I hastily released a tool called Dial Number last week and interest in it was much greater than I anticipated. There are couple of scriptable dialers on the market but there’s always room for one more…
So, Number Dial has been re-branded Jon’s Phone Tool (JPT), a new fully-scriptable, $8 shareware Mac OS 10.3±only offering (sorry 10.2.x folks, I couldn’t figure a way to make it compatible with pre-10.3 systems). There are many, many improvements in this version including: � Now runs as a background application with a status menu controller in the menu bar. � Users can opt to dial via the modem or via the speakers. � Users can now add a default prefix and suffix to every number. The prefix will only be added to numbers that do not begin with the prefix and the suffix will only be added to numbers that don’t end with the suffix. This is useful so that if a user enters a “1” prefix for some but not all entries in their contact list and chooses to use “1” as the prefix, it will only be added if the number does not already start with “1”. Further, there is an option to only add the prefix or suffix if the number to dial contains more than x number of digits (this is modifiable by the user to allow for different thresholds between local and long distance numbers requiring the prefix). In this way one could have a prefix of “1” for every number with 10 digits (area code + number in the US) while omitting it if the number is just 7 digits (a local number in the US). � Users can now specify the speed at which digits are dialed and how long to pause when you add a “,” to the dialed number. Some people have noted that the default speed is too fast for their phone system to recognize. Setting the dial speed to slow should rectify the problem. � Added a status display to indicate the number dialed. � Improved the appearance and functionality of the keypad. � Added more Internet search sites to look up names. Further, added a mechanism for modifying and adding new search sites. � Added a list of recently dialed numbers. (Still working on this…) � Added a way to check and download updated versions of the application. � Improved the Controller script that demonstrates how to incorporate dial via JPT in your own scripts. � One click access to dialing text on the clipboard (the text will be parsed so that only valid digits & commas are actually dialed). � General code optimizations.
For more information about what’s new, please download the new beta:
and read the included Read Me document. As always, you may use the following code to register the beta version:
betacode
You may enter this into the registration dialog that appears when you first launch the app. Please note that there have also been changes in the way the application is scripted via AppleScript. An updated AppleScript has been included in the package. See this new AppleScript for the revised scripting syntax.
Thanks so much for your help, feedback is strongly encouraged.
There have been some minor updates to the beta but very little feedback. If you have the time, it’d be great if you could take a look at this beta, especially the modem-dialing feature. All I can offer for your assistance is my sincere appreciation and a free license to this or any of my other apps. The online help files have been augmented which should, well, help. For more information about what’s new, please download the latest beta:
I’d like so much test this app. In fact, some times, from time to time, I’ve tried similar softwares to this one, but they never worked for me, perhaps because they were thought for american people?
So, the information in the Read-me file is barely cryptic for me. I’m not even sure if I have an analog phone :oops: And the stuff about “dial through your speakers” sounds as chineese for me. Speakers? :!:
Do you know where could I get more info to make this work? (And… will it work through my router, via ethernet, which is plugged to the telephone-web? I can’t use the modem cable, 'cause I need my switchs for: a) the router; b) the telephone)
Are you being serious about the speakers? Most phones can be dialed using tones and the tones can be generated by any device, not just by the phone itself. So, if you have the computer generate the tones while the phone is “listening” to the computer (i.e., the receiver is next to the computer’s speakers while the tones are played), the phone will connect to the number.
I don’t quite understand how your system is setup. Here’s a thumbnail of my connection so you can see how I use JPT:
PowerBook with AirPort card that connects to
AirPort Base Station that connects to
Wired Router that connects to
cable modem
This leaves the modem on the PowerBook free so I plug my telephone line into the modem port and. This phone line is daisy chained to a regular telephone as well. When I want to make a phone call, I use JPT to find the number and dial it through the modem then I pick up the phone and continue with the call. JPT has nothing to do with any of the networking on your Mac other than the modem port and then it is only used for dialing, it does not do data connection, handshaking, etc. and it won’t go through a router. Has this been helpful?
There have been some beta testers in Europe already who have reported some success. I hope you find the same.
Absolutely serious.
So, do you mean that if my own voice was thin enough, and I was a device, I could dial a phone myself? I allways thought such tones were a funny way to tell the user he was pressing funny buttons :oops:
Then, I need a new adaptor for the imac-modem-2-phone-line, three switches. Well, I’ll really try it and report back if successful…
I’ve released so the beta is over. Thanks to those that took a look. There wasn’t much feedback on this one (probably because it was 10.3-only). There were some other beta testers outside the Macscripter.net universe who helped out some but, ultimately, I just decided it was time to bite the bullet and release. So far so good (4 registrations, 3 international; no nasty complaints of data loss or kernel panics–yet).
On a related note: Mac users never cease to amaze me. I have several apps that I think are useful and quite good bargains for the price. In the last few days I’ve developed a completely open source app that doesn’t really do much. When the app quits, I gently ask for donations (this plea can be turned off easily). As I said, the app doesn’t really do anything that the user couldn’t do on their own, and yet, somehow, people are actually giving money. In the past two days I’ve received almost as much money from contributions (which I’m attributing to this little app) as I have from from all the registrations of FWM ever (nearly 8 months).
It is even crazier to me because in order to give money, users have to go to the same page where they can register any of the other applications. For the same money they are giving me for nothing, they could get a license for an app that does something.
So, I guess the answer to making money on this stuff is to make something that does nothing and give it away for free.
People sometimes make decisions based on perceived value and not on actual value. Your recent open source release falls into the realm of fixing something that’s broken and that’s something that people are generally willing to pay for. I’m glad that your effort was rewarded!
