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'Delicious Library 3' Cataloging Software and iOS Barcode Scanner App Coming Soon

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Original poster
Apr 12, 2001
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Mac software developer Delicious Monster has informed MacRumors that a major new version of its popular OS X cataloging app Delicious Library is being released very soon.

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Delicious Library is a media and gadget cataloging application that hasn't been in the news in recent years, but garnered very positive reviews upon its first release. The first version and its followup both won Apple Design Awards for Best Mac OS X user experience in 2005 and Best OS X Leopard Application in 2007. The flashy design elements were notable at the time, and is likely to have inspired a "generation" of Mac App developers as well as (indirectly) Apple's own iBooks iOS app.

One of the most notable features of Delicious Library's initial release was the use of Apple iSight camera as an inexpensive barcode scanner, so users could scan and inventory their products. As a followup to that feature, the company will be releasing an iOS app that offers this behavior using the iPhone's camera, allowing quick mobile cataloging.

According to Delicious Monster CEO Wil Shipley, Delicious Library 3's major shift is from being just a "know what you own" app to a recommendation engine based on the products you own:
We're centered on the idea of your books (movies, cds, whatever) being an aspect of your unique personality, and our app does neat things with your personal data--like give you cool graphic summaries, or really good composite recommendations.
Click to expand...
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Aside from the new recommendation engine, Delicious Library 3 will offer a 3D cover-view interface, interactive charts mode, flexible smart shelves, and more. It should be available in the Mac and iOS app stores soon.

Article Link: 'Delicious Library 3' Cataloging Software and iOS Barcode Scanner App Coming Soon
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2013/04/22/delicious-library-3-cataloging-software-and-ios-barcode-scanner-app-coming-soon/
DesertEagle

DesertEagle

macrumors 6502a
Jan 10, 2012
609
8
/home @ 127.0.0.1
We're centered on the idea of your books (movies, cds, whatever) being an aspect of your unique personality, and our app does neat things with your personal data--like give you cool graphic summaries, or really good composite recommendations.
Click to expand...

Where is the part about social media integration?
 
B

baleensavage

macrumors 6502a
Aug 2, 2005
622
0
On an island in Maine
Hopefully, they've gotten the issues with Amazon dealt with so that they can have a companion iOS app to go with it again. Without an app, it's old news. I don't want to have to bring all my books, etc. to my desktop, when I can scan them right from my iPod touch. But I will gladly drop all the terrible cataloging iOS apps I've got now, for an all-in-one that works as well as Delicious Library always did on the desktop.
 
G

gwest

macrumors member
Jan 23, 2004
52
12
eBooks

Unless DL3 will be able to access your ebook titles from iTunes/Kindle/GoodReader etc, the app will have serious limitations.
 
Sky Blue

Sky Blue

Guest
Jan 8, 2005
6,856
11
Don't really have much use for this nowadays. DVDs/BluRays are all boxed up after being ripped and put into Plex. Software is from App Store/Steam. Music is from/in iTunes/Spotify etc.
 
rwilliams

rwilliams

macrumors 68040
Apr 8, 2009
3,744
1,010
Raleigh, NC
I remember when Delicious Library was wildly popular. But with Apple TV and PCs serving as media servers these days, I wonder how many people still use something like this. And what is the primary purpose of cataloging one's collection? Insurance purposes?
 
M

Michael73

macrumors 65816
Feb 27, 2007
1,082
41
I bought DL years ago but haven't used it much since 2010. I agree that they need to work out the issues with Amazon for the product to be really viable. The mobile scanning with iphone / ipod touch is a "must have." I can't tell you what a pain it was lugging my MBP around the house for the iSight camera part to scan.

My library of music and books is littered with out-of-print books and long since deleted albums and cd's that amazon doesn't have data or images for. Personally, I think they need to figure out a crowd sourced database where information about holdings could anonymously be stored and shared. Or, maybe there's an API to hook into the Library of Congress?!?
 
Kenndac

Kenndac

macrumors 6502
Jun 28, 2003
256
63
Reason077 said:
Looks like a shameless rip-off of the iBooks interface.
Click to expand...

Back when iBooks was released, there was quite a big upset over the fact that iBooks "stole" Delicious Library's UI, since DL came out first. It's actually quite funny to see it come full circle with people accusing them of ripping off Apple.
 
M

Michael73

macrumors 65816
Feb 27, 2007
1,082
41
rwilliams said:
I remember when Delicious Library was wildly popular. But with Apple TV and PCs serving as media servers these days, I wonder how many people still use something like this. And what is the primary purpose of cataloging one's collection? Insurance purposes?
Click to expand...

I think people miss the point that DL can do a lot more than catalog audio / video media. I mean if you really wanted to go nuts you could use the barcode scan to keep track of all the food you have in the house - a little OCD if you ask me :D

I have a (very) modest collection of books that I used DL to catalog. I did it for both insurance purposes but in the notes section I could keep a record of who I'd loaned books to and when.

For example, having such an app on my iPhone would insure that if I wandered into a used book store while on vacation and found a book I wanted to buy, I could make sure I didn't already have it in my collection.
 
charlituna

charlituna

macrumors G3
Jun 11, 2008
9,636
816
Los Angeles, CA
Michael73 said:
I Or, maybe there's an API to hook into the Library of Congress?!?
Click to expand...

They don't need an API but rather MARC code compatibility then they could use the library files that standard libraries use.

That would be an interesting 'Pro' idea perhaps. A library mode where you could create literally a library. Use the ISBN/ISSN and create a searchable library with authority controls etc. would be overkill for many home users but church libraries etc might find it useful.
 
J

JBaker122586

macrumors 65816
Jun 21, 2007
1,378
83
Also, at this point in time, DL is useless without a fully-featured iOS version (not just a scanner app that links to the Mac version).

If I'm at the store and see a Blu-Ray I want, I don't want to go home and check my Mac to make sure I don't have it before I buy it.
 
somethingelsefl

somethingelsefl

macrumors 6502
Dec 22, 2008
461
204
Tampa, FL
I like the idea of an iOS app, they should have had it a long time ago. I think people are misunderstanding about what Delicious does, which more than just categorize DVDs.

It also does a pretty good job at cataloging ANY collection (comics, jewelry, old magazine, etc). For example, I collect board games (old and new) as well as older Dr. Suess books.
 
A

Ashyukun

macrumors 6502
Jul 19, 2008
265
1
I agree that they need the companion iOS app working again- though I didn't really need it for scanning (there is a barcode app called iCody and a companion Mac app that let you use the iPhone as a handheld barcode scanner, though you still need to be near the computer...), it was nice having the list handy at all times. I've generally kept up with entering new aquisitions, but I've gotten behind at times. It would be nice to be able to link up and import orders from emails or sites so when I get a shipment of books/DVDs/Blu-rays I could just drop the order info into the app and it would add all the items ordered automatically.
 
B

baleensavage

macrumors 6502a
Aug 2, 2005
622
0
On an island in Maine
somethingelsefl said:
I like the idea of an iOS app, they should have had it a long time ago.
Click to expand...
They did have an iOS app for a short while, but their app was based off of Amazon's API and Amazon has strict no-mobile app restrictions about using their API, so they had to pull the app. Hopefully they found an alternate solution to the problem with this new release. Crowd sourcing has it's own share of problems. I've tried tons of cataloging apps on iOS that are crowd-sourced, but the data is terrible. You'll get wrong or incomplete info more often than getting the right info. Ideally they would pull information from multiple sources and do some type of quality control or rating system on any crowd-sourced data. There is so much more that could be done in this area than what's already being done.
 
69650

69650

Suspended
Mar 23, 2006
3,367
1,876
England
Shame my iTunes Movies library doesn't look like that instead of the horrible new UI in iTunes 11.
 
S

Stratman58

macrumors newbie
Jan 25, 2013
9
0
Discogs?

I looked at Delicious Library as cataloging software for my large collection of vinyl LPs. The best online database of LPs is Discogs, and unfortunately DL didn't provide the ability to access that database. Amazon is insufficient for LPs. I do hope DL brings Discogs support into the new version, and I might then consider them over Collectorz.

One other concern... Delicious has a support forum on their site, and they used to be very responsive to users' questions and concerns. About a year ago, they just dropped out of sight. There are many, many posts on that forum with questions and problems that have remained unanswered for months or even years.
 
Ted13

Ted13

macrumors 6502a
Dec 29, 2003
669
353
NYC
JBaker122586 said:
Also, at this point in time, DL is useless without a fully-featured iOS version (not just a scanner app that links to the Mac version).

If I'm at the store and see a Blu-Ray I want, I don't want to go home and check my Mac to make sure I don't have it before I buy it.
Click to expand...
Bruji's PocketPedia is a fully featured iOS app to go with their DVDPedia/BookPedia etc. Mac OS X software.

In order to do it, they had to drop Amazon as one of their data sources (they have many others) and they created their own media DB, Doghouse.

The question is has Wil Shipley reached an agreement with Amazon to avoid having to drop them as a data source while still having a mobile App? I am very curious as to how that will play out.
 
uStip

uStip

macrumors newbie
Feb 27, 2011
11
0
Latvia
Holy s.....skeuomorphism. This is one of examples of how not to do app design. :/ Jjj..just why?
 
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