MacGourmet News

I'm pleased to announce the first public beta of MacGourmet 2.

I know, there are a lot of people who have been waiting for an official announcement on how much the upgrade to version 2 will cost. I can finally shed some light on this:

Version 2 is going to be a free upgrade for registered users.

Yes, some people will think I'm crazy. Some will think that a free upgrade is appropriate. I decided to make sure everyone moved to version 2 together, because it is the core on top of which a lot of cool new things will be added.

Upon the its final release, I am, however, going to try something a little different from the norm: "voluntary upgrade charges with extra goodies." More details will be coming later, but if you want to recognize all of the hard work that goes into Mac software development and an all new version of a product, there will be a way for you to do this, and get cool stuff in the process, and maybe win one of several cool prizes.

PLEASE READ THIS FIRST BEFORE DOWNLOADING THE BETA
When MacGourmet 2 is first run, it will create a new version of your existing database, so it doesn't modify your existing MacGourmet version 1 database if you have one.

Still, as when using any beta software, it's always a good idea to back up your existing information (usually the entire MacGourmet folder in the Library/Application Support folder in your home folder). If you find any problems, please choose Help > "Send Feedback" from within the application to send in a report so that they can be fixed.

Also note that this is a debug version and that it's compiled for PowerPC, so it will be slower than the final version and run under Rosetta on Intel Macs. The final release will, of course, be an optimized build and a Universal Binary.

The beta can be downloaded here: MacGourmet 2 Public Beta

Finally, if you're an unregistered MacGourmet user, buy before the end of the beta or December 15th, whichever comes first and you can save $5 on the current Download Edition version of MacGourmet, just as a way of saying, "Thanks for downloading and testing the new version." Just use the coupon code BETATHANKS (** This offer has expired **) when you fill in your order information.

Because MacGourmet 2 is a free upgrade, buying now will get you the final version of MacGourmet 2 when it's ready as well, and will automatically enter you in the version 2 launch prize giveaway.

My thanks to the closed beta testers, I got a lot of great feedback that helped improve the product. I'd also like to thank everyone else who asked to be a tester. I wanted to keep the closed beta group at a certain size, so the group was only so big. After a certain point there were also too many requests for me to respond to each one personally. The offers were certainly appreciated however.