Mac ReviewCast
http://www.surfbits.com and http://www.macreviewcast.com Copyright © 2006 Tim Verpoorten
The Top Ten Mac Freeware Updates for September 2006
By Tim Verpoorten
In no particular order, here are the top ten freeware applications I found that were updated for September 2006 and reviewed in the Mac ReviewCast in August.
VirtueDesktop
Before Apple introduced their multiple desktop feature in Leopard called Spaces, we already had several programs to do the same thing. One of them was VirtueDesktops. VirtueDesktops is a virtual desktop manager for AppleÕs Mac OS. It offers features, eye candy and configurable options that no other desktop manager on the mac has added yet, and is under active development. It is based upon the work done by Rich Wareham on DesktopManager, which is a lighter, less feature-packed virtual desktop application. Here are some of the features in the full-featured program. An unlimited number of virtual screens at your disposal, exciting transitions and window fading eye candy, Universal binary, scriptable, VirtueDesktops does not clutter your desktop - it gets in, switches your virtual screen and then quietly hides itself, waiting for your next request, install plugins to add additional features, and Make your windows and applications visible across all of your virtual screens. This is a very slick looking and working app, if you've never played with multiple desktops, here's your chance.
Azureus
http://azureus.sourceforge.net
You've heard me say that the podcast can be downloaded via bit torrent and if you're looking for a bit torrent client to use on your Mac, check out this one, Azureus. Azureus implements the BitTorrent protocol using java language and comes bundled with many invaluable features for both beginners and advanced users:
* Multiple torrent downloads
* Upload and download speed limiting, both globally and per torrent
* Advanced seeding rules
* Adjustable disk cache
* Only uses one port for all the torrents
* UPnP sets the forward on your router
* Can use a proxy, for both tracker and peer communications
* Fast resume
* Can set a default download dir and move completed files
* Can import torrents automatically from a set dir
* Highly customizable interface
* IRC plugin included for quick help
* Embedded tracker, host your own torrents, automate your shares (periodic scanning of a dir)...
Many useful plugins are available:
* Auto-adjustment of your upload and download speeds according to your network charge with Autospeed
* Auto-download torrents with RSS Feed Scanner
* Schedule upload and download speed limits with Speed Scheduler
* Receive a mail when a download finishes with Status Mailer
* Add numerous info on torrents (Extra seeding columns, Country Locator)
* Remote control Azureus through the Swing Web Interface or the HTML Web Interface
If youÕre looking for a Bit Torrent application, this one is a great start.
DotMac Menu
http://www.infinitenexus.com/dmm
To answer your question, yes, I renewed my .mac account this week for another year. I purchased the $79 package of .Mac that I explained on Surfbits.com and just entered in the renewal code and I can now complain about the service for another year. But to make using .mac a little less painful, I found this freeware app this week. Dotmac Menu throws a .mac location menu in your menubar to make finding your way around .mac faster and easier. dotMac Menu consolidates the various aspects of the .Mac experience* into five categories:
* .Mac Welcome - the first stop for news, downloads, and all .Mac
* .Mac Sections - the various pages and sections of mac.com
* .Mac Syncing - applications from Apple that sync with .Mac/iDisk
* iDisk Status - quickly view your iDisk usage (as MB or %)
* .Mac Expiration - know how many days until renewal at a glance
dotMac Menu is fully customizable. Using the Show menu you can easily choose which categories are visible in your menu. You can also theme your dotMac Menu to match OS X's built-in Aqua or Graphite appearances. dotMac Menu will automatically remember and restore your customized menu on every launch. It's that easy. There's a few more features of Dotmac menu, but I'll let you find them on your own. It makes paying for you .Mac account just a little more painless.
Email Backup
http://homepage.mac.com/minge/emailbackup/index.html
Email Backup is an easy to use, automated email backup solution. It allows for scheduled backups of the most common email applications through a simple interface. Once configured, Email Backup will automatically backup up your email email data to the specified destination. The destination can be any mountable volume. Email Backup has built in support for the two major email applications - Apple Mail and Microsoft Entourage. Email Backup backs up all files needed for restoration in the event of an email corruption or total hard drive crash. The scheduling is flexible and can happen without having the program opened. I backup my hard drive with Super Duper every week, but I back up my email almost daily.
RapidoSMTP
http://www.app4mac.com/freewares.html
This free utility helps Mac users set up a full SMTP mail server in less than a minute. RapidoSMTP allows you to turn on the Postfix SMTP server built into Mac OS X, that in turn will allow you to send out email from the command line, from PHP, or from any Mac OS X Mail application. RapidoSMTP is useful for example when you move locations with a laptop. You'll no longer have to setup a different SMTP server to send emails. But this product is also a great tool for developers. For PHP programmers, web designers, and other software developers, it's often useful to set up a local SMTP server on the development machine and communicate with it through "localhost" for testing the webpage or application.
WiFiSMTP
http://www.doktorkleanor.com/SPIP/WifiSmtp-1,139.html
There are a ton of free wireless hotspots popping up all over the world today. They're great for surfing the net and reading your email, but what about sending email? There are times you need to know what the SMTP mail server is for a particular hotspot, well give WiFiSMTP a try. WifiSmtp lets you know:
- the name of the Internet Service Provider (ISP) you are connected to
- the address of that ISPÕs mail server (SMTP)
- the connection speed (available bandwidth) It can also:
- copy the address of the SMTP server to the clipboard (so that you can paste it into you favorite e-mail software)
- regularly check the connection status
With WifiSmtp you can still send mail when you donÕt know where you are connected, as is the case with WiFi hotspots. It's a must have app for any portable person grabbing WiFi where they can find it.
Image Browser
http://www.simulacrum.net.nz/imagebrowser.php
ImageBrowser is a program for viewing and organizing images, movies and sounds. It makes it easy to move around the folders on your hard drive, using either the mouse or keyboard, and see all the image, movie, and sound files in each folder. When an image or movie file is selected it is shown in the ImageBrowser window, or can be opened in its own window. The list of files can be shown as thumbnails, making finding images easy.
- Multiple file types: View any image format supported by OS X, such as JPEG, TIFF, PNG, PSD, GIF, and more. Also PDF files, quicktime movies, and sounds.
- Multiple windows: You can open as many browser windows as you need, each one operating independently so you can view separate folders in each one.
- Thumbnails: You can generate thumbnails for any image or movie file and they will be displayed in the list. Thumbnails can be shown in three size: Large, medium and small, or turned off.
- File Operations: You can Rename, Delete, and Edit images/movies. Also create new folders, show file information, and show the file in the Finder. Copy the image or the image's name to the clipboard.
- Batch Rename: Rename multiple files at once.
- Editing: Open the image/movie in its default application, or select the application to load the file.
Himmelbar
http://softbend.free.fr/himmelbar/faq.html
I've mentioned this app before, but it's so good that I wanted to talk about it again since it was just updated. HimmelBar provides an icon in the menu bar to quickly access your installed applications by scanning standard locations such as local, user, network and developer applications. You can also add a custom location such as the Classic Applications folder, or any other folder of your hard disk that contains applications. HimmelBar doesn't just add all applications to a menu, it displays separated menus for each locations and allows you to customize menu contents and scanning behavior to best fit your needs. In other words, you set up the menubar to display your apps in any form you need or want them displayed in. ItÕs a great alternative for mouse users that want another option for launching their programs.
SnapNDrag
http://www.yellowmug.com/snapndrag
We all know that OSX has screen capture capabilites built right into it, but I still like a program that makes it easier to use and a bit more functional. SnapNDrag lets you take a screenshot by just clicking a button and dragging the resulting screenshot off. For example, to email a screenshot, you would drag the screenshot from SnapNDrag to the Mail application. It is that simple. No hard-to-remember key combinations, no file conversion to deal with, no file dialog boxes to navigate, no temporary files to erase later on. Supports PNG and TIFF for times when image quality cannot be compromised. Or use JPEG with adjustable quality for smaller file sizes. This is the freeware version of SnapNDrag Pro, shareware, so you'll see an advertisement in the window when you use this, but it doesn't distract from the function or ability.
RapidoWrite
http://www.app4mac.com/freewares.html
Anytime you enter text in any application ,RapidoWrite can help you do it faster and more accurately! If you think this sounds a lot like TextExpander, you're right. Let me explain.
When you are writing text, you probably find yourself typing the same text again and again. Whether this is your name, your e-mail address,
the URL of your blog, your personal address, etc. RapidoWrite is here to save time by "typing" these frequently used text for you. You just define your list of abbreviations, and RapidoWrite will automatically show you related texts as you type. With RapidoWrite, you will be able to quickly insert in any application, standard greetings and signatures (including formatted text) or any phrases. The other options are shareware, so give this freeware one a try first.
IÕll be back again with the best of SeptemberÕs freeware in the October issue. Thank you for taking the time to check out my list and remember to listen to Robert Pritchett and I each week on the MacReviewCast.
