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Tag: ForkLift 4

ForkLift 4 beta 3 is available

Posted on by binarynights

We have fixed numerous bugs and added some new features to ForkLift 4 beta 3.
We have completely redesigned the Path Bar, the Connect Panel, the Sidebar and the Favorite Manager.

If you previously reported an issue to us and do not see it fixed on this list, then please do not submit a new report. All reported issues have been added to our bug tracker, and we are working our way through them. If you see an issue that we claimed to have fixed but you still encounter it in beta 3, then please submit a new report.

New

  • Flexible Space added to the Toolbar
  • Option to remove display of free space next to drives in the sidebar (View > Hide Device Info)
  • Option to Show/Hide Path Bar
  • Option to Show/Hide Title Bar
  • Version number of apps is being displayed in the Info Window (Preview Pane and Get Info)
  • It is possible to use the Enter key on the numeric keypad in keyboard shortcuts as a single key, or together with other modification keys
  • The Enter key on the numeric keypad works as the Return key until that is modified in the Settings
  • Type Select in the Favorite Manager for easier navigation

Improvements

  • Redesigned, less dominant Path Bar
  • Redesigned Column Headers in List View
  • Redesigned and improved Sidebar
  • Redesigned and improved Favorite Manager
  • Redesigned Connect Panel
  • Order of Views in the menu is the same as in Finder
  • When multiple items are selected, the menu item Copy Path shows Copy Paths
  • Added Base URL to the Connect panel
  • Esc button to close the Connect Panel
  • Note field on the Connect Panel

Fixes

  • Fixes an issue where selecting Commands > Manage tools… from the menu could result in a blank Settings window
  • Fixes an issue which didn’t allow text size settings to be applied in Column View
  • Fixes an issue with Workspaces not being restored
  • Fixes an issue where the Date Modified and the Tags columns in List View could be empty
  • Fixes an issue with blurry icons in Icon View
  • Fixes an issue where the name of a favorite didn’t get saved when the favorite was created with a different name from the Connect Panel
  • Fixes an issue where “Reveal in Finder” opened the selected file in its default app instead of ForkLift when ForkLift was set as the default file viewer.
  • Fixes a compatibility issue with certain versions of SSH
  • Fixes an issue with network favorites imported from ForkLift 3
  • Fixes an issue which caused slow navigation of big files when the Preview Pane was enabled
  • Fixes an issue where adding favorites to an empty favorite group wasn’t possible
  • Fixes an issue where dragging favorites into another favorite group wasn’t possible
  • Fixes a possible crash when dragging a favorite into another favorite group inside the sidebar
  • Fixes a graphical issue in the Connect Panel when the protocol VNC was selected
  • Fixes an issue where it wasn’t possible to save Favorites without filing in certain (unnecessary) fields on the Connect Panel
  • Fixes an issue where “Open in Terminal” opened the parent folder, and not the selected folder
  • Fixes an issue where favorite group position didn’t get saved when the group was placed above devices and/or shares in the sidebar
  • Fixes an issue where favorite groups in the sidebar could jump back to their previous positions after connecting to a favorite inside the group
  • Fixes an issue where the locations of the favorite groups didn’t get saved
  • Fixes an issue where deleting favorite paths wasn’t possible
  • Fixes issue where the folder structure wasn’t remembered after a restart in Column View
  • Fixes a possible data loss when the user moved a file into a target folder without permission to write
  • Fixes a window placement issue where the window wasn’t retained correctly when there was no window open and a new window was opened from the menu or from the context menu of the Dock icon
  • Fixes an issue where the focus wasn’t following the renamed item when it moved out of view
  • Fixes an issue in Icon View where the icons weren’t aligned correctly if the names of some items were multiple lines long
  • Fixes an issue where the file became empty while it was in rename mode when the user changed tabs
  • Fixes an issue where using the Tab key to switch panes wasn’t possible when the Favorite Manager was active
  • Fixes an issue where some view settings weren’t restored when the user closed ForkLift with no window open
  • Fixes an issue with the alternating backgrounds when the “Default” theme was selected in ForkLift and the user switched between Dark and Light modes in the System Settings
  • Fixes the tab order in the Connect panel
  • Fixes an issue where ForkLift showed a blank panel when the Connect Panel or the Favorite Manager was open after startup and that was closed by the user with “Cancel”
  • Fixes Apple Script support issues
  • Numerous minor fixes and improvements

Download ForkLift 4 beta 3

ForkLift 4 beta 2 is available

Posted on by binarynights

We have fixed numerous bugs that were reported to us and added some new features. If you previously reported an issue to us and do not see it on this list, please do not submit a new report. All reported issues have been added to our bug tracker, and we are currently working our way through them. Hopefully, we will address all of them soon. However, if you see an issue that we claimed to have fixed but still encounter it in beta 2, please submit a new report.

New

  • Added support for ssh identity agents
  • Added support for ssh configuration file
  • Added support for Apple Script
  • Added 2 new themes

Fixes

  • Fixes a possible crash when opening a new tab while the Connect Panel was open
  • Fixes an issue that prevented the creation of simple key keyboard shortcuts
  • Fixes an issue with placement of the View Options pop-over
  • Fixes an issue where ForkLift asked to download Xcode even when SCM Status wasn’t enabled
  • Fixes an issue where in some cases a blank pop-up was displayed after connecting to SFTP
  • Fixes an issue where previewing large text files could cause hangs
  • Fixes an issue where the selection in the sidebar of the Settings window could get lost for users not using ForkLift in English
  • Fixes an issue where the word “copy” got added at the end of the file names when a new item was created or when items got compressed
  • Fixes an issue with the “Reveal in ForkLift” quick action service
  • Fixes an issue with the missing Service menu and context menu items
  • Fixes an issue where Arrow keys couldn’t be used in keyboard shortcuts
  • Fixes an issue with missing options in the Group by setting in the View Options
  • Fixes an issue where the Info Window couldn’t be closed with Command-W
  • Fixes an issue that prevented double-clicking in Column View

Download ForkLift 4 beta 2

ForkLift 4 beta is finally here

Posted on by binarynights

As you probably know, ForkLift 4 has been in the making for an extended period of time, longer than we anticipated or desired. But finally, the wait is over and we are ready to release the first beta version of ForkLift 4. We hope that you will like the new version. We would greatly appreciate it if you could help us by using the beta version and providing us with feedback.

Continue reading “ForkLift 4 beta is finally here”

We are postponing the release of ForkLift 4

Posted on by binarynights

In one of our latest blog posts, we discussed our plans for the new business model for ForkLift 4. The feedback from our users has been overwhelmingly positive, which has strengthened our decision about the new pricing model. In this last post, we also wrote that we were hoping to release ForkLift 4 in the spring of 2021.

We were planning to make fewer significant changes to ForkLift than in the previous major releases. And we certainly didn’t want to completely rewrite the code as we did in the past major versions. That was one of the reasons why we hoped that we could release ForkLift 4 in the spring. However, we are postponing the release of ForkLift 4 because we have decided to make a major overhaul once again.

First and foremost, we want to add more new features to ForkLift 4 than planned so that we can call it a new major version with a clear conscience.

Also, because of the complexity of ForkLift, we need to keep the code of ForkLift clean and sustainable. That is a standard we have set for ourselves. That is good for the developer and the users as well. A maintained, sustainable code is easier to work with, and it allows new functionality to grow. The maintainability of the code will become even more significant now that we are switching to the new model of continuous development.

We want to create a solid foundation that we can later easily build on. If we want the code to stay relevant, then we have to change bigger parts of it, and it is better to change some of the core functions now, before the release, than a few months later on the live code.

There are some new technologies and implementations (for example, SwiftUI) that we want to use in ForkLift 4, which would allow us to build a more robust and future proof app. These new solutions are reducing the complexity of the code too. There is only one thing that can improve the app besides writing code, and that is deleting some unnecessary code. It feels good and liberating to delete something old and unnecessary entirely or replace it with a much simpler solution. But unfortunately, using these modern implementations has its price too, and this price is the compatibility. ForkLift 4 will likely require a recent macOS version, but we hope that by the time ForkLift 4 comes out, this won’t be such a big issue.

Since we had announced that ForkLift 4 might come out in the spring, a lot of people asked if they should purchase ForkLift 3 now or wait until the new version comes out. Users who need or want to buy ForkLift now should buy it now and shouldn’t postpone the purchase. In the past, we always introduced grace periods for the users who had bought ForkLift in the months before the release of the next major version. We will work out a fair concept this time too, where users won’t need to purchase ForkLift twice within a given period. We will make sure that this will be a fair offer.

If you could add ONE feature to ForkLift 4, what would it be? Let us know in the comments which is the one, most important feature you definitely would like to see in ForkLift 4.

ForkLift – New Business Model

Posted on by binarynights

We at Binarynights are planning to change how we develop and price ForkLift, and before you freak out, no, we don’t want to use subscriptions. Find out in this post what we are planning and why.

So far, we have used the one-off purchase model which means that the major releases (ForkLift 1, ForkLift 2 and ForkLift 3) were paid releases and all minor updates in between (for example ForkLift 3.3.9) were free. This is the traditional way of selling software online but it has some drawbacks for both the developers and the users.

While using the one-off purchase model, the development of the major versions has become a bigger and bigger burden for us. This model has a lot of drawbacks: every major release has to be packed full of new features to make it interesting enough for users to upgrade. That also means that big features and great new ideas don’t make it into ForkLift right away because we have to withhold them and bundle them up for the next major release. That holds the development of the current version back, and we can’t react quickly to the changes in the market and the requests of our users.

What is the new model?

In our new model, there won’t be major and minor updates the same way as we have them now. As soon as a new feature is ready, we will release it. If we decide to implement a new feature or change something, we will start the development of it immediately. That will clearly benefit our users because they will use an app that evolves continuously. And that will benefit us too because we won’t need to maintain and develop two versions parallelly, which sometimes causes big issues. If we have to maintain only one code, we can deliver changes faster. We won’t speculate what to release and what to withhold either, so we will be able to focus on the continuous development of ForkLift without restrictions.

New pricing model

Changing the way we develop ForkLift means that we also have to change the way we price ForkLift.

The software industry is shifting towards the subscription business model. Subscriptions are great for developers because they secure a predictable and steady cash-flow, and they make the continuous development of the application possible. But we know that a lot of users are getting tired of subscriptions, and we also think that the subscription model is not the best fit for ForkLift.

We want to combine the advantages and minimize the disadvantages of the two extremes: the one-off purchase model and the subscription model. To do this, we want to use a hybrid model that some call the Dutch Model because it was first introduced a few years ago by mainly Dutch companies such as Sketch.

The idea behind this model is that when you buy ForkLift, you get the app and one year of free updates. After the year is over, you can renew your license and get one more year of updates, or you can keep using the same version of ForkLift forever. If you change your mind and want to use a newer version a few weeks or months later, you can renew your license any time and get all updates for another year.

If you constantly use ForkLift to upload files to your servers or you use it as your go-to file manager, then it will be worth renewing your license because you will greatly benefit from the constant enhancements. But if you only upload some files occasionally, then it might be enough to buy ForkLift once because you will be able to use a reliable FTP client for many years.

We want to lower the price of the single-user license (plus one year of free updates) to $14.95, and the renewal would cost $12.95.

We are currently working on the technical and administrative changes which are needed before we can switch over to the new model. We want to make the transition as smooth as possible.

We want to switch to the new model in a few months and release ForkLift 4 in the Spring of 2021. With increasing the version number we want to make a clear distinction between ForkLift 3 and ForkLift 4 to make the transition for our existing users easier to understand.

If you already have a ForkLift 3 license, then you will be able to use ForkLift 3 for as long as you want. Users who buy license keys to ForkLift after the introduction of the new model will get free updates for 12 months.

Nothing is set in stone, but these are our plans. We would like to hear your feedback. If you have some suggestions or ideas, please write to us at support@binarynights.com or tweet us @BinaryNights.