My quest for comparable Macintosh software continues as I prepare for my migration to Macintosh. After finding an appropriate replacement for Better File Rename; I set my sights on finding an alternative to Beyond Compare. This is another one of those utilities that once you have it you wonder how you ever did without it.

Beyond Compare from Scotter Software is an awesome application that will allow you to perform comparisons between directories, files, and pretty much anything else. It’s not just the comparing though; Beyond Compare will allow you to merge entities together. It is also great for synchronizing several sources to make sure things are all the same.
I think I can safely classify myself as a technology junkie and because of this I seem to have an abundance of computers at my disposal at any time. The great thing about that is that there is always a free computer around the house that I can log in and get some work done. The bad part of course is that I tend to have files spread all over the house and I never can seem to remember which one is the most current. Currency is not necessarily date specific so what I really needed was a utility that would allow me to manage all of these files, compare the content, merge where appropriate, and synchronize the updated files across the various machines. Beyond Compare handled this with ease and as a result has become a critical part of my daily workflow.
I was hoping that I would go to Scooter Software’s web site and find a Macintosh version. I wasn’t that lucky. Beyond Compare is available for Windows and Linux but no Macintosh. Reviewing their support forums it does not appear that a Mac version will happen any time soon as Scooter Software does not have the resources necessary to do such a port. This left me drifting to find a solution.
I’ve gotten several recommendations for Deltopia’s DeltaWalker. On the surface from what I can read this might work. DeltaWalker does file and folder comparisons and synchronizes between sources. I was slightly disappointed to find that the standard version of DeltaWalker only supports two-way merge. They offer an Oro Edition that will do three-way comparison and merges but that function comes at a price nearly twice the standard. Beyond Compare was a bargain with the pro version selling for $50 whereas Deltopia sells the standard version of DeltaWalker at $39.95 for a personal license of the standard version or $75.95 for the Oro edition. I’ll probably stick with the standard version for now and hope that Beyond Compare is able to find a way to port their software to the Mac.
From a functionality and usability perspective DeltaWalker looks very promising. The interface is very clean and the use of color coding is a welcomed aspect that even Beyond Compare didn’t do. DeltaWalker is also available not only for the Macintosh but also for Windows and Linux making it a true cross-platform tool. I’m definitely going to get this software. Once installed; I’ll be able to provide a more conclusive review of how it stacks up against Beyond Compare.

Today I am continuing my assault on the Macintosh software list trying to match up software I will need for my upcoming migration from Windows. I’ve started my list of applications or functions I want to make sure and replicate after the move. Some of the categories were very easy to replicate while others are proving far more difficult than I had anticipated. There was one item on the list I was dreading as I was sure it would be impossible to find.

A couple of years ago I came across a small utility called “Better File Rename”. It was one of those rare epiphanies that occur when you are desperate and end up finding a perfect tool to eliminate a mundane task that would have otherwise taken you massive amounts of time. At the time I had literally thousands of files that needed to be renamed with a specific pattern. The thoughts of doing that by hand were enough to bring tears to my eyes. In a last ditch effort before succumbing to hours of manual renaming I came across this utility from publicspace.net. It was exactly what I was looking for. It saved me hours if not days and in the end the files conformed to a standard naming convention. The beauty of this utility was that it not just renamed files but allowed me to adjust the batches by directory something I had not even considered. Besides the naming standards this application also allowed me to change the file extensions and even change case to make all the files standard before uploading them to a server. Better File Rename has become invaluable to my daily workflow and the thoughts of not having that functionality after migrating to the Macintosh was not something I wanted to consider.
After a quick search on the Internet I found that PublicSpace.net had a similar product for the Macintosh called Better Finder Rename. The functionality is very similar to what I have become accustomed to on the Windows side. This was welcomed news and immediately made my list of must-have applications for my migration toolkit. While reading the details on Better Finder Rename I found that there is a companion application called A Better Finder Attributes. This application allows you to change the file attributes of a single file or multiple files. This would be extremely helpful to digital photographers who would like to modify the EXIF data to perhaps reset dates or times or add additional information such as a copyright to each of your photos. The developers at PublicSpace.net have once again come up with an invaluable tool. I definitely recommend stopping by their web site and taking a look at their product offerings. They offer a trial version of the software so you can see how easy they are to use. I’m sure once you play with these utilities you too will wonder how you ever got by without them.