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It’s taken a while to get out, but LameBrain 0.5.1 is finally available. Goodies include:

• New feature: “Expert” tab allowing manual entry of command-line parameters
• New feature: Customizable naming schemes for ripped files
• New feature: Preference to delete source files after encoding finishes
• Fix: Encoding Settings window control states are saved when window is closed
• More progress on docs (still not finished)
• Some other stuff I forgot

Also, I’ve decided to start asking for donations for LameBrain. LB is still free, but a little bit of coin will help defray development costs (stuff like Coke and Jimmy John’s). If you’d like to donate, just click the button on the maIn page of my blog.

LB, the BOOMSTICK of LAME front-ends, is now ready and waiting.

• GUI change: Encoding Settings now have their own window, as does the Single File Encoder.
• GUI change: New Control Bar window.
• GUI change: Minor changes to menubar.
• GUI change: New keyboard shortcuts for all windows (CMD+0…5). Using a keyboard shortcut now brings a currently open-window to the front.
• Change: Single File Encoder and CD Ripper both get their encoding settings from the Encoding Settings window. This offers significantly more flexibility.
• Help: Popup Help now available on all controls.
• Docs: Documentation started (nowhere near finished). See the “docs” directory.
• Preferences: User can now choose which windows are opened on startup.
• Bug fix: Timeout on new version check on startup reduced to 7 seconds; limits startup delay if cannot connect to server.
• Bug fix: Preferences are now only saved when “Save” is clicked.
• Probably more minor stuff I can’t remember.

Come get some.

I’ve often been frustrated with the fact that OS X’s Terminal doesn’t by default support proper text coloring. The main issue has been with supporting syntax coloring in Nano, which I use to edit files at work when I’m at home and outside work’s firewall/behind my NAT router. I’ve gotten to the point where not having syntax coloring sends me into fits of rage, so for the sake of my family, it was important that I find a solution.

(It is true that you can change your term emu to vt100-color, but then you have to do this on all the machines you ssh to as well, which isn’t really a good idea when you’re using a shared account like I am.)

Anyway, somebody mentioned a Terminal replacement for OS X called GLterm. On a practical level, GLterm is cool because it supports ANSI color right out of the chute. On a nerd level, GLterm is cool because it uses OpenGL to display everything. It’s super fast — a lot faster than Terminal — and it feels more like a traditional UNIX terminal because it uses those old-skool fonts.

There are a couple less cool things about it. It doesn’t support transparency, which I actually sometimes find practical when I’m transcribing something from a window behind Terminal. It also costs $10, which isn’t a lot, but it feels a little pricey considering it doesn’t really offer a lot of new features. So I haven’t bought it yet, but I’m thinking about it. If you’re a bigtime CLI jockey, though, you might find this just the ticket.

The front-end that kicks ass and takes names is back:

• New Feature: preview an input track by CTRL+clicking/right-clicking on the input file and selecting “Play File.” This works in the main window, batch encoder, and CD ripper.
• New Feature: CD ripper generates a .m3u playlist file. Turn this on or off in Preferences.
• Bug fix: App should no longer crash if the CD ripper is opened while a network drive is mounted
• Encoding profile for tracks in batch queue can be changed by highlighting one or more tracks and picking a new profile in the Encoding Profile popup menu.
• Stats window opens automatically upon encoding start. Turn this on or off in Preferences.
• Log field in stats window now automatically scrolls to the end when a new entry is added
• Most windows can now be closed with CMD+W

Get this bastard.

This version adds a CD Ripper with FreeeDB support, auto checking for new versions, and the usual cleanups.

• files/LameBrain.dmg.gz