The software in question is of course MacBreakZ (just BreakZ on the Mac App Store). It's still not quite as good as Workrave in terms of the forcefulness of the user interface, but it does do a lot of things better than Workrave, and it's certainly better than RSIGuard (the previous for-pay software I was using). The main downside is that the UI is still way too easy to circumvent, and like AntiRSI it's way too easy to keep working even during a break. Still, it has a much better set of stretches and exercises, and it has the best microbreak implementation I've ever seen, so that alone should help a lot.
[[A view of fluffy's hands, the right thumb rubbing the left wrist]]
fluffy: Urgh, my wrists hurt so much right now... Have I taken any typing breaks at all today?
[[A view of RSIGuard's window, registering no typing activity and only a sliver of mousing activity]]
fluffy: Damnit, this typing break software must have broken AGAIN. Stupid Windows-ported piece of crap.
fluffy: What else is out there these days?
[[A view of the MacBreakZ homepage]]
fluffy: Well, this looks promising. Might as well try the demo.
[[A MacBreakZ break reminder windwo overlaid over the previous day's comic's Photoshop session]]
fluffy: Hey, yeah, this is great, and I guess $25 isn't too bad after what the LAST piece of poo cost. And it's App Store so I can install it everywhere, too.
fluffy: I guess I won't have a joke today, just unpaid product placement.
There's two cartoon modes, "fun" and "business," and both of them, while a little cheezy, are WAY better than what Workrave or RSIGuard provide. (RSIGuard has video of very bored-looking people who are taking the stretches Very Seriously, and Workrave has a badly-rendered anime-style Barbie doll with giant boobs that always gets less-than-wonderful comments from my coworkers.)
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