TypeStyler replacement?

[barryjaylevine]

Finally tired of waiting for Strider to release an OSX native version of TypeStyler. I'm doing "print to paper" only (no "web" stuff). Anyone care to make some recommendations for a replacement for TypeStyler?

Thanks,
Barry

[Gabriel]

From Strider's website:

YES! There will be a TypeStyler for Mac OS X.

But when and what do you mean by "soon"? This is what users have been asking for over a year and although this page has told what's happening it hasn't answered the "when" question. And even though I still can't give a definitive date I can tell you that every day brings us closer. Believe me, no one wants the Mac OS X release out more than we do.

We continue to work feverishly on this new release but with every release of OS X new challenges are encountered. Obviously development is taking longer than we ever anticipated but is necessary to make this next generation of TypeStyler everything we all want it to be.

TypeStyler for Mac OS X will remain a quick and easy alternative for users wanting styled type. Projects that take hours in other applications can be done in minutes. Just like TypeStyler 3, this next generation TypeStyler will set a new standard in the creation of stylized type.

TypeStyler for Mac OS X is a complete desktop publishing tool, providing the full range of features needed to quickly design, layout and print headline text and logos, as well as complete ads, signage, packaging and web site graphics. TypeStyler for Mac OS X can be used by anyone from professional graphic artists to the general Macintosh user.

The new TypeStyler for Mac OS X is not just a port of TypeStyler 3 to OS X but a new dedicated OS X application that will take advantage of the new Mac OS X (Panther) operating system. Until the new TypeStyler for OS X is released the current TypeStyler 3.7.2 (one known issue) has been shown to run fine under the Classic environment of OS X.
*
Thanks,

David Stillman
info@typestyler.com


Strider Software
P.O. Box 513
Marinette WI 54143-0513
USA
906-863-7798
906-863-7799-fax

Sounds great - on the small chance it isn't vaporware. Honestly, TypeStyler is one of the very few apps I miss from Classic. I liked it, but I wasn't very happy with the way it integrated with other apps. Hopefully a new version will be able to generate .doc or rtf files and maybe even have (or be?) a plugin for the adobe apps.

[barryjaylevine]

The biggest worry I have is that the TypeStyler development process will become Strider's Rhapsody. Frankly, all that needs to be done (IMHO) is to make it native (Carbon is fine) and fix some export issues. The "web" stuff could even be dropped AFAIC.

[Gabriel]

Thats a good point - I don't need another "complete desktop publishing tool" - I'm sure that whatever TypeStyler develops won't be nearly as useful as Quark or InDesign or even PageMaker. I don't do a lot of desktop publishing, but I'm certainly not going to shift a whole project over to an inferior (and most likely very non-standard) app just to have some really nice text styling. Strider should just focus on what they do well. I'm sure that the long wait has really hurt them financially.

[davestillman]

Obviously this thread was started out of frustration for not having an OS X native TypeStyler. As someone who lives this frustration daily I also have the knowledge of knowing what the Mac OS X release of TypeStyler is. As frustrating as it is not having a shipping OS X TypeStyler I know we're doing the right thing by not releasing a product that would end up being a disappointment.

The messages and posts we get daily ranges from extremely supportive to downright nasty. Regardless of how nasty folks are it doesn't make things go faster and it doesn't change the facts.

The fact remains that we are not "waiting" for anything other than to get everything working like it should. It's almost impossible to believe how much had to be rewritten. And after taking this long, to release something now that's not ready and fix it later would be suicide. To recover from that would be all but impossible.

TypeStyler X is feature complete and we are doing internal beta testing so it won't be much longer before our beta testers start seeing something. A shipping TypeStyler is definitely getting close.

Until TypeStyler X is shipping I continue to personally try help anyone that runs into an issue using the current TypeStyler release running in the Classic environment.

[Gabriel]

Thanks for your post Dave. I didn't mean to be a jerk in my earlier posts, you've created a very useful app with TS 3 and I wish you the best of luck with TypeStyler X. I look forward to seeing what you've come up with.

If you need any more beta testers, PM me :)

[barryjaylevine]

TypeStyler for OS9 is so great that its absence in an OSX native version screams at us. I have a client who has been awarded many certificates and honors for her graphics work. She's said to me that, if it were not for TypeStyler, she'd be struggling and her work would take her two or three times as long.

As long as you have a printer with an OS9 driver, TypeStyler in Classic is fine. However, my client is using a Designjet 500 and we're shifting her over to HP's new OSX driver (and dumping their awful OS9 RIP). So our challenge will be to take whatever output we can from TS in Classic and get it into the OSX printer queue. I'm wondering if Acrobat (output to PDF in Classic and print it from OSX using Illustrator or Acrobat_X) might be a temporary solution. I've tried the "export to AI" option but everything is shifted around in what looks like an inconsistent manner. Maybe "PrintToPDF"?

Chomping at the bit...

Barry

[barryjaylevine]

Just ran some tests on exporting from TS in Classic. If I export as jpeg with an appropriate resolution, Photoshop and Illustrator (in OSX) don't seem to have any problem with opening or placing the file. Then we can add whatever other text/photos/etc. are needed and print in OSX using the Designjet_X driver. I'm using a custom page size of 39" x 120"; the export from TS_Classic and the subsequent opening or placement of the jpeg maintain the page size (which you would expect considering that the file is simply a jpeg, eh?).

The AI export from TS_Classic isn't working properly (but I think there was mention of this in an earlier post). I'll bet that TS_X will have this nailed.

If Dave is right about TS_X, there will be joy in Mudville.

Barry

[ibobunot]

"The current TypeStyler 3.7.2 (one known issue) has been shown to run fine
under the Classic environment of OS X."

Well that's all fine and dandy but I don't have a "Classic" environment.
:rolleyes:

[barryjaylevine]

"Well that's all fine and dandy but I don't have a "Classic" environment.
:rolleyes:

Well, that is a problem for which there is only one solution: Restore (from CD or DVD) your OS9 system folder. If you don't want to put everything from the OS9 environment onto your hard disk, use Pacifist to extract just your (OS9) System Folder from the disc. That's all that's really necessary.

[JackeBoy]

I have used typestyler since it was an early pup. Version one or something. And have done some pretty fast and amazing logos and other things including the Biography logo that is used by A&E. But, Typestyler wasn't the only program used to create it. It was a tool in my toolcase of other programs. Typestyler has always not filled my needs when it came to print perfect items, but it solved quick turnarounds for ideas that required other tools to complete the task. Just like Photoshop and Illustrator became adjuncts for earlier versions of Quark. It (Typestyler), inspired my to no end to do great work, and I personally can wait and will be patient for the MacOSX compatible version. So DS take your time refining a member of my toolbox. Until then I will keep honing the blade on my trusty Typestyler 3 axe that served me so well over the years.
And guys stop crying, if your work is up to muster, everything TS can do can be done by using Photoshop, Illustrator and a gang of plugins... and of course YOUR OWN inspiration and persperation. Typestylers perspiration has gotten so many of you so much further ahead in your careers, let DS get all the kinks out first.


Jacke ;)

[orleansguy]

I'm a big fan of Typestyler and look forward to their upgrade, but in the meantime I have a need for simply setting several hundred headlines quickly and creatively. Are there any Mac OSX applications that would even come close to what was possible with Typestyler? Yes, I know I can do the same in Photoshop, but not as quickly!

[DaveDave]

Edit: Never mind... I was drunk

[barryjaylevine]

Wow! 18 months for the latest reply!

Is TypeStylerX the best example of vaporware...ever?

[NovaScotian]

Wow! 18 months for the latest reply!

Is TypeStylerX the best example of vaporware...ever?
"The road to hell is paved with good intentions." [often incorrectly attributed to Samuel Johnson] - Translation: Merely intending to do good, without actually doing it, is of no value. I have no doubt that Dave Stillman has great intentions, but clearly can't be working on this project at all.

I too was an almost daily user of TS through several incarnations. To continue to use it for any purpose requires starting up an old OS9 machine now (somewhere along the line it got unhappy with Classic). I haven't even moved it to my 10.4.5 G5 from a G3 that will boot into OS9 and I leave it as an exercise for the reader how often I'm willing to do that.

[jriz]

TypeStyler - The check's in the mail and other lies.

It's now almost 2 years since Dave Stillman of Strider said on this very board that TypeStyler for OS X would be here soon. It's obvious that Dave and the good folks at Strider aren't working hard on the OS X version of TypeStyler. They're working hard to redefine soon.

[EvilGod]

that's cool soft

[6502]

Waaaaaay back when, there was an archive floating around the 'net purporting to be a Carbonized OS X beta of TS 3.7x.

I never tried it, but I remember a lot of talk about it in the Mac newsgroups.

It was a trojan.

[barryjaylevine]

Waaaaaay back when, there was an archive floating around the 'net purporting to be a Carbonized OS X beta of TS 3.7x.

I never tried it, but I remember a lot of talk about it in the Mac newsgroups.

It was a trojan.


Back in August of 2004 I eMailed Dave and he said there truly was a beta he was demo'ing to the Los Angeles MUG and that we would see the app real soon.

We're just shy of two years later and there is still no acceptable replacement for TypeStyler. Today I don't even have the choice of Classic (both my Macs are CoreDuo Intel models). My client who was using it in Classic (see my post way earlier in this thread) has abandoned it and now does it all in Illustrator although it does take her more time.

Would a Carbonized TypeStyler even work on an Intel Mac? Will Dave ever release TypeStyler? Who is John Galt? ;)

[NovaScotian]

BJL made his first post in this thread 98 weeks ago. What astonishes me is that Strider's site (http://www.typestyler.com/) is still up, and still promising. Like most of you who care, I haven't been able to run it since I upgraded to Tiger and abandoned Classic. I wonder why he keeps a) so silent, and b) paying for the site?

[JDV]

The description of the "coming soon" product indicates that it will be written as a Universal app, so obviously he has updated the promise since the release of the Intel-based Macs.

I didn't use this product, but it sounds like it is not being ported, but re-written from the ground up, and it is likely that the introduction of the Intel processor into the picture might have made even more coding necessary. Since he's not likely to have a huge development team, I can easily see that it might take a rather long time to achieve this. I hope, for those of you who used it and liked it, that the wait isn't too much longer and that it remains the desirable program it seems to have been in earlier versions of the Mac OS.

Joe VanZandt

[Norman]

"Coming soon?" "Not being ported, but re-written?" Ohh my. What excuses will next we make for a product that time has all but forgotten?

It's been close to two years since I last visited David Stillman's TypeStyler website. Frankly I thought it would be long gone, but when I discovered it was still there and saw the same old empty promise being displayed, "TypeStylerX will be available soon," I could only scornfully snicker at his bald-faced audacity and ponder what he's trying to prove, and to whom he's trying to prove it to.

It seems obvious at this point, at least to me, that Mr. Stillman is hanging on to the wisps of a dream that was, and now only exists in an all but abandoned reality known as OS 9.

It's high time we realized that it's time to move on, because the timeframe for Mr. Stillman to get real about a TypeStyler application for OS X is long gone and now smacks more of vaporware than software.

I'm sure as much as all of us wish it were otherwise, TypeStylerX has become the stuff of unrealized daydreams that no amount of wishful thinking or self-delusion can make real. It's time we woke up to the reality of the situation.

[NovaScotian]

----
It seems obvious at this point, at least to me, that Mr. Stillman is hanging on to the wisps of a dream that was, and now only exists in an all but abandoned reality known as OS 9.

It's high time we realized that it's time to move on, because the timeframe for Mr. Stillman to get real about a TypeStyler application for OS X is long gone and now smacks more of vaporware than software. ----
What do you suggest 'moving on' to? When it existed, I used that app a lot and I've never really found a substitute in a price range I can afford.

[barryjaylevine]

In spite of all the disappointment (with the waiting...waiting...) I, for one, would be quite happy if TypeStyler were to sprout up as a UB.

Dave: Forget all the web junk. TypeStyler's ability to create awesome media for print is all that is needed. Concentrate on that and Apple's OSX printing engine will do the PDF's (which can then be converted to jpeg, gif, tiff, whatever using readily available free tools). Export to EPS or AI? I won't voice an opinion on that as I only need to be able to copy what I've done in TS into some other app (like InDesign or AI or even AppleWorks!), so the OSX clipboard seems like the likely facility for this.

This thread has been going on for two years and I recall another thread going back to the beginning of OSX so I've been waiting for Godot, perhaps?

[barryjaylevine]

Just in case there's anyone still subscribed to this thread, there seems to be a TypeStyler replacement candidate called ArtText from BeLight Software. Here's the link:

http://www.belightsoft.com/products/arttext/overview.php

Not only native OSX but Universal Binary, as well.

Sorry, Dave; we're moving on.

[NovaScotian]

Very glad to see it because I used TS for lots of things besides fancy lettering. I think I could reproduce this in Art Text without difficulty (its a schematic from class notes on different forms of gearing).

[MiaThai]

I've been using TS for I think around 16 years.
Stillman has a habit of doing a disappearing act every now and again and it was a shame that when TS resurfaced as TS3 it was so close to Mac's move to OSX.

Until about two years ago I used to get personal replies from Dave or Mariane when I sent my begging letters for a OSX but even that has dried up. I could understand if Dave is broke, ill, or just generally fed up, but like everyone else I do feel he should stop playing like a politician and come out with some facts about the future of what was one of the most genial grafix programs ever.

Sorry Dave, I'm moving on too - when I find something. But it's not going to be a journey through all those Adobe plug-ins or Art Text which may look cool with its gel colours but it's no substitute for TS :mad:

[barryjaylevine]

August 6th, 2007 - just shy of three years after my first post on this topic.

Strider's site is still up and still proudly displaying TypeStyler 3.7.2

Regarding OS9, Apple says: "We don't support obsolete software."

There are no Macs shipping that will even run "Classic".

Can you say "Universal Binary"? I know you can. *grin*

[MiaThai]

Seven years is too long to wait for apiece of software. I got a nice mail from Dave 7 months ago stating that the accusations of 'vapourware' are BS? and promising that 'in a month or two...'

I've probably been his greatest ally for 17 years, as a user, but even I am thinking he's moved on from vapourware to deadware.

What a shame.

Why doe he just not come out and admit he's given up with it. He won't lose face. After all, TS will still be remembered as a genial little application. Bigger programs have bitten the dust since. And I can just go ahead and invest my money in something else.

[NovaScotian]

That is my attitude as well. I was a heavy user of TypeStyler not just for text styling but for its ability to draw really neat little iconic diagrams that were sort of 2-1/2 D. I use EazyDraw (http://www.eazydraw.com/) to do that now, but it isn't nearly as easy to use as TypeStyler was with its very comprehensive pair of pallets and export capabilities. EazyDraw is much more general purpose and not as "fine tunable". My need was never great enough to purchase something as elaborate (and costly) as any of the Adobe products.

Given the interest, however (after all this thread is over three years old), I'm amazed that someone else hasn't produced a competitive product using the graphics engines available in OS X's core services. It's clear that Stryder doesn't have the necessary "fire in the belly" any more. Probably employed, married, with family and dog, mortgage, SUV, the whole schtick. No time, just good intentions (which, I am told, pave the road to hell).

[Deano2222]

I have been following this thread for some time and wanted to jump in. I, too, have been an avid supporter of Typestyler and have been greatly disappointed by the lack of honesty from Strider about the "forthcoming" re-write of Typestyler for Mac System X. I have tried the so-called "replacement" for T/S (Art Text by Bee Lite) and it simply falls short of anything T/S can do. I have become so frustrated that I resort to firing up an old Mac with System 9 when I have a specific need to shape text. Most of the time, I can shape text in Illustrator using the Envelopes feature, but it's a challenge. Nothing was a cool as Typestyler. If I were David Stillman, I would at least re-write the basic program for shaping, then enhance with updates as new stuff is added. There would be significant $$$ in the cost of upgrading as the program gains features. The biggest need I have is to place a block of text (usually a single word) in a pennant or the "tail" of a tee-shirt. (i.e. placing the word "SOFTBALL" in a tail under a team name). I am hoping that Adobe will enhance the text shaping features in an update of Illustrator since it is clear that Typestyler is gone forever.

[MiaThai]

Well Dave (Stillman),

If you are following this thread (and I think you do), you can see that TypeStyler still has a lot of fans - many more too, as not every one of the millions of Mac users even knows about this forum - all wondering why TS has not yet reappeared. There is clearly a market for it and the web site still exists and is therefore well referenced.

I don't know about the dog and the SUV, I still don't have either of those, but http://www.ultralingua.com is till flourishing and partly financing my retirement in Thailand - AND we keep it up to date with all the new MacOS versions.

Maybe one last real push to get an RV of TSX out and you'll be able to retire comfortably.

Or release the code for others to finish it for you...

[bheibertCINCI]

There is a computer program called Art Text that isn't a full page layout type styler however does similar effects in a smaller workspace.

http://www.belightsoft.com/products/arttext/overview.php

[NovaScotian]

A workable substitute, I suppose, but a long way from TS

[MiaThai]

I used to get personal replies to my once-yearly begging mails for Dave or his wife to get TS back up and running, but lately all has gone very quiet, after promising 18 months ago that it will be 'just a couple of months more'.

I can only reiterate my earlier comments that there is a market for it out there and that we could help with the development - even as an OS product, who knows?

What I don't understand is the sense in still offering the old version for download. There can't really be many folks still using OS9 Classic on old Macs after all these years.

[NovaScotian]

For a while, I used an ancient PowerBook 3400c running OS 9.1 to run TypeStyler, but haven't bothered for a long time now. Neither of my current boxes will run a Classic program. What always boggles my mind is why Dave continues to pay for the web site.

[MiaThai]

It doesn't cost much to host a site, particularly if there is not much traffic. Just $2 - $3 a month. In fact we throw in the hosting free for our clients.
Keeping the TS site going however, maintains its Google ranking if ever he Does eventually go live with an OSX version.

Actually, to be honest, I still have an old white G3 iBook, 500 MHz, 384 MB, running on 10.4.8 with Classic. TS is the only thing I use it for, and I have promised to give the machine to my grand-daughter...

- Golly, I was still a young man when I first started using TS on a Mac SE ;)

[Phosphor]

I'm popping in here by way of a search for a source for an undernet version of the TypeStyler beta for OS X. Generally speaking, I'm not an advocate of piracy, but when it comes to abandonware, I think it's OK to bend the rules a little.

Thoughts about TypeStyler for OS X come to mind recently because a user on the Adobe Illustrator and InDesign forums made a suggestion/request, wishing that one of the two Adobe apps take up the slack where Strider dropped the ball. As you can tell if you read the threads, I'm a big fan of TypeStyler, and there's NOTHING that comes close to it, even nearly 10 years later. I still maintain hardware that will run the Mac Classic environment so I can use it.

InDesign Forum discussion:
http://www.adobeforums.com/webx?128@@.59b65912
Illustrator Feature Request thread:
http://www.adobeforums.com/webx/.59b65949/1

ArtText makes a good attempt at being a replacement, but sorry...if it doesn't output vectors, it just doesn't cut the mustard for me.

I'm probably one of the people Dave Stillman is referring to when he spoke of the "downright nasty" emails he received. I was initially invited to take part in the beta testing of TypeStyler for OS X, but I had to beg off, because at the time I hadn't yet decided to migrate to OS X.

Later, when I did move to OS X, and kept checking the TypeStyler site, my hopes stayed buoyed, because they kept updating their page that said "TypesStyler for OS X Coming Soon!" They don't even acknowledge emails anymore. Not even robotically.

Early on when I first started using OS X, my emails were polite. But after receiving no replies, I tried getting a little more incendiary, if only to provoke ANY kind of response. Never got one.

With no news, I can only assume somebody got really sick, or died, or had some other major event befall them, because TypeStyler was just to good to let wink out of existence the way it has.

If they aren't going to do anything with it, I sure wish they'd sell it to someone who would resurrect it.

I won't ask here because it wouldn't be appropriate, but in the meantime, I'm going to dig around online and in the newsgroups to see if I can find a free-floating version of the "TS-for-OS X-beta".

[MiaThai]

I'm popping in here by way of a search for a source for an undernet version of the TypeStyler beta for OS X. Generally speaking, I'm not an advocate of piracy, but when it comes to abandonware, I think it's OK to bend the rules a little.

I agree with you entirely. I started using TS about 18 years ago, so unless Dave was a high school kid (there are some geniusses out there) he'll b no spring chicken now. I used to get replies from my mails up until about 18 months ago whenI got a reply: "in just a month or two..."
I still keep writing every 6 months or so, but their responses have dried up completely. However, whatever disaster may have struck, there should still be still people (Marian?) that could give us some kind of a sign of life. I have offered him help - even free (almost), including language localisations, further development, and a distribution system, press releases, SEO, you name it, but he doesn't bite.

He could at least release the code and let others finish it for him as an Open Source project; there would still be ways for him to capitalise on it: AdSense, paid support, etc.

I don't think there's much chance of finding his alpha or beta,and even then, it would need a clever hack to reverse engineer it.

Well somebody must know the guy, has anyone tried calling him? I can't, I'm on the other side of the planet in a developing country. Somebody must even live near enough to go round there and see what's up.

Strider Software
Attn: Marian Stillman
1605 7th Street
Menominee, MI 49858-2815
(906) 863-7798
(906) 863-7799-fax
sales@typestyler.com

Let's hope that something will spur him into action, there are plenty of us willing to help.

BTW: This posting was indexed by Google ithin 35 minutes. There does appear to be people wo have a beta of TSX. Qnd who is this? :
Strider Software Incorporated
21 Riverview Cir
Wayland, MA 01778
508-877-0885

See also this forum: http://www.versiontracker.com/dyn/moreinfo/macos/4649&mode=feedback

[NovaScotian]

Well the second address you give does exist; it's on the outskirts of Framingham, Massachusetts. Bose and Staples both have their world headquarters there; in addition, Genzyme, Capital One, Computer Associates, and ITT Tech are there. Can we guess that Dave went to work for one of them?

[Phosphor]

Well the second address you give does exist...

Heh...I tried having a look at the Michigan address in Google Maps yesterday, and the satellite photos are about as blurry as any I've seen.

I guess Michigan's U.P. doesn't rate high resolution yet!

:)

[MiaThai]

Some of the best software gets developed as a side-job (don't I know it !) (http://ultralingua.com) and time flies.

HOWEVER, the good news is:, received just a few moments ago:

...In truth each day we feel we are “almost there” and if I wait a “few” days to answer I will be able to give a definitive answer- well the definitive answer is we have not given up – we have wonderful new stuff coming and of course it has taken and is taking infinitely longer than we ever anticipated. Thank you for your support.

I’m sure you will be hearing from Dave as well.

Best regards.

Marian Stillman

[Phosphor]

Now, you ought to reply back to Marian and ask that Dave make a follow-up visit and reply to this thread. Let us die-hards help get the message out.

:)

[MiaThai]

Received 5 mins ago: Hello xxxxx,

...I’ve been reluctant to make any type of public statement because until I can say something definitive most folks will think it’s just me saying the same thing...

Once again I apologize for my communication failure but please know I take every email seriously and want to give your users the best information I can.

Very sincerely,

Dave

It's probably Apple's fault for being so darned quick with a new animal being born every 2 years - at least that puts them 10 years ahead of Windoze. :D
I do think he's quite sincere. In our group of companies we have a policy of staying out of the forums - it only attracts the detractors.

I do recall that there was quite a hiatus between the early monochrome version of TS and TS3 which was probably forced by OS7.5, and I have every confidence that when it arrives, TSX will be a genial product.

[Phosphor]

Sorry to be such a cynic, but after all this time even that reply sounds like more of the same non-committal bob and weave.

If he was truly closer to a release than he was when he last visited this thread, one might think he'd be anxious to spill at least a little fuel onto the dying embers of hype.

I'll only believe it when I see it.

[NovaScotian]

“No matter how cynical I get, it’s just never enough to keep up.”
-- Lily Tomlin

I do believe that Dave, with limited time available from his full-time job, probably means well, but clearly simply hasn't had time to keep up with OS X at the level required for a really clever program like TypeStyler. I suspect a wife, kids, two cars, debts, a dog, etc. prevent his diving in full time and TSX isn't going to get there part time. We'll probably never know why, but a lot can happen in a decade.

[Phosphor]

I hear ya, Mr. Scotian. :)

I'd still like to be in a brilliantly successful band, but I don't go around telling fans of my old band that "Soon...soon...soon...I'll be putting together an even better band than before. Just you wait and see!" and then never do anything about it.

I just admit out front that I've got other stuff on my plate now as a 49 year old man, and if the band thing materialized, I'd be sure to shout it from the rooftops, every step of the way.

There's no fault at all in admitting that there are big delays, and maybe even provide some details on the delays. It sure takes some of the presure off.

Anybody who's lived a little knows that life is what happens when we're busy making other plans, and are OK with conceding that it happens to everyone.

[NovaScotian]

My comment comes from the perspective of a 71 year old man. Been there, done that, own the T-shirt. ;)

[MiaThai]

OK, all you young buggers :)
I'm 60 and I've still got half a dozen books unfinished that I started up to 20 years ago! (and half a dozen software apps). And I never finished mastering a album I recorded with my band in 1985...

And you know all those 'five-minute' php installs that take 5 hours?

I heavily edited that last message from Dave, but I feel sure we can soon do some shouting for him, and at least we know he's stil lalive.

[MiaThai]

Just a quick update: I got a mail from Dave in September 2008 promising a beta in 'a couple of weeks or so'
I'm still waiting, and there were no replies to my subsequent e-mails, and their telephone just has an answering machine.

[Deano2222]

After many years of designing with Illustrator Envelopes, I must say I miss TS very much. I don't need anything fancy, just the ability to shape text for designing t-shirts. Yes, Illustrator does a good job at most needs, but TS did it better. I still go into my storage room and fire up my old Mac to accomplish an odd shape text to fit into a certain space available.

NOTHING DOES IT BETTER than TS. If anything, can't we get a basic 4.0.1 TS that works with OSX, then add the buzzers and whistles later?

I have tried the BeLight program and it doesn't come close to the vectored conversions of fonts. PLEASE give us something for the most basic needs.

Thanks!!!

[Deano2222]

Sorry about the title. Couldn't help myself. Yes I am still awaiting the new Typestlyer for OSX. I am nearing the time that I will remove the old Mac that can run classic and I will forever be void of an ability to tweak any kind of text in the ol' Typestyler. Once again, I implore David to release even the most basic form of Typestyler so we can at least convert text to vectored outlines and get the handles of yesteryear so we can shape text into a specific space. I have whined about fitting text into a flag or tail of a sport T-Shirt. At least offer a basic Typestyler 4.0.1 and introduce updates as time permits. (I thought I submitted this yesterday, but don't see it on the forum today... forgive if this and that posting appear at the same time for some reason.)

The bottom line is that there is a market for this program. While I am -- and have been -- frustrated that the "coming soon" promises do not ring true, I am encouraged that -- at least from this thread -- there is work being done. I for one would be happy to do a beta test of even the most basic program if it means progress will occur.

[NovaScotian]

As a fellow traveller who no longer owns a machine that will run Classic, I'm afraid we're out of luck, Deano. This thread is nearly 5 years old now. I suspect it will never happen. Stillman is never going to get there (the road to hell is paved with good intentions).

[Deano2222]

Yes, N/S, I believe we are left to find our own way. I was somewhat encouraged to see a reported response from David Stillman here, but -- once again -- promises that something is near are followed by disappointment. I just wish people could be honest about what is or is not going to happen. Wishful thinking isn't giving any kind of result. And if the update must be so all-inclusive, we're likely to never see anything.

Guess we can keep hoping.

[MiaThai]

The Stillmans have not responded to my latest mail.

[Phosphor]

Hmm...I wonder about Human Software's Squizz plugin?

If you go to their main page and scroll the whole way to the bottom you see that they mention "Path Warping" as one of the features that is not available in the PS-Native "Liquify" filter.I don't recall the version I tried many years ago being able to act upon paths.

I'd sure like to see some more info on the Human Software site about this; I also just tried to call them in North Carolina, but got an answering machine.

http://www.humansoftware.com/pages1200/Squizz/HSsquizz11.html

I wanted to ask what the heck "Coons" was, too.

[MiaThai]

I don't quite see the relevance of Squizz in this topic. It's a Photoshop plugin and hardly comparable with what TypeStyler does (did).

[Deano2222]

I checked out the referenced link and agree that it is not a plug-in for Illustrator. BUT, it is a cool program for Photoshop. I remain interested in even the most basic form of Typestyler for OSX. I sure could find uses for it.

[Phosphor]

I don't quite see the relevance of Squizz in this topic. It's a Photoshop plugin and hardly comparable with what TypeStyler does (did).

The meaning of my initial post about Squizz might have taken on some relevance if you went to the link and scrolled down to the bottom of the "New Squizz: version 4.8--->"Squizz over Liquefy" section. And pondered the unwritten possibilities hinted at in a few words.

It mentions Path Warping. [and what ever the hell "Coons" is]. Squizz has a number of good warping features. But the ability to warp paths? That's something far off the beam for anything Photoshop or its plugins has ever offered. Especially if one can warp paths in all the ways Squizz has worked on raster-based images. The capabilities may be beyond even those of Illustrator.

If this is true, then it could be of some similar use as TypeStyler. Granted, warping the outlines of text isn't quite the same as warping text itself, while having it remain editable AS text, but if it surpasses Illustrator, it might be worth looking into.

It's a damned shame Human SW doesn't offer a demo version. Absent that, I sure wish they'd offer more info/documentation/screenshots about Squizz's capabilities. And whoever did their gallery images sure has NO clue about how best to use the software...those images are FUGLY amateur hack-jobs! :( :( :(

[Deano2222]

On a whim, I sent an eMail to the Strider website asking about the latest news on T/S. And I got a response from Ms. Stillman noting that they indeed will release a new version very soon.

I must believe that David is working on the project as he works a day job to pay his bills. Why on earth would Ms. Stillman bother to reply if this is not the case... or why would they even maintain a website.

Nevertheless, I believe her and feel hopeful something is about to be announced.

Thought folks should know. Do not abandon all hope.

[Phosphor]

The meaning of my initial post about Squizz might have taken on some relevance if you went to the link and scrolled down to the bottom of the "New Squizz: version 4.8--->"Squizz over Liquefy" section. And pondered the unwritten possibilities hinted at in a few words.

It mentions Path Warping. [and what ever the hell "Coons" is]. Squizz has a number of good warping features. But the ability to warp paths?
I just spoke with Gerry at Human Software, looking for clarification on the "Path Warping" feature.

Unfortunately for those of us still participating in this thread it isn't about the warping of actual vector paths, but it uses paths to warp other, raster-based objects over complex 2-D curves. "Coons" is the name of a mathematician whose name is attached to a set of calculations that is used for this. ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steven_A._Coons )

And @ Deano:

Here's to holding out hope!

[MiaThai]

- Phosphor: I had actually followed your link - hence my comments. I don't use either Photoshop or Illustrator for any of my work, that's why I so desperately miss the stand-alone Typestyler.

- All this stuff about warping and coons is too technical for me - it's been so long waiting for TSX that I've now actually retired, and my learning curve ain't quite what it used to be :(

- Deano, you got a reply from Ms Stillman? Well consider yourself lucky - see my posting of Sept last year (8 months ago!), but don't hold your breath, someone already remarked 'bob and weave'...

If I were in America, I would try more earnestly to contact these guys by phone - there are now people out there interested in making them an offer for the code and completing it. It has huge potential.

I'm reposting the contact details :

Strider Software
Marian Stillman
1605 7th Street
Menominee, MI 49858-2815
(906) 863-7798
(906) 863-7799-fax


Strider Software Incorporated
21 Riverview Cir
Wayland, MA 01778
508-877-0885

BTW - I'm thinking of launching a 'bring back TS' website...

[Phosphor]

Didn't we determine that the Wayland MA company had no connection whatsoever to TypeStyler?

[MiaThai]

Without reading the entire thread again, I'm not sure about that but I seem to recall that it was the name under which their web domains were registered.

From their download shop:
"If you purchase TypeStyler 3.7.2 now you will get 100% of your purchase price applied to the MacOS X version of TypeStyler when it becomes available. By doing this there is no "disincentive" to purchasing the current version plus you get TypeStyler 3 to use until the OS X version is released."

If there is to be no OSX version, under the laws of some countries this statement could be an offence under the Fair Advertising and Consumer Protection regulations - particularly as there is no longer an officially sold computer platform/operating system that supports it.

[MiaThai]

Re above post: I left a message on Dave's answering machine last night and I got a very long and reassuring e-mail from him today.

I know he's reassured me in the past and then months/years went by with no more news, but at least he's live and kicking and working daily on the dev.

I sincerely hope that when it's finally released, it will have been worth waiting for.