Delicious Library
Encyclopedia
Delicious Library is a media catalog
uing application for Mac OS X
, developed by Delicious Monster
to allow users to manage collections of books, movies, CDs
, and video games.
The software was initially released in November 2004, with $250,000 in sales in its first month. Delicious Library 2 was released officially on May 27, 2008, although the final version was available from March 25.
Delicious Library's user interface
has inspired a movement among developers known as the Delicious Generation
.
Library catalog
A library catalog is a register of all bibliographic items found in a library or group of libraries, such as a network of libraries at several locations...
uing application for Mac OS X
Mac OS X
Mac OS X is a series of Unix-based operating systems and graphical user interfaces developed, marketed, and sold by Apple Inc. Since 2002, has been included with all new Macintosh computer systems...
, developed by Delicious Monster
Delicious Monster
Delicious Monster is a software company based in San Francisco, California that sells the shareware software program Delicious Library. Its founders are Wil Shipley, one of the three co-founders of The Omni Group, and Mike Matas, who worked as an interface designer at The Omni Group...
to allow users to manage collections of books, movies, CDs
Compact Disc
The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,...
, and video games.
The software was initially released in November 2004, with $250,000 in sales in its first month. Delicious Library 2 was released officially on May 27, 2008, although the final version was available from March 25.
Features
- Enter media items manually, inputting the ISBN or UPCUniversal Product CodeThe Universal Product Code is a barcode symbology , that is widely used in North America, and in countries including the UK, Australia, and New Zealand for tracking trade items in stores. Its most common form, the UPC-A, consists of 12 numerical digits, which are uniquely assigned to each trade item...
, importing the library from another application (like Bookpedia), drag-and-dropping an Amazon.comAmazon.comAmazon.com, Inc. is a multinational electronic commerce company headquartered in Seattle, Washington, United States. It is the world's largest online retailer. Amazon has separate websites for the following countries: United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Japan, and...
URL, or scanning barcodes using a BluetoothBluetoothBluetooth is a proprietary open wireless technology standard for exchanging data over short distances from fixed and mobile devices, creating personal area networks with high levels of security...
scanner, an iSightISightiSight is a webcam, both external and internal, developed and marketed by Apple Inc. The external iSight was sold retail for US$149, connected to a computer via a FireWire cable, and came with a set of mounts to place it atop any then-current Apple display, laptop computer, all-in-one desktop...
camera, or a USB-keyboard-type barcodeBarcodeA barcode is an optical machine-readable representation of data, which shows data about the object to which it attaches. Originally barcodes represented data by varying the widths and spacings of parallel lines, and may be referred to as linear or 1 dimensional . Later they evolved into rectangles,...
scanner (such as a modified CueCatCueCatThe CueCat is a cat-shaped handheld barcode reader that was developed in early 1990s and released in 1999 by the now defunct Digital Convergence Corporation, which connected to computers using the PS/2 keyboard port and USB...
) - Integration with Mac OS XMac OS XMac OS X is a series of Unix-based operating systems and graphical user interfaces developed, marketed, and sold by Apple Inc. Since 2002, has been included with all new Macintosh computer systems...
's Address Book application to allow "lending management" - Voice Search
- iPodIPodiPod is a line of portable media players created and marketed by Apple Inc. The product line-up currently consists of the hard drive-based iPod Classic, the touchscreen iPod Touch, the compact iPod Nano, and the ultra-compact iPod Shuffle...
syncing - SpotlightSpotlight (software)Spotlight is a system-wide desktop search feature of Apple's Mac OS X operating system. Spotlight is a selection-based search system, which creates a virtual index of all items and files on the system. It is designed to allow the user to quickly locate a wide variety of items on the computer,...
compatibility - Mini Bookshelf Dashboard widget
- Printouts of specific shelves or entire libraries
- Custom Collections allow the user to create their own "shelves" to organize their media.
Easter Eggs
- When a Star WarsStar WarsStar Wars is an American epic space opera film series created by George Lucas. The first film in the series was originally released on May 25, 1977, under the title Star Wars, by 20th Century Fox, and became a worldwide pop culture phenomenon, followed by two sequels, released at three-year...
item is added, Delicious Library says 'I am your father' in the whisper voice; - When a Harry PotterHarry PotterHarry Potter is a series of seven fantasy novels written by the British author J. K. Rowling. The books chronicle the adventures of the adolescent wizard Harry Potter and his best friends Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, all of whom are students at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry...
item is added, Delicious Library says 'VoldemortLord VoldemortLord Voldemort is the main antagonist of the Harry Potter series written by British author J. K. Rowling. Voldemort first appeared in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, which was released in 1997...
' in the whisper voice; - When A Brief History of TimeA Brief History of TimeA Brief History of Time is a popular science book written by renown physicist Stephen Hawking and first published by the Bantam Dell Publishing Group in 1988. It became a best-seller and has sold more than 10 million copies...
is added, the library talks about science concepts in a mock-synthesized voice; - When Rock Band is added, Delicious Library sings a portion of Run to the HillsRun to the Hills"Run to the Hills" was Iron Maiden's sixth single and the first single from their 1982 album The Number of the Beast. The lyrics clearly discuss the violence visited upon Native Americans in the Nineteenth Century. Several lines appear to address the Sioux Wars, a conflict between the Lakota...
by Iron MaidenIron MaidenIron Maiden are an English heavy metal band from Leyton in east London, formed in 1975 by bassist and primary songwriter Steve Harris. Since their inception, the band's discography has grown to include a total of thirty-six albums: fifteen studio albums; eleven live albums; four EPs; and six...
in the whisper voice.
Reception
Delicious Library has received a plethora of positive reviews, having been called "blazing fast compared to its predecessors" and "featur[ing] tighter integration with other Apple apps and services"Delicious Library's user interface
User interface
The user interface, in the industrial design field of human–machine interaction, is the space where interaction between humans and machines occurs. The goal of interaction between a human and a machine at the user interface is effective operation and control of the machine, and feedback from the...
has inspired a movement among developers known as the Delicious Generation
Delicious Generation
The Delicious Generation is the name given to a group of Macintosh software developers who value attractive user interface design over bare functionality in the software they write...
.
Mobile Apps
The only Delicious Library app was withdrawn from the iOS App Store in July 2009. Amazon had asked for the app to be removed due to violation of the Amazon API terms and conditions section 4e "(e) You will not, without our express prior written approval requested via this link , use any Product Advertising Content on or in connection with any site or application designed or intended for use with a mobile phone or other handheld device." N.B- The terms and conditions have since been updatedAwards
- Apple Design Award Best Mac OS X Leopard Application 2007 Winner
- Apple Design Award Best Mac OS X user experience 2005 winner
- Apple Design Award Best product new to Mac OS X 2005 runner-up
- MacworldMacworld Conference & ExpoProduced by Boston-based IDG World Expo, Macworld | iWorld is a trade-show with conference tracks dedicated to the Apple Macintosh platform. It is held annually in the United States, usually during the second week of January...
SF 2005 showtime award winner - MacworldMacworld Conference & ExpoProduced by Boston-based IDG World Expo, Macworld | iWorld is a trade-show with conference tracks dedicated to the Apple Macintosh platform. It is held annually in the United States, usually during the second week of January...
2005 Eddy winner - O'Reilly Innovators Award 2004 (First place winner)
See also
- MediaManMediaManMediaMan is a general purpose collection organizer software for establishing a personal database of media collections developed by He Shiming....
, a similar application for WindowsMicrosoft WindowsMicrosoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal... - GCstarGCstarGCstar is an open source application for managing personal collections. Detailed information on each item can be automatically retrieved from the Internet and the user can store additional data, such as the location or whom he/she has lent them to...
, an open sourceOpen sourceThe term open source describes practices in production and development that promote access to the end product's source materials. Some consider open source a philosophy, others consider it a pragmatic methodology...
cross-platformCross-platformIn computing, cross-platform, or multi-platform, is an attribute conferred to computer software or computing methods and concepts that are implemented and inter-operate on multiple computer platforms...
similar application available for Windows, LinuxLinuxLinux is a Unix-like computer operating system assembled under the model of free and open source software development and distribution. The defining component of any Linux system is the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released October 5, 1991 by Linus Torvalds...
, and Mac OS X.