FAQs

Maybe. We actually got an iPad version of Notes 90% done in 2010, but we weren’t satisfied with the results. However, for the last year we’ve been working on the technology to allow us to do an iPad version of Notes in the future. It will take quite a while longer, though, so don’t hold your breath. There is a very remote chance that we might do an iPhone version someday, but I doubt it. And as far as Android and other non-Apple platforms go: sorry, never. There’s only one person doing all the work, and he has to sleep now and then.

Does Growly Notes read OneNote® files?

No. OneNote files actually exist in a dark alternate dimension that’s inimical to oxygen-breathing organisms. Our code can’t live there any more than we can breathe tar, so we will not be adding OneNote support to Notes.

Seriously: the OneNote file format is convoluted beyond belief (we call this over-engineering) and the documentation appears to be incomplete or misleading. We tried to write a converter and had to give it up as a waste of time. To transfer your information from OneNote to Notes, export it from OneNote in .doc or .rtf format and then import those files into Notes.

However -- we are still looking for an unpaid volunteer to write a OneNote plugin that will export files to Growly Notes format. If you’re an experienced Windows developer and would like to do this, please contact us.

Why aren’t you on the Mac App store?

It’s a fair amount of work to prepare an app for the App store, and we would rather spend our time working on features and new products. Thousands of people have found Notes by searching for OneNote alternatives on the Web, and many more have recommended us to friends. Since we’re not trying to make a living at this, that’s good enough. By the way, we really appreciate your recommendations.

Can I store my notebooks on Dropbox or some other web server?

Yes, but be careful. Notes’s notebooks have a complex internal structure, and it may not be apparent just by looking at the notebook in Dropbox that not all of the pieces are in place yet. A few users have been burned by this and lost parts of their notebooks. We strongly recommend zipping notebooks before emailing them or copying them to any server. Notes 1.2.1 has built-in support for saving and opening notebooks to the zip format. And we do not recommend making Dropbox your default notebook folder.

I’m using Notes and the help notebook has vanished. Where can I find it again?

Choose Notes Help from the Help menu.

Would you consider giving away your source code or making your apps open source?

Absolutely not. We love giving away our software; it feels like passing on the good fortune we’ve had in our lives. But, to be honest, Chris is a total control freak. You can have the executables, but the code is his. Also, opening the source code for Notes and the 0ther apps would destroy the security of the password protection feature, and we’re not willing to throw that away.

What are the system requirements for GrowlyBird apps?

All of our programs require Intel Macs running Mac OS X 10.5 (Leopard) or later with two exceptions:

1.Growly Notes also runs on PowerPC Macs, but it still requires 10.5.
2.Growly Write requires Mac OS X 10.6 (Snow Leopard).

Do your apps support languages other than English?

Sadly, no. Lo siento, je suis désolé , es tut mir leid, я извиняюсь, すみませんが.

Although the user interface is only in English, all of our apps—Notes and Write in particular—can handle text in any language.

Why is your software free?

Our goal has always been to create simple, inexpensive applications that solve real-world problems. But we don’t really want to run a business; we have lots more fun things to do, like coding and playing with our birds. Instead of struggling with marketing and all that stuff that we are not trained for, we decided to sidestep the issue and give the apps away.

With the exception of Growly Notes these are programs that we originally created years ago, so the actual cost of offering them to you is very low. By publishing them instead of keeping them to ourselves, we hope to make ourselves useful.

What's the catch?

We can't promise tech support. We don't have a large organization -- it's just Chris and Nancy, and the birds, who really aren't very much help. Chris does all the development himself.

However, if you have problems or suggestions we are very interested, because we do use these programs ourselves, every day. If you give us your email address and let us know which programs you're using, we'll let you know when updates are available.

That’s it. There are no other gotchas.

Is my information safe with you? Are your programs safe?

You bet. We don't give away or sell email addresses. We don't have ads on our website. Our programs do not collect any information about you or your computer. There are no viruses or worms in our software. We hate all of those things.

When we discover a bug we fix it as quickly as we can. If you'd like to help, let us know when you find a problem or have a suggestion.

What’s with the silly name?

We named our company after the nickname of one of our parrots, who has a somewhat prickly personality. Memorable, unusual, and not too stuffy. Sort of the opposite of that big software company... you know which one we mean.

Why don't you provide Windows versions?

We don't do Windows.

No, seriously, the real reason is that... we loathe Windows.

I tried Notes but it’s not for me. How do I uninstall it?

First, within Notes use the Uninstall command on the Notes menu. You could just delete the program, but that would leave behind some small helper files for Spotlight and PDF options.

Second, make sure all copies of Notes are in the Trash, empty the Trash, and restart your computer. You must do this to get rid of the Services items on the system’s context menus, because Mac OS X remembers programs that have offered services in the past -- even if you’re not using them anymore, even if they’re in the Trash, even if you emptied the Trash.