)!



Along with it goes a fresh new site design, which in some ways returns MacRabbit to its roots. Focused, simple — and MacRabbit’s hat is once again visible in its full glory.

]]> http://macrabbit.com/blog/espresso-a-fresh-breath-of-air-in-web-development/feed/ Going Euro http://macrabbit.com/blog/going-euro/ http://macrabbit.com/blog/going-euro/#comments Sat, 22 Mar 2008 15:59:02 +0000 Jan Van Boghout http://macrabbit.com/blog/going-euro/ As a Belgian business, MacRabbit has been significantly impacted by the quirkiness of the USD. Looking purely at Euro revenue, one might think CSSEdit is hardly more useful now than it was at 1.0. For the past years I’ve avoided passing along currency fluctuations to the customer while developing kick-ass products, but we’re at a level where it can’t be called a fluctuation anymore.

Therefore, MacRabbit apps will be priced in Euro instead of US Dollar as of 26 March 2008 (including any future mystery products). Move fast if you want to take advantage of the current pricing!

]]> http://macrabbit.com/blog/going-euro/feed/ CSSEdit ♥ Leopard http://macrabbit.com/blog/cssedit-%e2%99%a5-leopard/ http://macrabbit.com/blog/cssedit-%e2%99%a5-leopard/#comments Thu, 25 Oct 2007 01:07:07 +0000 Jan Van Boghout http://macrabbit.com/blog/cssedit-%e2%99%a5-leopard/ Leopard
I’m happy to announce that CSSEdit 2.6 is completely ready to rock with Leopard! Besides sporting a tight Leopard look (but still running great on Tiger of course), this update increases stability, fixes bugs and throws in some handy new features. If you had a niggle with version 2.5, odds are that the release notes will put a smile on your face.

]]> http://macrabbit.com/blog/cssedit-%e2%99%a5-leopard/feed/ Are You a MacRabbit Enthusiast? http://macrabbit.com/blog/are-you-a-macrabbit-enthusiast/ http://macrabbit.com/blog/are-you-a-macrabbit-enthusiast/#comments Mon, 08 Oct 2007 09:11:06 +0000 Jan Van Boghout http://macrabbit.com/blog/are-you-a-macrabbit-enthusiast/ As part of its Design Award packages, Apple generously provides a Macworld Expo booth to the winners. Unfortunately, I won’t be able to make it to San Francisco myself in January. As such, I am currently looking for happy CSSEdit and/or DeskShade users who would like to help run the booth and tell Expo visitors about what makes MacRabbit software rock :)

Macworld Expo 2008 takes place January 15-18, and booth volunteers would need to be present from 10AM to 6PM. As a booth staffer you will receive a free exhibitor badge, giving you full access to the expo. If you are interested, please get in touch through info at macrabbit dot com.

Update: unfortunately, I wasn’t able to find enough people to man the booth before the deadline. Thanks a lot to those that offered to help, though!

]]> http://macrabbit.com/blog/are-you-a-macrabbit-enthusiast/feed/ Cubism, baby! http://macrabbit.com/blog/cubism-baby/ http://macrabbit.com/blog/cubism-baby/#comments Wed, 13 Jun 2007 06:52:08 +0000 Jan Van Boghout http://macrabbit.com/blog/cubism-baby/ It’s 3-dimensional, it has 12 edges of equal length and it’s oooooh so sweet… It’s the Apple Design Award for Best Developer Tool, awarded to CSSEdit 2.5!

I’m absolutely thrilled, and I’d like to thank Mike for calling me out of bed and Alex for picking up the cube in my place! As well, thanks to everyone who simply likes CSSEdit! :)

ADA Cubes

]]> http://macrabbit.com/blog/cubism-baby/feed/ CSSEdit 2.5 Out Now! http://macrabbit.com/blog/cssedit-25-out-now/ http://macrabbit.com/blog/cssedit-25-out-now/#comments Mon, 23 Apr 2007 14:09:20 +0000 Jan Van Boghout http://macrabbit.com/blog/cssedit-25-out-now/ Woohoo! A new CSSEdit! Some of you may have seen one new feature already (cough Digg cough), but there’s much more. Let’s summarize:

  • Tabs. Yes, this one may not come as a surprise anymore. However, I am sure you will be quite surprised once you try them out. Pictures simply don’t do them justice.
  • X-ray Inspector. This must absolutely be the most popular feature request of all time. Lo and behold, here it is: the X-ray inspector shows you what styles apply to the selected element in X-ray
  • Selector Builder. Selector what? This is a brand new innovation that should make life much, much easier for anyone starting out with CSS (or teaching it). Define your selectors in plain English, and it generates the necessary code for you.
  • Various improvements all over the application: a navigation bar in the Preview, a font picker, selector CodeSense, a text shadow editor, brand new shiny wonderful HUD inspectors, etc. Major changes everywhere!

That’s not too shabby — is it? Hop over to the CSSEdit site to grab the new goodies. CSSEdit 2.5 is a free upgrade for all 2.x users. Enjoy!

]]> http://macrabbit.com/blog/cssedit-25-out-now/feed/ Psst http://macrabbit.com/blog/psst/ http://macrabbit.com/blog/psst/#comments Thu, 12 Apr 2007 12:16:16 +0000 Jan Van Boghout http://macrabbit.com/blog/psst/ Do you want to test the next CSSEdit update? Send an e-mail to cssedit dash beta at the domain name of this blog, say why you’re bound to find every bug, and you may get access to Secret Builds with New Stuff! (only registered CSSEdit users)

]]> http://macrabbit.com/blog/psst/feed/