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Better Software for macOS

Frequently Asked Questions

Do you have a Privacy Policy

Yes, just follow this link.

Is your software available on the Mac App Store?

Yes, some of our current Mac OS X products are available on the Mac App Store.

Unfortunately, Apple have forced us to change the name of most of our products resulting in more than a little confusion. The table below shows the correspondances between the different products and their Mac App Store counterparts.

Product Mac App Store
A Better Finder Rename 11 Better Rename 11
A Better Finder Attributes 7 File Multi Tool 7
Vitamin-R 4 Not available
Noise Machine Noise Machine
Big Mean Folder Machine Big Mean Folder Machine

File Date Changer & Photo Date Changer were (now discontinued Mac App Store exclusives that were subsets of A Better Finder Attributes/ File Multi Tool version 6.

Should I buy direct or through the Mac App Store?

This is obviously entirely up to you, but you should know a few things when making the decision.

The most important thing is to realize that on the Mac App Store everybody, including developers like us and customers like yourself, play by Apple's rules. If we don't like the rules.. well we can't really opt out. If you don't like the rules, don't use the Mac App Store, buy directly from us instead.

Keep in mind that the Mac App Store rules keep changing and we may be forced to remove existing features from the Mac App Store versions of our programs at any moment.

If you prefer the perceived safety and convenience of the Mac App Store, by all means go ahead buy our products from it.

If you buy direct from us, you have several distinct advantages:

  • get the latest versions first
  • get the full feature set
  • get access to discounted upgrade pricing and bundle deals
  • have somebody to contact when things go wrong

Are there any differences between the "direct" and the Mac App Store versions of your programs?

We are trying to keep feature parity between the Mac App Store versions and the ones that we sell directly, but Apple's Mac App Store submission guidelines makes this quite hard and we will probably in future have to remove further features from the MAS versions of our products.

At present, we have managed to keep such differences small:

  • Better Rename, File Multi Tool and "The Big Mean Folder Machine" on the MAS do not support droplets because they are not are compatible with sandboxing
  • which the MAS requires.
  • File Multi Tool lacks the "Show invisible files in the Finder..." feature
  • several MAS products have eliminated error reporting features

What if I have already bought the App Store version but need the features that aren't available in it?

If you contact us at support@publicspace.net and send us your Mac App Store receipt, we will send you an unlock code for the equivalent direct version.

Can I try your software before I buy it?

Yes, and we recommend that you do so.

All of our software can be downloaded directly from our public website, and the downloads are fully functional, but are restricted in their default "trial" mode:

Our batch file utilities limit the number of files that can be processed simultaneously, whereas our other products are generally time-limited to 14 to 30 days trial periods.

The "trial" mode gives you the opportunity to confirm that the software does what you want it to do it, and to compare it to software from other manufacturers.

What will I receive when I order a product?

A frequent misconception of people who are not familiar with "try before you buy software" is that they expect a physical product to be shipped to them. This is not usually the case.

When you order a product from us, you will be sent an unlock code via email. This unlock code will "unlock", i.e. remove any restrictions, time limits or nag screens present in the trial version that you can freely download from our site.

You will also be granted a usage license for the product; this gives you the legal right to use the software and qualifies you for purchasing upgrades.

How do I update to a new version of a product?

Once you have purchased and unlocked a product on your computer, your unlock code will remain on your hard disk even when you install new versions.

You can thus simply download the new trial version and install it on your computer. It will automatically be unlocked.

Please keep in mind though that only minor ("point") updates are free. Major ("whole version number") upgrades are paid upgrades.

I am in a hurry. Can I get the software today?

Yes, but we cannot guarantee it.

Our main web store is powered by BMT Micro and as long as you pay via VISA or MasterCard, we will usually send out an email with your unlock code pretty much instantaneously.

There are, however, rare occasions when the payment process is delayed for credit checks, technical or human reasons. In practice, this is very rare indeed, but it is possible.

I'm a reseller, can I get a discount?

We do not offer discounts for resellers on single or family/small business licenses. This is due to the increased administrative overheads. If you are looking into buying a business or enterprise license please contact us via email.

I need your address and other details for my records.

When you buy our software, you do not purchase it from us directly but through our main reseller BMT Micro. You will need their details, not ours:

BMT Micro, Inc.
5019 Carolina Beach Rd Ste 202 Wilmington, NC 28412
Customer Service: 800-414-4268 / 910-792-9100
Customer Service FAX: 346-1672
Customer Service email: bmt@bmtmicro.com
European Union VAT number: EU826001142
Website: http://www.bmtmicro.com
Website Contact form: https://vendors.bmtmicro.net/newdevelopers/contact/

I have some questions about the ordering process.

We do not deal with orders directly. You will purchase our software via our reseller, BMT Micro. It's best to contact them directly at:

https://vendors.bmtmicro.net/newdevelopers/contact/

They will be very happy to assist you.

Can I get a telephone number for support?

No. Sorry.

Our "try before you buy" model is all about international, low overhead software production and distribution. You as a user benefit from this by receiving highly specialized software products at a very low price.

On the other hand, 24 hour telephone support is just not possible at this price point. Unlike Microsoft, we do not have telephone support centers in 180 counties. Moreover software authors sleep too..

We are, however, more than happy to help you out with any problems, via email.

I've lost my unlock code.

No problem. Check out our online registration code database.