Filed under: Software, Software Update, Leopard
CandyBar 3 available now
This is going to sound sad, but the one application that I have missed the most in upgrading to Leopard is CandyBar 2. I've always been something of a customization addict, and being able to take advantage of some of the beautiful icons that artists have made over the years to make OS X look its best is something I can easily spend hours doing, productivity be damned Fortunately for me, Panic (the guys behind Transmit and Coda) have just released the Leopard-only CandyBar 3, meaning I can now resume wasting time making my desktop look its prettiest. CandyBar 3 adds more than just Leopard compatibility - it is a pretty substantial program overhaul. Not only can system icons be changed, the dock can be now be customized too (free Icon and Dock sets available from the geniuses at Iconfactory). Additionally, Panic and Iconfactory have merged the CandyBar and the Pixadex (kind of like iTunes for your icon sets) applications together, providing icon management and customization in one package, instead of two.
From the CandyBar 3 release notes:
- Integrated CandyBar together with Pixadex with an entirely new interface
- Added large (512 x 512) icon support
- Leopard dock customization
- Additional system icons
- Quick Look integration
- More reliable system icon restoration, and much more
Now, if we can only get a Leopard-version of Shapeshifter out - I can totally optimize my interface!
Thanks, Sebastian
![TUAW [Cafepress]](http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.tuaw.com/media/tuaw-cafepress-promo.png)
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Blair said 4:44PM on 11-27-2007
Love the new interface and Pixadex integration... the new Dock stuff seems pretty half-assed though. Unless I'm doing something wrong, there is no way to preview the dock elements in a given iContainer. So basically you have to actually apply it to get any idea of what it will look like.
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conigs said 4:44PM on 11-27-2007
I was getting really excited for this release. Unfortunately, I'm sure because of the way it changes icons/the dock, the changes affect all user accounts.
Is it at all possible to make changes to at least the dock on a per-user basis?
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Jak Logan said 4:49PM on 11-27-2007
I normally go to DeviantArt for dock icons.
http://browse.deviantart.com/?catpath=customization/icons/dock/&alltime=yes&order=5Does anyone else know of good places to get mac icons? (And don't say InterfaceLift, they hardly update their stuff, thanks.)
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lookmark said 5:29PM on 11-27-2007
re Blair- from Panic's FAQ:
At this time, however, the only way to preview it is to click Use This Dock but not Apply it. We hope to improve this in a future release.
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Frederik said 6:07PM on 11-27-2007
Wow, that's a pretty steep price to upgrade. I guess I'll keep using CandyBar 2 a bit longer.
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El in AZ said 6:30PM on 11-27-2007
Not with Leopard.
I, too, am disappointed in the upgrade price, but kind of expected this update not to be free.
Long wait + high upgrade price = Buzzkill
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niccas said 6:41PM on 11-27-2007
Too pricey, for the full version and especially for the upgrade. I've purchased 2 previous versions and i get $5 off??? I don't expect it to be free but c'mon...
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Tice said 6:53PM on 11-27-2007
LiteIcon 1.3 beta is out and does it for free:
http://www.freemacsoft.net/LiteIcon_en.html
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Sebastiaan de With said 7:20PM on 11-27-2007
Jak: Try Apple's Downloads section or the Iconfactory for good downloads.
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kraftmatic said 8:07PM on 11-27-2007
This app has seriously mucked up my machine (MBP 2.4 with the latest update of Leopard).
I installed and used it to switch all my icons to the "Float" style. I had to log-out to apply the change; after logging in again my menu bar was wiped clean -- all the icons in the upper right, even my clock, were gone.
Going in and manually turning back on the utilities didn't do it, nor did re-applying my factory icons. Nor did a re-boot, or another re-boot. Third re-boot and they came back.
But now I'm noticing performance issues -- it's taking slightly longer to open folders in Finder, change settings in System Preferences. Might be more, I don't know yet.
Don't install unless you enjoy cursing at your machine.
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PSM said 8:20PM on 11-27-2007
I've been waiting for a Leopard-compatible version of Candybar for weeks now, and I too am disappointed in the upgrade price. I bought Candybar 2 for a $6.95 upgrade from v. 1. The total price to new users at that time was $12.95. Now to get back an app that I was happy with under Tiger, I have to pay double the price of the original app just to get a Leopard-compatible version.
I have been all eager to get the new version and pay a significant upgrade fee, but now I'm more inclined to see if I can just live without it. I'm definitely in no hurry to get it anymore.
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eighthgear said 8:35PM on 11-27-2007
Sweet! i love candybar. however, i only have tiger.
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Christina Warren said 8:35PM on 11-27-2007
While I'll agree that the upgrade price was a bit of a shock (twice as much as the last version of the program cost new users), it's important to remember that the new version includes an integrated version of Pixadex (which was $18.95 on it's own), a program that really should have been integrated with CandyBar (IMHO) from the start. If you have never used Pixadex, I'd reccomend trying out the 15-day trial of CandyBar 3, because having a system to manage your icons (and iContainer's from places like Iconfactory and other icon designers who cater to the iContainer format), tag them to make them easily searchable, etc. is really, really nice. Especially if you are like me and find yourself with hundreds of icons very, very quickly.
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Matt said 11:46PM on 11-27-2007
At last! The new interface is super-slick and way easier to use. As a devout CandyBar 2 user, I was slightly taken aback at that steep upgrade price. But I've never used Pixadex, and I'm glad that it's included now, because it's a very good app! Also, you're getting a dock-changer as well. So that's three programs in one. Not a bad deal... I haven't had any of the bug problems that are plaguing some other users. This is a definite upgrade!
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Christina Warren said 4:41AM on 11-28-2007
Oh - and for good Mac icons, check out Jonas Rask (http://jonas.seph.ws/), the forums for MacThemes 2.0 (http://macthemes2.net/forum/) and Michael's Mac (http://www.michaelsmac.com/).
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Willux said 6:02AM on 11-28-2007
What the hell is that advert, seriously remove asap....
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JimD said 7:18AM on 11-28-2007
Anyone waiting for a Shapeshifter upgrade (which will most likely come at a price) is foolish. The mediocre themes created over the last few years won't even work with Leopard. So not only will you spend the money on the Shapeshifter update, but you won't have many themes to choose from.
Themes on OSX are dead. Period. They're too hard to make, and their are very few creative designers out there who can also code the theme with ThemePark.
As far as Candybar goes, I predict that this will set records for piracy. It's a great app, but there's just something about charging more than $15 to $20 that ticks people off. I have no idea why.
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geochick said 1:16PM on 11-28-2007
Yeah the price is definitely ticking me off even though you get all the other programs in there and the slick new interface. I just wanted a quick way to change my icons they should have offered a better update price its like I'm buying the program all over again actually I'm paying more this time around... I think I'll give LiteIcon 1.3 a try... I do like Candybar though and will probably eventually upgrade it once I blow off the initial sticker shock.
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Todd Dominey said 2:24PM on 11-28-2007
Good lord, $24 for an upgrade to a $29 dollar app? It isn't THAT much of a feature jump from CandyBar 2. All that's really different is the UI (which is nice, but not exactly something that I benefit from) and the addition of Dock themes, which as others pointed out seems a bit hacked on.
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Cabel said 2:31PM on 11-28-2007
Todd: you have overlooked the new "Pixadex" part of CandyBar. It's an entirely new-to-CandyBar, full featured icon organizer -- like iPhoto for your icons, including giant 512x512 Leopard ones. Now you can have all of your icons in one convenient, searchable place, you can create smart libraries of icons, you can instantly "Icon Look" an icon to see all of its sizes, you can import and export your icons into a variety of graphic formats, etc. This is a huge, new feature, that previously sold for $18 separately.
I totally understand that a lot of CandyBar users might feel like they don't need an icon organizer -- but I'm fairly confident that once you start to use the two together in the application, you'll wonder how you lived without it before. :)
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