Growl just released version 1.3.1 and created huge outcry over it. For the uninitiated, Growl is a global notification system for the Mac OS X operating systems. Many applications use Growl to display a small notifications about events.
Growl 1.3.1 is no longer free. It now cost $1.99 and is only available from the Mac App Store. From the look of it, there are a lot of unhappy users. Especially when Growl is like the de facto standard for MacOS notification. A lot of other MacOS applications like Skype, Cyberduck, Adium uses Growl for notifications. It’s the must have application for all Mac users.
I think everyone needs some time to get used to the switch from freeware to paid application. For those who are unhappy with the decision, Growl 1.2.2 is still free. I guess there isn’t another free notification application out there. But if there is, maybe you can consider switching over.
Upgrading to Growl 1.3.1 is going to be a little troublesome too. Users need to uninstall the existing Growl (and lose all settings) before downloading the new Growl from Mac App Store. And Growl 1.3.1 no longer supports Mac OS 10.6 Snow Leopard and below.
Personally, I’m fine with paying $1.99 for Growl. It is actually a very reasonable price for such a useful app. I’ve paid more money on far less useful applications in the past. So I’m actually fine with paying $1.99 for both my MacBook Pro and my iMac. The thing is, I’m still using Snow Leopard on my aging iMac and I’ve no intention of upgrading to Lion. I’m disappointed that Growl stop supporting Snow Leopard. Apple just released OS Lion in July. Isn’t it a bit early to stop supporting Snow Leopard?
So I guess I’m only getting Growl 1.3.1 for my MacBook Pro. Sigh. What to do?
