| What encryption algorithm does Safe Place use? |
| How do I download Safe Place? |
| What updates do you have planned for the future? |
| Why do you insist on using my full name to register the product? |
| Is a universal binary version available for the new Intel Core Duo Macs? |
| How secure is the TEA encryption used by Safe Place? |
| Why wouldn't I just use Apple's free Keychain Access utility? |
| What if my question isn't answered here? |
| Are there any plans to make a version of Safe Place for my iPhone? |
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| Q: What encryption algorithm does Safe Place use? |
A: Safe Place uses TEA, developed at Cambridge University in 1994. It uses a 128 bit key. You can read more about TEA here: http://www.simonshepherd.supanet.com/tea.htm
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| Q: How do I download Safe Place? |
A: Just click the green arrow on the Download page.
If your browser displays a page full of meaningless characters, it means your browser isn't configured to properly handle Apple disk images (.dmg files). Although the ideal solution would be to configure your browser to save this type of file to disk and then open it with the Disk Copy application (located in your Applications:Utilities folder), a quick fix is just to hold down the Option key when you click on the download link. This will tell the browser (most of them anyway) that you want to save the file to disk. Control-clicking may also present you with a contextual menu allowing you to save the file to disk.
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| Q: What updates do you have planned for the future? |
A: We generally try to release a feature update about every 4 months. Some of the current ideas for future versions include:
- Automated backup
- A one-window interface option
- More preference & default options
- Ability to lock a record to prevent accidental changes
- Keychain support
- Favorites
- Blowfish encryption option
- Contextual menu support
- Automatically check for new versions of Safe Place
- Universal binary for Intel Core Duo Macs
Please let us know what you'd like to see in a future release.
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| Q: Why do you insist on using my full name to register the product? |
A: The goal of using your full name is to prevent software piracy. People generally are uncomfortable using software with somebody else's name in the startup screen. This policy also helps to make it clear that the software is registered to an individual rather than everyone at a single location.
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| Q: Is a universal binary version available for the new Intel Core Duo Macs? |
A: Safe Place is based on 4th Dimension which doesn't yet offer an Intel version. However, I suspect they will later this year. When they do, I'll update Safe Place to take advantage of it.
However, the current release works just fine on the new Intel Macs. It will just be a little faster once it's compiled as a Universal Binary.
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| Q: How secure is the TEA encryption used by Safe Place? |
A: Safe Place uses TEA (Tiny Encryption Algorithm), developed at Cambridge University in 1994. It uses a 128 bit key.
If you're trying to hide information from the CIA, you might want to do some more research. But if you're just trying to hide information from identity thieves, TEA is up to the task.
There are also much easier ways to get your information other than decryption. Spyware on your computer can record your keystrokes and send them anywhere on the Internet. Somebody with access to your computer could install it, or it could get installed by any software you run on your computer (Safe Place does not do this).
Recovering deleted files and deleted emails is also easier than decryption. Monitoring your email through Internet lines or hacking into your ISP would be another possibility.
And finally, the quality of the password you choose makes a big difference. Don't use personal information in passwords, mix upper and lowercase and numbers, don't use real words, the longer the better, etc.
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| Q: Why wouldn't I just use Apple's free Keychain Access utility? |
A: Here are some advantages of using Safe Place instead of Apple's Keychain Access application:
You can search for any data stored in Safe Place. In Keychain Access you can search only for item names. So, for example, you can't enter "/07" to find all credit cards that will expire next year, or accounts that use an old password you might want to update.
Safe Place is more of a typical database. It has separate fields for the information, so you won't forget to enter things like the security number on a credit card entry. With Keychain Access you get just a Note field, so you have to type the labels as well as the data.
Safe Place can help you enter information such as credit card numbers, dates, and passwords. Keychain Access can help you enter passwords in password records, but not in any other type of record.
You can print some or all of the information directly from Safe Place. To print out software registration numbers from Keychain Access you have to copy and paste each one into a text editor.
If you do want the information in a text editor or another program, you can export it from Safe Place. You can't export data from Keychain Access (even though there's an Export menu item).
You can import information into Safe Place. You can't import information into Apple's Keychain Access application (even though there's an Import menu item).
Other applications (browsers, email clients, the Finder) don't add entries to your Safe Place data file without your permission.
Safe Place doesn't keep asking you for your password or requiring you to click a checkbox to view and edit entries.
You can't enter an email address into Keychain Access so you can send an email to the address by clicking a button.
You can store multiple URLs and multiple emails in a single Safe Place record, and there's a Go button for each. This would require multiple records in Keychain Access.
You can have multiple password fields in a Safe Place record if you want.
Keychain Access doesn't offer to generate passwords for Secure Notes, only for Password Items.
You can't create custom groups (categories) in Keychain Access.
We're happy to provide online support if you have questions.
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| Q: What if my question isn't answered here? |
A: Check to see if it's answered in the Technical Support FAQ.
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| Q: Are there any plans to make a version of Safe Place for my iPhone? |
A: Unfortunately Apple isn't allowing developers to write software for the iPhone. Only web apps, which wouldn't work for Safe Place.
Hopefully someday Apple will give us the ability to write applications for it. When they do, I'll port Safe Place to the iPhone.
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