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Zavala - An open source outliner for Macs, iPads, and iPhones
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Posted by satis
Jan 6, 2024 at 07:47 PM
Hi Maurice, congrats on Zavala’s perfect 5.0 score in the App Store! I was using it lightly on my Mac for a few months and finally experimented with it on my iPad yesterday.
You might consider including an outline containing a manual or intro or FAQ. It would help people understand the app (Search vs Find, filters, etc) while showing users how it can be used.
Posted by Maurice Parker
Jan 7, 2024 at 05:06 PM
Thanks Satis! I’m not sure that Zavala quite deserves that rating. I think that the people who like it, really like it, and are going out of their way to write reviews. I also think there might be more lenience when it comes to negative reviews when the app is free. I’d be more likely to write a negative review if I had paid for software that disappoints me than free software.
I’m on the fence about providing a default outline. In the past, I’d considered the Help documentation where a user could get that information. Besides, when a default document has been provided to me by an app, I always wonder if I can or should delete it? For some reason, probably because I didn’t create it, I feel weird about deleting it. I know it isn’t logical but I wonder if other users feel the same way.
I think the problem with people not reading the help, is that it is so bad or non-existent for so many apps. Maybe on first launch, I should pop up a dialog that says something like, “New to outlining? Check out the Zavala Help in the Help menu to learn why outlining is so popular”.
Posted by satis
Jan 7, 2024 at 05:35 PM
I like the clever way Ulysses handles this: they include a multi-section/document introduction to Markdown and Ulysses embedded in the app, and users can delete it… or hide it in Preferences > Sidebar via checkbox
Show: Introduction
which is described as “Short feature introduction and sample playground”
Users can even delete the files, and later that can recoconstitute them in the sidebar by clicking that checkbox.
Posted by Amontillado
Jan 8, 2024 at 01:09 PM
Curio is much the same way. Two projects ship with Curio, a user guide and a getting started/tutorial walkthrough.
I think the unflattering nerd lingo for that is eating your own dog food.
But in this case the dog food looks delicious. I’ve never tried Zavala but will rectify that today. I hope you have a tip jar somewhere.
Posted by Maurice Parker
Jan 8, 2024 at 07:56 PM
No tip jar. Money just complicates open source projects the size of this one and is more work than it is worth. Zavala is free and always will be. I just wrote it for some friends because I enjoy programming.