Daniel Jalkut

Former Apple engineer running Red Sweater Software, maker of MarsEdit

@danielpunkass Boston, United States19K followersMac & Desktop App Makers Creators & Writers

About Daniel Jalkut

Daniel Jalkut is a Mac developer and the founder of Red Sweater Software, a small independent company best known for MarsEdit, the long-running blog editor for the Mac. He began his career as a software engineer at Apple, working on the Mac OS, then left to earn a second degree in music before settling into running his own software business.

In February 2007 Red Sweater acquired MarsEdit from NewsGator. The app had originally been created by Brent Simmons at Ranchero Software, and Jalkut had used it for his own blogging for nearly two years before buying it. He has developed it ever since, adding support for platforms such as WordPress and Micro.blog.

Red Sweater's other Mac apps include FastScripts, a menu and keyboard shortcut launcher for scripts; Black Ink, a crossword puzzle app; FlexTime, a routine timer; and Clarion, an ear training tool for musicians. For more than 16 years Jalkut co-hosted Core Intuition with Manton Reece, a podcast about indie software development on Apple platforms, which wrapped up in January 2025. He also writes the Bitsplitting blog.

Products by Daniel Jalkut

MarsEdit

redsweater.com

Mac app for writing, previewing and publishing posts to WordPress, Micro.blog and other blogs.

FastScripts

redsweater.com

Menu bar and keyboard shortcut launcher for AppleScripts and other scripts.

Black Ink

redsweater.com

Mac app for downloading, solving and printing crossword puzzles.

FlexTime

redsweater.com

Timer app that helps you stick to daily routines.

Clarion

redsweater.com

Ear training app for improving musical pitch recognition.

Daniel Jalkut's journey5 milestones · self-reported

First product
Launch / milestone

2004First product: Launched MarsEdit
2007Milestone: Red Sweater acquired MarsEdit from NewsGator
2008Milestone: Red Sweater's lineup included MarsEdit
2017Milestone: Marked ten years of developing MarsEdit
2025Milestone: Ended the Core Intuition podcast with Manton Reece after more…

Timeline

2007 — Red Sweater acquired MarsEdit from NewsGator.
2008 — Red Sweater's lineup included MarsEdit, FastScripts, Black Ink, FlexTime and Clarion.
2017 — Marked ten years of developing MarsEdit.
2025 — Ended the Core Intuition podcast with Manton Reece after more than 16 years.

How Daniel builds

A small company can sustain a portfolio of focused, native Mac apps for decades.
Buying an existing app you love can be a great path to indie ownership.
Support the open web and independent blogging.
Talk openly with peers about the realities of indie development.

Learn from Daniel Jalkut

[podcast]

Core Intuition

Podcast with Manton Reece about indie software development for Apple platforms, which ran for more than 16 years.

by Daniel Jalkut

[newsletter]

Bitsplitting

Daniel Jalkut's blog on software, Apple and indie business.

by Daniel Jalkut

Daniel Jalkut FAQ

Who makes MarsEdit?

MarsEdit is developed by Daniel Jalkut's Red Sweater Software, which acquired it from NewsGator in 2007.

Did Daniel Jalkut work at Apple?

Yes. He was a software engineer at Apple before founding Red Sweater Software.

What is Core Intuition?

Core Intuition was a podcast about indie Apple platform development hosted by Daniel Jalkut and Manton Reece; its final regular episode was in January 2025.