A friend of mine is having a lousy year. He broke a leg, but further complications have brought him back to the hospital. I wanted to lend him some DVD’s to shorten those long hours in bed, yet who has the time to transcribe all those titles?
Well, if you’re a Mac user, then there’s a program called Delicious Library which lets you (among other things) input those DVD’s by simply scanning the barcode with a camera. I have to say that calling that program awesome is an understatement. I simply can’t think of a better designed piece of software. It is as if every piece of the program, every line of code or UI ornament was specifically minted for your satisfaction. True craftsmanship.
I once heard that persian rugs were always created with one deliberate mistake, since only god was allowed true perfection. Well, there’s a mistake like that in Delicious Library. I tried to buy it for more than an hour, probably more like two, and it simply wouldn’t budge. You can’t buy it through a browser. You have to use its own interface which in my case simply refused to work.
Finally I gave up and wrote a message about my tribulations that in hindsight could be more friendly. I’ve soon received a friendly message from Mike together with an evaluation license, which allowed me to produce the list.
I often complain about the way companies treat their customers and it’s really a pleasure to write about an experience like this. Not only do they produce a remarkable product, they also go all the way when it comes to helping their customers.
Now I only have to find a way to actually pay for it, since the product and people behind it more than deserve it.
