Desktop Poet
by
Ronda Yoder
Desktop Poet
1.0 is a cute takeoff on
the sets of magnets that can be purchased to use on the
refrigerator to compose silly or serious verse. This software
gives the user an opportunity to sit back and take a break from
work, or any heavy thinking task. The software requires System 10.2
or above.
The program has many
configurable parts: the background can be turned on or off and the
color changed. The size, color, and font of words can be changed
also. There is a find feature that is a great help if you just
can’t find a word and don’t want to spend all your time looking for
it. Also, you can duplicate words or add words you can’t find on
the list. There are 8 downloadable lists of words that can be added
or rotated for more variety. Once you are done with a verse, you
can export your poem as a JPEG, TIFF, or HTML and send to your
friends and family.
The software comes in boxed version for $19.95 and the download is
$14.95. A family 5 pack sells for $49.95 and the software is
available directly from the manufacturer, Mariner Software
at www.marinersoftware.com. The software is also
available for Windows.
Mariner Software has been around for 15 years and got their start
developing a spreadsheet that was marketed in Japan with the name
Pascal and is now called MarinerCalc. In addition to MacJournal,
Desktop Poet, and MarinerCalc, they offer MarinerWrite, a fast,
feature-packed word processing program. Bundles of the MarinerCalc
and MarinerWrite programs are available, as well as a lifetime
purchase with free future upgrades.