Exclusive Interview: A Surprise from BinaryNights
Posted by Marvin Sum on 05/9/07 in Interviews
2 weeks ago, I reviewed ForkLift, an advanced file manager that turned out to be a very useful application. While I voiced my dislike for Finder, I found that ForkLift was a very productive file manager with some great features.
After publishing the review, I managed to sit down with the developers from BinaryNights (Attila, Bela, Gabor and Mudi), to chat about ForkLift, Macs and their future plans. They even made a significant announcement, but I won’t spoil the surprise. Read on to find out.

Marvin: First of all, tell me more about BinaryNights. How did you guys come about, and what do you do?
BinaryNights: There are four of us at BinaryNights; all of us come from different IT backgrounds. We were originally involved with developing J2EE enterprise applications for telecommunication enterprises, like T-mobile.
We bought our first Mac in early 2006 and immediately fell in love with the concept. It was obvious that this is a much more progressive market to develop applications for. Desktop application development was an exciting opportunity to shift to from the repetitive enterprise tasks.
Marvin: Cool. What was the motivation to start ForkLift? Was it to build a better file manager?
BinaryNights: Although the Mac way is superior in almost every aspect, we had to realise that file management was pretty complicated for advanced users. Our goal was to create an application that integrates every aspect of file management into a single platform, be it on your home computer, remote server or even on your mobile phone.
We also wanted to know, if we could make a living from developing shareware software
Marvin: What sort of Macs do you use for your day-to-day tasks?
BinaryNights: We currently have three MacBook Pros, two 20” and a 24″ iMacs, two PowerMacs, a Mac Pro and 23-30″ Cinema Displays.
Marvin: Quick! Name 5 apps currently sitting in your dock.
BinaryNights: XCode (of course), IShowu, Adium, VLC, LightRoom.
Marvin: Any word on ForkLift’s pricing? I’m sure a lot of readers are anxious to know.
BinaryNights: The final price should be $29.95. This is the first public announcement of the final price, you might want to emphasize that.
Marvin: Really! Wow, I thought it would be around $70 because it has roughly the same functionality as Pathfinder + Transmit + AppZapper, but that’s awesome. So what are your plans for ForkLift and beyond?
BinaryNights: We’ve spent a lot of time developing ForkLift, but we have merely scratched the surface. There are a lot of improvements and new features to come, that will further streamline people’s file management workflow.
We have high hopes for our upcoming plug-in infrastructure, which will hopefully encourage other developers to extend our app even further. In the long run, we want to reposition ourselves as full time shareware developers for this great platform.
Marvin: Looking forward to some great features. Guys, thank you so much for your time. It’s been a pleasure chatting with you all.
So there you have it. An advanced file manager with built-in FTP, an application deleter, live remote editing, plus an upcoming plugin infrastructure. Definitely worth checking out. Download your beta copy from BinaryNights and be sure to send the team some feedback.
But best of all, the price. $29.95. You heard it here first.
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