From linda at omnigroup.com Fri Jan 3 12:32:01 2003 From: linda at omnigroup.com (Linda Sharps) Date: Thu Nov 3 13:04:59 2005 Subject: Macworld special pricing! Message-ID: Hello, OmniNews list members! To what I'm SURE is your extreme disappointment, today I'm just sending out a brief note to let you know where we'll be at Macworld next week. San Francisco, that's where. PARTYING. Wait, I mean, "standing around moaning about how much our feet hurt." If you're planning to attend, we would love it if you stopped by and said hello. You'll find us busy shifting the weight from one foot to the other in booth #542. Not only will you have the opportunity to gaze lovingly at our snazzy Omni polo shirts (oh yes, *polo shirts*), but you can also get some great deals on our software. OmniWeb and OmniOutliner (normally $34.95) are going for $25.00, and OmniGraffle (normally 64.95) will be on sale for $50.00. And get this, they are in these neato DVD cases. So they are like...collector's items! Limited edition and all that. How can you resist? We will also be selling OmniDiskSweeper for $10.00 instead of its normal Columbus-esque $14.92. And if you buy the whole kit and kaboodle, you get all 4 apps for $100.00 - that's a 10% savings on top of the show special pricing. So, to recap: BOOTH 542, for nerdy shirts, swanky DVD packaging, and el cheapo prices. Hope to see you there! From linda at omnigroup.com Tue Feb 4 10:27:03 2003 From: linda at omnigroup.com (Linda Sharps) Date: Thu Nov 3 13:04:59 2005 Subject: OmniNews - Issue #9 Message-ID: OmniNewsletter 1.09 www.omnigroup.com - 2/04/03 Issue #9 You know that shy sort of awkward encounter you have with someone when you haven't talked to them in quite a while? Yes, it's like that with you and I right now, isn't it. The newsletter, it's been so long since you've seen it, and you're not sure - are things...well, *different*? Don't worry, nothing's changed. We here at Marketing Weasel Enterprises strive to provide you with quality hyperbole and corporate bias! Oops. I mean, ha ha, "informative and entertaining information about our products". Yeahhh. That's it. WHAT'S NEW -------------------------------------------------------+ Well, *I* now have a life-sized (5'9", if you're curious) cardboard cutout of Aragorn in my office. Smell the geekiness! Also, here's an update on our retail progress: you can now buy OmniWeb, OmniOutliner, and OmniGraffle - with the pretty boxes and the wacky fun manuals - at CompUSA and Apple stores nationwide. You can also find them in MicroCenter, J&R Computers, and Fry's Electronics (and other fine stores for whom we have great love even though we've forgotten their names). Tres cool, no? In other news, PopCap games released another game port we did for them, the Mac OS X version of Big Money Deluxe. From what I hear, this is a highly addictive puzzle and strategy game, so don't come crying to ME if your work productivity takes a hit. You can give Big Money a try - or pick up a license - at www.popcap.com. ABOUT OMNIWEB AND SAFARI -------------------------------------------------------+ So - Macworld! Did you go? A big thank you to anyone who stopped by our booth, and a major apology to the poor man who had to suffer through my Thursday afternoon 3-Stooges-like demonstration of OmniGraffle (look, someone set the keyboard to Dvorak, ok?). You may have heard of a little Mac OS X web browser that was announced at the show called Safari. Lots of people have asked us how we feel about that. Well, how do you THINK we feel about it? It really chaps our hide! Bring it on, Steve. Bring. It. On. *spirit hands* No, I'm not being serious at all, which I'm sure shocks you to no end. We are actually really pleased about the announcement, because now we can research the possibility of integrating Safari's rendering engine technologies into a future release of OmniWeb. We're investigating this for a number of reasons. First of all, it may allow us to get a more standards-compliant version of OmniWeb into the hands of our users sooner than we would be able to on our own. Which would be a Good Thing. Also, using WebCore and JavaScriptCore means that a wad ("wad" = v. technical term) of code currently in OmniWeb could be replaced with code that we would no longer have to maintain on our own, freeing our engineers to focus more on the user interface and browsing experience. Which, to be honest, is what we really enjoy doing the most. So never fear, new competition doesn't mean we are abandoning OmniWeb like a cast-aside Joe Millionaire contestant. OmniWeb is going to continue to grow, like a talented American Idol contestant. TIPS & TRICKS -------------------------------------------------------+ Our recent release of OmniOutliner 2.2 beta now has lets you import and export to Apple's Keynote. You know, if you maybe have a big presentation to give on, say, the fascinating habits of dung beetles. Let's walk through the steps - that sounds fun, doesn't it? Wheee! Step the First: Set up your OmniOutliner document. Each top level item ("Flightless beetle") in your document will be used as the basis for a new slide in Keynote. If the item has sub-items ("Vestigial wings"), Keynote's "Title & Bullets" master slide will be used. (You can change this behavior in OmniOutliner's "Keynote Export" preferences pane, if you want.) Otherwise, the "Title Only" master slide will be used. Any notes ("Must walk from dung-pad to dung-pad") in your document will appear as speaker notes in the Keynote presentation. Step the Second: Select the Keynote theme you'd like to use. By default, OmniOutliner will export your documents with the "Blackboard" theme, but you can change this setting in OmniOutliner's preferences. Step the Third: Export the file. Under the "File" menu, select "Export". Pick the location you'd like your Presentation saved to, make sure the format pop-up is set to "Apple Keynote" and click "Save". Step the Fourth: Wallow in the power you have wielded. Now you can open the exported file in Keynote and continue your work. To import Keynote data into Outliner: open OmniOutliner, and open your presentation file. The End. Seriously. That's it. Your Keynote file is used as the basis for a new OmniOutliner document - slide titles, bullet points, and speaker notes are all imported. Pretty neat, huh? Almost sexy, even! Now remember, this is a beta version, so if OmniOutliner accidentally reformats your hard drive or burns your dinner, you've been forewarned.* *OmniOutliner will do neither of those things. We swear.** **By we swear, we mean, "we're pretty sure". UNSOLICITED USER LOVE -------------------------------------------------------+ This is a user rave that - like Dave Barry says - I swear I am not making up. Katherine W. writes: "Good heavens. Good *heavens*. What an *extraordinary* browser. What an exceptionally pleasant experience, using a browser that's intelligent, well-designed, thoughtful and effective. I've been using it for, let's see, just over 12 hours now, and I've already bought a license. It leaves me nearly speechless with admiration, with just enough coherence left to start enthusiastically recommending it to all my Mac-enabled friends. Many, *many* thanks." I mean, talk about warm AND fuzzy. OmniWeb - the thoughtful browser! Making you chicken soup when you have the sniffles, and reminding you about your anniversary and stuff! Ok, fine, you sticklers for "the truth". OmniWeb won't do those things, but it will help you browse more efficiently by notifying you when your bookmarks have updated, checking your spelling for you, helping you find a site you visited once then forgot how you got there, and more. If you try OmniWeb, and you like it - support us by picking up a license at https://store.omnigroup.com. ACTUAL EMAIL FROM ACTUAL OMNI EMPLOYEE -------------------------------------------------------+ From: A senior engineer Date: Tue Jan 28, 2003 To: everyone Subject: Status - Worked on various bugs in OmniWeb. - Found various bugs in MacOSX. - Contemplated moving to a craggy remote island in a freezing sea and becoming an evil genius and/or mad hermit. - Found workarounds for MacOSX bugs. - Waited for code reviews. - Still thinking about that island. THANK YOU, THANK YOU VERY MUCH -------------------------------------------------------+ As always, a big thank you for your interest in Omni. Please do drop me a line (linda@omnigroup.com) with any feedback about this newsletter - I love to hear what you think. Also feel free to contact me with ideas, comments, suggestions for new CDs, and your favorite recipes featuring red curry paste. To subscribe (woohoo!), unsubscribe (d'oh!), or change your settings, use the following link: http://www.omnigroup.com/mailman/listinfo/omninews From linda at omnigroup.com Thu Feb 27 10:46:01 2003 From: linda at omnigroup.com (Linda Sharps) Date: Thu Nov 3 13:04:59 2005 Subject: OmniNews - Issue #10 Message-ID: <45281EEA-4A83-11D7-B26C-000A2794C6CA@omnigroup.com> OmniNewsletter www.omnigroup.com - 2/27/03 Issue #10 Yes indeed, it is once again time for the rich creamery goodness that is the Omni newsletter. Chock full of zaniness, product info, and probably typos, it's the literary missive that knows no equal! Oh, some people might call this "spam" (picture me doing the annoying air quote thing), but, ha ha, of COURSE it isn't! Sure, it's a thinly veiled attempt to bilk you for your hard-earned money sent directly to your inbox, but hey - if that's wrong I don't ever want to be right. WHAT'S NEW -------------------------------------------------------+ Yo! Yao! Yo! Yao! I just can't get enough of that, can you? Moving right along...in case you missed it, there's a beta of OmniOutliner 2.2 available (should go final very soon) that lets you import and export to Apple's Keynote - which is fairly hip, no? You can read what folks at versiontracker are saying here: http://www.versiontracker.com/moreinfo.fcgi?id=8610&db=mac Also, our CEO Ken Case was recently interviewed in OSNews.com. It's a really great interview where he's all forthcoming and informative and gives intelligent answers to the questions. Unlike, for instance, yours truly who tends to get nervous and finds herself inexplicably babbling about *squirrels*, or something. Check it out here: http://www.osnews.com/story.php?news_id=2736 DID YOU KNOW? -------------------------------------------------------+ Here's a little morsel of info about OmniWeb you may not have been aware of: With OmniWeb's toolbars, you can fit more functionality into a smaller space than you can with any other browser. Put the address field in the navigation toolbar, set the toolbar to icon only + small icons mode, and show the favorites bar, and it's only 50 pixels high. Whoopidee dingdong, you say? Or perhaps you don't. Perhaps I simply insert that for "comedic effect" and "hackneyed segue". Well, with your toolbar all efficient-ized like that you've got more screen real estate for your web pages. So when you're reading MacSurfer or checking your stocks (and weeping softly yet steadily into your monitor), you've got more room for the data you need to see. And now, may I just say I'm quite pleased to have used the word "morsel" in a newsletter. That is all. TIPS & TRICKS -------------------------------------------------------+ This isn't a terrible exciting subject, but occasionally we get questions about what our license terms mean. And our typical response is, "Uuunnh?" because it's, you know, early and we haven't had our coffee. When you license one of our applications (which means you bought it! Squee!), you will be prompted to choose a license type. Your choices are Personal, Computer, and Network. Basically each license you have allows you to either have as many users as you want use the application on one machine, or have one user use the application on as many machines as they want. Clear as mud? So the Personal license is available only for you, the user who installed it. It's stored in your home folder, so it's only available when you're logged into your account. If you don't want your irritating roommate hogging your cool Omni app, this is the license type you should select. The Computer license is what a shares-well-with-others user would choose - it's available to any user who can log onto your Mac. Finally, the Network license is available to any user on any machine in your Mac OS X network, and is generally only used if you have bought lots of licenses (for example, at a university lab). Now that you've got the lowdown on licensing, wouldn't you like to try out the captivating process of choosing a license type by...oh, I don't know...maybe buying a license? (Note to self: good work, v. subtle) UNSOLICITED USER LOVE -------------------------------------------------------+ Here's an email we got recently: "...I also write fiction, and I've experimented with (OmniOutliner), anticipating that it would impede the flow of ideas which are spontaneous and inherently somewhat chaotic. Instead what happened is that in one sitting I mapped out a novel that has been vexing me for months." Can you believe it? It was from Tom Clancy! So I wrote him and said, "Hey, Tom, maybe this will help you use LESS WORDS in your next novel. Are they paying you by the letter? 'The Sum of All Encyclopedias' more like." Ha! Ha... *cough* Shut up, I thought that was funny. Actually, the email came from satisfied user Michael Y., who goes on to say: "This isn't just another computer geegaw. This is a necessary tool, and I wouldn't want to be without it. Not that this is news to you, but I'm very impressed by how much I use it and how much it helps." Now come on, folks. OmniOutliner is a *necessary tool*, like a...spork! Or a shoehorn! Or, well, something much cooler than those two lame examples. We hear this all the time, how people who initially thought Outliner was a simple device now use it daily for all kinds of projects, and if you took it away from them they would probably bite you. Hard. Intrigued? Want to be the proud owner of an affordable yet indispensable piece of software? Swing on by our store at https://store.omnigroup.com, and get yourself all squared away. ACTUAL EMAIL FROM ACTUAL OMNI EMPLOYEE -------------------------------------------------------+ From: A wonderful support guy Date: Feb 19, 2003 To: the outliner user list I wish I didn't need to rely on you guys as some sort of AppleScript rapid-response prototyping team; I wish I had armies of trained code-generating and feature-testing attack monkeys, but I don't. :-) THANK YOU, THANK YOU VERY MUCH -------------------------------------------------------+ As always, a big thank you for your interest in Omni. Please do drop me a line (linda@omnigroup.com) with any feedback about this newsletter - I love to hear what you think. Also feel free to contact me with ideas, comments, links to funny websites, and pranks to play on software engineers. To subscribe (woohoo!), unsubscribe (d'oh!), or change your settings, use the following link: http://www.omnigroup.com/mailman/listinfo/omninews From linda at omnigroup.com Wed Apr 9 11:32:03 2003 From: linda at omnigroup.com (Linda Sharps) Date: Thu Nov 3 13:04:59 2005 Subject: OmniWeb 4.2 and 4.5 - whee! Message-ID: <25EC5616-6AB9-11D7-B4BF-000A2794C6CA@omnigroup.com> Hi everyone, Just a really quick note from the Marketing Weasel Department to let you know we've released a final version of OmniWeb 4.2 today. You can take a gander at the release notes here: http://www.omnigroup.com/applications/omniweb/download/ to see what's been added to the new version. In perhaps more interesting news, we're also releasing a "sneaky peek" of OmniWeb 4.5, because we're... sneaky, I guess. Or - no, it's you! You are the sneaky one! Oh ho HO, trying to sneak up on our products, are you? ANYWAY. OmniWeb 4.5 is the first version to incorporate the open source WebCore and JavaScriptCore frameworks from Apple, which should mean maaajor improvements to our support for Internet standards like CSS, HTML, XHTML, and JavaScript. We've been saying for a while now that OmniWeb 5.0 would be the version that offers improved compatibility, but that was all a dirty lie! Er - I mean, we are going to be able to get this functionality in 4.5, which will be a free upgrade to 4x license holders. So - yay for that! If you are a current OmniWeb 4.x license holder, and you want to kick the tires of 4.5, you can download the first sneaky peek release from http://www.omnigroup.com/ftp/pub/software/MacOSX/.sneakypeek/ We're pretty excited about this news, and we hope those of you who enjoy using OmniWeb are glad to hear it. And now for your enjoyment, sent in from esteemed reader Andrew S., an essay on the horror of blimps: http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=160851 ---- To subscribe, unsubscribe, or change your settings, use the following link: http://www.omnigroup.com/mailman/listinfo/omninews From linda at omnigroup.com Tue Apr 15 10:25:02 2003 From: linda at omnigroup.com (Linda Sharps) Date: Thu Nov 3 13:04:59 2005 Subject: Fwd: OmniGraffle 3.0 ships! (with its friend, 3.0 Professional) Message-ID: <95502D0A-6F66-11D7-9907-000A2794C6CA@omnigroup.com> Hey look! We're shipping new product! I'm forwarding you the message Wil Shipley sent to the OmniGraffle user's list, because I'm lazy! Lazy like a FOX. Heh. I need to let you know that because SKILLIONS of people are visiting our online store, we're having trouble with it. If you are unable to access it, please wait a bit, and try again. Sorry about that, we're working on the problem right now. By "we" I mean "someone smarter than me", so don't worry, it shouldn't take too long. Link to the Official Press Release: http://www.omnigroup.com/mailman/archive/omni-press/2003-April/ 000046.html Questions or comments about the new versions? Let me know! Linda Sharps, Marketing Weasel Begin forwarded message: > From: William Shipley > Date: Tue Apr 15, 2003 2:35:49 AM US/Pacific > To: OmniGraffle-Users@omnigroup.com > Subject: OmniGraffle 3.0 ships! (with its friend, 3.0 Professional) > > > It's here! Finally! > > Actually, I should be saying "they're here". In that creepy Poltergeist > girl's voice, just for fun. > > Well, or not. Drum roll, please: OmniGraffle 3.0 and OmniGraffle 3.0 > Professional are now shipping! You can read about them on our fresh new > web pages at http://www.omnigroup.com/applications/omnigraffle/ (but be > warned that this site went up about 15 minutes ago and still has some > teensy little quirks). > > The official press release will go out tomorrow, but here's a brief > rundown of some of the new features: > > OmniGraffle 3.0: > ---- > ? Smart size guides: When resizing a shape the size snaps when it is > the same size as any existing shape. > ? Smart distance guides: When placing a shape, it snaps when it makes a > pleasingly equidistant line with two other shapes (even if it's > rotated). > ? New inspectors: inspectors architecture totally redone with snapping, > disclosing groups. > ? Improved image support > ? Dynamic toolbar drop-down items > ? Enhanced selection panel: drag style chits to copy styles. > ? Descriptive colors: interface uses words to uniquely describe colors. > - Drawing smoother, faster, better: > - Shadows faster, prettier, more realistic, more adjustable. > - Gradient fills more smooth, faster. > - More options for drawing lines (more dashes, different corners) > - Images can now be resized and offset inside shapes > - UNIQUE feature: we read the printer's page description and can fit > our document perfectly into the hardware printable area. > - UNIQUE feature: dynamic tools menu populates itself with tools and > styles used in the current document, so it's easy to keep a consistent > look even when you didn't draw the document yourself. > > > OmniGraffle 3.0 Professional has all of the above features, plus: > ---- > ? Visio 2002 XML import/export > ? Multiple canvas documents > ? Link within pages > ? Export as multipage HTML document with links between pages > ? Presentation mode > ? Workplace save and restore > ? Add favorite drawing styles to your favorite tools to be used over > and over > ? ColorSync support > ? Mouseless editing > ? Multiple editing windows on one document > ? Manual guides > ? Pattern color picker: added to Apple color picker, > ? Gradient fills from one pattern to another > ? IB import: drag a NIB onto the OmniGraffle Professional icon and get > a diagram of all its connections. > > Note that you can't use your 2.0 license with 3.0 -- you have to > upgrade. It's how we make money, and stuff. OmniGraffle 3.0 will sell > for $69.95, and will be a $24.95 upgrade price for OmniGraffle 2.0 > users (including Apple customers who have OmniGraffle 2.0 bundled on > their machines). > > OmniGraffle 3.0 Professional will sell for $119.95. Upgrades from > OmniGraffle 3.0 (standard) to 3.0 Professional will be $49.95, and > we're having a special deal on upgrades straight from 2.0 to > OmniGraffle 3.0 Professional: $59.95 until the end of May ($74.95 after > that). (And if you're one of the people who bought OmniGraffle 1.0 a > long time ago at the $129 price, please write me directly for a special > deal.) > > Edu pricing will be available. You can review pricing schemes at > https://store.omnigroup.com. > > We think OmniGraffle Professional is a really great new product, but > please note that NOTHING has been removed from OmniGraffle 2.0 > (standard) to OmniGraffle 3.0 (standard) to make the new Professional > edition. It was very important to us that when our customers upgraded, > they didn't lose any functionality at all. > > Questions? Send them to omnigraffle@omnigroup.com. > > -Wil "El Jefe" Shipley > Project Manager, OmniGraffle 3.0 > > _______________________________________________ > OmniGraffle-Users mailing list > OmniGraffle-Users@omnigroup.com > http://www.omnigroup.com/mailman/listinfo/omnigraffle-users From linda at omnigroup.com Thu Apr 24 10:48:25 2003 From: linda at omnigroup.com (Linda Sharps) Date: Thu Nov 3 13:04:59 2005 Subject: OmniNews - Issue #11 Message-ID: OmniNewsletter www.omnigroup.com - 4/24/03 Issue #11 As I sit here in front of my computer and compose this letter to be sent to you, there's one thing first and foremost in my mind: Who put the bomp in the bomp ba bomp ba bomp? (This has been brought to you by the Committee for Apathetic Newsletter Intros, whose motto is: "We have not had nearly enough Diet Coke today".) WHAT'S NEW -------------------------------------------------------+ Boy, we've had LOTS of news lately. I mean, sometimes I start to write this section and I heave an enormous sigh because I just know I'm going to have to dredge up something lame like "This just in: OmniBlorp 1.0.yawn.2!" or something, but oh ho ho, not *this* time. Ready? I hope you didn't pay for the full seat, my friend, because you are only going to need THE EDGE! Wow, that was...profoundly lame. I'm sorry. Really. On April 15th we released OmniGraffle 3.0 and OmniGraffle Professional - major upgrades to that cool diagramming app we develop. We added a whole boatload of new features to 3.0, like completely redesigned info inspectors, smart guides, dynamic toolbars, style support up the wazoo, and, well, you can check it all out at (there's pictures and everything). OmniGraffle Professional is our, uh, professional version - beefed up with advanced editing and presentation options. It's got everything that 3.0 does, but it also has Visio 2002 XML import/export, support for multiple page documents, mouseless editing, manual guides, ColorSync proofing, and - you knew this was coming - "much, much more!". Obligatory link: In all truth we have been getting an overwhelming response from people who are absolutely blown away by the new versions. Congratulations to the OmniGraffle programming team: Wil, Greg, and Kevin! Go you! DID YOU KNOW? -------------------------------------------------------+ Did you know that "Did You Know" is the dumbest heading, like, EVER and I really need to change it? Did you? So on April 9th we released OmniWeb 4.2 (see? LOTS of news!), which as we claim "adds a number of features intended to improve user experience and bring greater compatibility with web servers and Internet plug-ins." That's fluent marketing weaselese, baby! Really, 4.2 does have a slew of new stuff added to it, but what is potentially more interesting is that we also have OmniWeb 4.5 in the works. 4.5 is the first version that will incorporate the open source WebCore and JavaScriptCore frameworks from Apple's Safari, meaning maaaajor improvements to our support for CSS, HTML, XHTML, and JavaScript. We expect OmniWeb 4.5 to be available later this quarter, and it will be a free upgrade to 4.x license holders (like we'd charge for, you know, making it work right). In the meantime, if you are a licensed OmniWeb user - *kisses!* - you can try out the Sneaky Peek of 4.5, which we are continually updating. It's available here: , and if you think that weird trenchcoat dude at the top of the page is sort of creepy, you're not alone (I mean, what's he doing behind that letter O? Ew!). TIPS & TRICKS -------------------------------------------------------+ There are about eighty zillion new functions you can do in OmniGraffle 3.0. And while I can think of nothing more personally rewarding than filling this newsletter with loving words about every single one of them, I'll point out just a few tricks you may not have known about. - If you copy and paste an object, then move it without deselecting the pasted object, any additional pastes will be spaced from the previous pasting by the same offset between the original object and the first pasted object. - Whenever you're using a rotation slider (IE: rotating a shape or choosing a linear gradient): if you hold down the shift key while moving the slider you'll change the angle in 15? increments. - For both the opacity and scale sliders in the Image inspector, if you move the cursor over the tick marks while dragging, the slider will snap to the value matching that tick mark. It will briefly pause (for station identification?) before continuing along the slider. - In the Lines inspector, when you're making changes to the line endings: if you hold down the command key while moving one of the sliders, the other slider will move with it - so you can enlarge/shrink both endings at the same time. - If you drag a link from your browser and drop it onto an empty location in your OmniGraffle canvas, a new text object will be created with the text set to the link label, and the action set to the link's URL. When you're in browse mode you can click the text object to have your web browser (OMNIWEB, RIGHT?) open the URL. Pretty hip, don't you think? Now you can impress all your friends who will be amazed by your mad Graffle skillz! Or, you'll alienate everyone you know by constantly babbling about obscure software shortcuts! Either way, one thing's clear: you're a geek. Ha ha! Just kidding! I mean, you're a POWER user, my friend! UNSOLICITED USER LOVE -------------------------------------------------------+ Esteemed user Matthew writes us about the new version of OmniGraffle: "You guys are amazing! I found out about this software just a few hours ago, and after reading the feature lists I bought an upgrade to the pro version on the spot! I especially love the shade scrolling inspectors, saved workspaces, and the smart guides. Kudo's to your developers for such a wonderful implementation of the Cocoa Apple GUI standards! Now this is one killer OS X application. I rank it right up there with the Stone Design software! Excellent job! I am completely blown away!" How many purchases have YOU made lately that caused you to end darn near every sentence with an exclamation point? Sure, there was that one dubious eBay item, but I'm not talking about that. You should never speak of that again, really. License an Omni product today at , and the power of persuasive punctuation can be yours! ACTUAL EMAIL FROM ACTUAL OMNI EMPLOYEE -------------------------------------------------------+ From: Our wonderful support manager Date: Mon Apr 21, 2003 11:34:00 AM US/Pacific To: everyone Subject: Thanks, all... "For everyone that noticed but did not mention to me the fact that I was not only wearing my shirt inside out, but backwards, as well, with the little tag thing sticking out of my neck like some fabric tracheotomy tube... Thanks. But next time, for the love of god, please say something." THANK YOU, THANK YOU VERY MUCH -------------------------------------------------------+ As always, a big thank you for your interest in Omni. Please do drop me a line (linda@omnigroup.com) with any feedback about this newsletter - I love to hear what you think. Especially since my coworker Michael said to me today: "Does anyone actually READ that thing?" Also feel free to contact me with ideas, comments, cruisewear, and uses for excess yellow lab dog fur. To subscribe (woohoo!), unsubscribe (d'oh!), or change your settings, use the following link: From linda at omnigroup.com Wed Aug 13 13:29:46 2003 From: linda at omnigroup.com (Linda Sharps) Date: Thu Nov 3 13:04:59 2005 Subject: OmniNews - Issue #12 Message-ID: <8998134F-CDCC-11D7-92F6-003065B22C50@omnigroup.com> OmniNewsletter www.omnigroup.com - 8/13/03 Issue #12 Hello, newsletter recipients! I have no pithy opening paragraph in mind, so let us review an amusing Jack Handy quote instead. [Fear can sometimes be a useful emotion. For instance, let's say you're an astronaut on the moon and you fear that your partner has been turned into Dracula. The next time he goes out for the moon pieces, wham!, you just slam the door behind him and blast off. He might call you on the radio and say he's not Dracula, but you just say, "Think again, bat man."] Oh! I also have a nifty trick for you. Okay, while sitting at your desk, make clockwise circles with your right foot. While doing this, draw the number "6" in the air with your right hand. Which direction is your foot going NOW? MWUAHAHHAHAHHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!! Um. Moving on.... WHAT'S NEW -------------------------------------------------------+ Well, let's see. We released an update to OmniOutliner today that fixes an issue where international users couldn't input accented text. I mean, come ON! That's like...like the "Octodog" . It's just *wrong*, is what I'm sayin'. Apologies to our international customers - please grab OmniOutliner 2.2.3 here: . We also released the final version of OmniWeb 4.5. OmniWeb 4.5 incorporates the open source WebCore and JavaScriptCore frameworks from Apple, which brings greatly improved support for the latest Internet standards like CSS, HTML, XHTML, and JavaScript. In other words, it, er, works better now. *cough* Well, what am I going to tell you, that OmniWeb 4.5 gets your whites whiter? That it plumps when you cook it? (Hee!) The truth is, we were having some issues with compatibility and now things are a ton better. And hey, we also made updates to bookmarks, AutoFill, plug-ins, history indexing, and more. If you tried OmniWeb in the past and were frustrated by not being able to access certain sites, please give 4.5 a try. We just might win you back. See for yourself at . In other news, some of our engineers have been working very diligently lately to harvest baby clownfish. We have this huge saltwater fish tank, see, and the clownfish produced eggs, and there's this complicated process of slurping up the eggs with a turkey baster to separate them so they don't get eaten, etc, and so now Omni is attempting to raise several jillion tiny baby clownfish. It's like "Finding Nemo", except for the part where it's totally not like Finding Nemo at all. But it's a very cool project, because the way clownfish are typically gathered (and eventually sold to fish stores) can often be incredibly damaging to reef systems, and if we're able to provide local stores the fishies gathered in a non-reef-killing way, well, that's just goooood karma. Right? NEW STENCILS AVAILABLE -------------------------------------------------------+ One of our fabulous users, John Oram, is working on making a map of the ENTIRE WORLD using OmniGraffle. It's possible he's an evil genius, we're not quite sure yet. He's kindly making them available for the public here . Thank you, John! You're great! Even though you casually use the word "grep" as a verb on your website! Which clearly brands you as Propeller-headus Maximus! (I, on the other hand, am a Marketingus Mustela Frenata Latirostris. I should really have that on my business card, because that would be The Coolest Thing Ever.) OMNI UPDATE -------------------------------------------------------+ I'm skipping the usual "tips and tricks" section in this newsletter, because holy crap, that part is "boring". (Wait. Does my boss read this?) I mean, obviously the tips and tricks section is a great way to educate our customers and improve their user experience and we will certainly be sending tips and tricks in the future! Ahem. I thought I'd tell you a little about some of the planning activities underway at Omni right now. Sadly, the planning activities involve meetings, which can sometimes last for hours and sap one's will to live. On the plus side, the meetings produce new features and cool UI mockups and, you know, devious ways to gouge people of their hard earned cash. Hey, don't look at me like that. We have to pay the rent around here SOMEHOW. There are some really cool things coming down the pipe, people. We're going to release a new version of OmniDiskSweeper that not only will help you manage your disk space in amazing new ways, it will knock your eyes out. OmniWeb 5.0 is coming, with a slew of awesome new browsing features that are going to be really useful whether you're shopping, reading/writing blogs, managing auctions, banking, gaming, doing research, reading comics, or surfing...pictures. OmniOutliner 3.0 is on the way, too. It's going to be the tool you turn to instead of using Word, Excel, or Project. If it isn't already an indispensable part of your routine, it will be. I can't give you dates, but we've got some ambitious schedules put in place. Mountain Dew is disappearing at an alarming rate. Stay tuned! UNSOLICITED USER LOVE -------------------------------------------------------+ Distinguished user Mark sent us some wonderful praise for OmniGraffle: "I can not begin to adequately express my consummate bliss of having discovered Omnigraffle. It is unsurpassed by any other software of its nature, on either Macintosh or PC. I am elated to have learned that Omnigraffle not only supercedes its competitors--it annihilates them. It offers unprecedented efficiency, productivity features, and common-task intelligence. You have produced an astonishing slice of bliss, and I hope you are thoroughly proud of yourselves." Boy, an astonishing slice of bliss, hey? I mean, sure, *I'd* maybe be more likely to attribute the description of 'bliss' to, say, a nicely gin-soaked pimiento olive, but that's just (hic!) me. Software can be blissful too. Visit our store today at , and consummate bliss* will be yours! *Definition of bliss may vary by state. ACTUAL EMAIL FROM ACTUAL OMNI EMPLOYEE -------------------------------------------------------+ From: Engineer Date: Tue Jul 15, 2003 9:06:16 PM US/Pacific To: Marketing Weasel Subject: Re: Recycle bin? (in response to my email to staff asking where my recycle bin had disappeared to) "It's the rapture!" THANK YOU, THANK YOU VERY MUCH -------------------------------------------------------+ Thank you, as always, for your interest in Omni. Drop me a line (linda@omnigroup.com) with ideas, comments, your thoughts on the new White Stripes album, and tips for planting Japanese maple trees. To subscribe (woohoo!), unsubscribe (d'oh!), or change your settings, use the following link: http://www.omnigroup.com/mailman/listinfo/omninews From linda at omnigroup.com Tue Dec 9 16:49:05 2003 From: linda at omnigroup.com (Linda Sharps) Date: Thu Nov 3 13:04:59 2005 Subject: Update from Omni: the Eddy and the Maxine Message-ID: Hello, esteemed list members! Just a quick dispatch with a bit of Omni-related news: our fine diagramming and drawing application OmniGraffle has won a couple of very cool industry awards. I'm sure you're just chomping at the bit to find out which awards, aren't you? Well, although we were CLEARLY in the running for Company With The Largest Collection of Cat Hair, apparently there wasn't a contest for *that*. The Editors' Choice Awards (Eddy Awards) is 'the Macintosh industry's most prestigious distinction for breakthrough product development', which sounds quite exciting and a vast improvement, really, on that nonexistent cat hair award. OmniGraffle Professional was announced as a winner on December 3. The MacUser UK Mac awards took place on November 20, 2003. According to the MacUser website, "In these Awards, we seek to recognise the companies and products that have excelled. ...these products are all well thought out, work well with the Mac, and - most important of all - enable Mac users to do something different." OmniGraffle 3.0 received the MacUser "Maxine" award in the category of Business and Productivity. We recently received the actual physical award, which is the most awesome looking thing *ever*. Also, it's a big heavy gold statue that we have placed precariously on a narrow shelf in our lobby, directly above a couch. We're all about safety. Safety, and making great software! *ahem* Anyway, that's the latest from Omni. Thanks to those of you who have sent us feedback and suggestions about OmniGraffle, because YOU'RE the reason we won! We love you, man. -- (To subscribe (woohoo!), unsubscribe (d'oh!), or change your settings, use the following link: ) From linda at omnigroup.com Wed Dec 31 19:06:17 2003 From: linda at omnigroup.com (Linda Sharps) Date: Thu Nov 3 13:04:59 2005 Subject: OmniWeb update Message-ID: <5DC4F380-3BE7-11D8-9A8C-003065B22C50@omnigroup.com> Hello, revered list members! Have I got some news for YOU! *trumpeting fanfare* ANNOUNCING...OMNIWEB 5.0!!!!! (!!!!!) I *know*! You've been waiting for, like, EVER! And it's finally here! Finally, you can start using this revamped web browser with all kinds of cool new features! Well...except for the part where you can't. *ahem* What I mean to say is, you'll be able to use it REALLY REALLY SOON. We'll be launching a public beta of OmniWeb 5.0 starting February 2, 2004. In the meantime, if you're planning on going to Macworld next week, stop by our booth to check out OmniWeb 5.0 in action! And by "action", ha ha, I mean "crashing"! I am of course kidding, we really don't like demoing the crashing feature. We WILL, however, be showing off saved browsing sessions, updated bookmarks, page marking, improved shortcuts, site-specific preferences, and more. Oh, and a little thing called tabs that just a few (billion) people have been asking for. You can get a an overview of what's new in 5.0 here: . And here is the Official Press Release, all tarted up with weaselese: . Don't forget: Macworld. Booth #934. Be there, or be...I don't know, somewhere else. And stay tuned! OmniWeb, Coming To A Dock Near You! (!!!!!!!) --- To subscribe, unsubscribe, or change your settings, use the following link: http://www.omnigroup.com/mailman/listinfo/omninews