[bobetter]

I'm a massive MacENC fan, and I genuinely believe that its up there with the very best that the Windows world has to offer. However it's chart rendering, to my mind, isn't as clear as some of the other S57 products on the market which use the international conventions.
Of course that's just my opinion... ;-)

I join your opinion!
Viewing the buoys as symbols we are used to instead of looking up the properties in a separate window is tricky in regions with lot of ferry and cargo ships, as in the North-sea and UK Channel.
I would like to see future versions of MacENC support the international symbols at least for the most important symbols (cardinal, etc.)
Regards,
Manou

Future versions of MacENC will render buoys and beacons consistent with recommended ECDIS standards.

I think it is fantastic that MacENC has plans to incorporate ECDIS standardized symbology. While the current library seems sufficient for navigational purposes here in the US, once Cardinal Marks are introduced the picture becomes a little less clear, as ReeferJon has pointed out. It should be noted, however, that even with a more traditional depiction of NavAids, there will still be a limit as to what info can be displayed on the chart proper and being able to "click and query" a mark to obtain it's complete list of characteristics will remain the best method of evaluating a particular item of interest.