Marked 2
Not content to leave a perfectly good application alone, Brett Terpstra has released Marked 2 as a paid update. Marked 2 is available for download on the web and the previous version is still available for purchase in the Mac App Store. This arrangement seems like it would be a bit confusing to potential customers though I understand the desire to divorce oneself from the Mac App Store, especially for an app that may be less dependent on easy discovery.
I purchased Marked 2 even though I have no need for it. I already owned Marked and had found it to do exactly what I needed it for: elegantly preview markdown documents. I write something in markdown, Marked shows me what that document will look like in HTML. That’s it. Marked had some other neat features that have been improved and expanded in Marked 2: document stats, export options and many other niceties I never used. Marked 2 offers even more features (keyword highlighting, CriticMarkup support, etc.) most of which I will never use. Still, I happily shelled out money for this application even though I’m generally pretty cheap. Why?
Here’s the deal: I will buy any software that Brett Terpstra releases, assuming there’s a good chance I’ll use it and the price is not exorbitant. That’s how much good will Brett has generated through his great blog and incredible (and mostly free) software projects. I’ve used many of these utilities, including his Markdown Service Tools, nvAlt, Markdown Editing for Sublime Text and TextExpander Tools. I’ve donated a little cash to Brett for these in the past (you should too if you’re using his stuff) but it’s not enough for the amount of value I’ve realized from his work. So whenever Brett decides to sell something he can count on my wallet springing open in response.
Oh yeah, Marked 2 also happens to be an absolutely terrific application.