What Mac applications does publicspace.net offer?

Updated

publicspace.net is a long-running independent Mac software shop (its tagline dates the catalog back to 1996) that sells a set of small, single-purpose macOS utilities. The catalog splits roughly into three groups: file and photo management tools, focus and wellbeing tools, and one menu-bar customization app. Each app has its own info, download, and buy pages, and most offer a free trial download before purchase.

File and photo management apps

These are the tools most people arrive at the site for, since several of them solve problems macOS doesn't handle natively.

App Version What it does
A Better Finder Rename 12.34 File renaming with EXIF and MP3 tag support, instant preview, multi-step renames, presets, and regex
A Better Finder Attributes 7.49 Edits JPEG and RAW shooting dates, syncs timestamps, changes file dates
Media Location Tagger 1.00b02 (public beta) Adds, fixes, and batch-edits GPS coordinates and IPTC place names in photos and videos, directly from a map
Nifty File Lists 1.30 Turns any folder into a paginated PDF manifest, Excel-ready CSV, or printable plain-text listing
Big Mean Folder Machine 2.43 Reorganizes large file collections into folder structures

A few details worth noting from the product pages:

  • Media Location Tagger is new and still in public beta, so treat it as a work-in-progress rather than a finished tool. It is aimed specifically at Mac photographers who need location metadata editing.
  • Nifty File Lists 1.30 adds paginated PDF manifests with provenance stamps, print-ready plain-text listings, and macOS 27 "Golden Gate" compatibility.
  • A Better Finder Rename and A Better Finder Attributes are the two oldest and most established products in this group, and both are well past beta.

Focus, wellbeing, and productivity apps

App Version What it does
Burst Notes 1.07 Quick-capture note tool for jotting down ideas in short bursts
Vitamin-R 4.27 Focus and motivation tool aimed at overcoming procrastination
Rest Time 1.41 A minimal break reminder
MacBreakZ 5.48 An ergonomic assistant that prompts you to take breaks and adjust posture
Noise Machine 1.19 Ambient sound / productivity "bubble"

These are lighter-weight, behavior-oriented tools rather than file utilities. Burst Notes is the newest addition to the catalog; the others have been around long enough to reach stable version numbers.

Menu bar customization

Boring Old Menu Bar (version 1.30) changes the color of your Mac's menu bar — solid black, white, or any color, fully opaque, in both light and dark mode — and also hides the MacBook notch. Version 1.30 adds a mitigation for a macOS wallpaper caching problem, and version 1.29 introduced macOS 27 "Golden Gate" compatibility by rendering wallpapers instead of screenshotting them.

How to choose

  • Renaming or fixing file/photo metadata: start with A Better Finder Rename (names) and A Better Finder Attributes (dates/timestamps). Add Media Location Tagger only if you specifically need GPS and IPTC location editing, and accept that it's beta software.
  • Documenting or reorganizing a folder: Nifty File Lists for listings and manifests, Big Mean Folder Machine for restructuring.
  • Staying focused or taking breaks: Vitamin-R for motivation, Rest Time or MacBreakZ for break reminders, Noise Machine for ambient sound, Burst Notes for fast idea capture.
  • Changing how your menu bar looks: Boring Old Menu Bar.

Every app page offers an Info link, a Download link, and a Buy link, so you can evaluate before committing. The site does not publish pricing on the pages summarized here, so check the individual Buy pages for current cost and licensing terms.