Camino, the Mozilla browser built specifically for the Mac, has all the fit and finish that Firefox lacks, but it doesn't support extensions, isn't updated fast enough for my taste and doesn't even offer the search box appended above the status bar -- one of Firefox's great little features. Camino is based on an older version of the Firefox Gecko browser engine, but its maker is marching to a different drummer than I want to march to. If Camino were basically Firefox properly refined for the Mac, it would own the Mac browser space. What a shame.
About Opera, well, I still don't like Opera. So what else is new? I love the features and the speed, but the user interface is quirky and annoying. Whenever I try to use it (on whatever platform), I find the experience a chore. In my book, a browser has to be fun to use; Opera isn't.
Finally, the browser I like the best overall is OmniWeb from The Omni Group. But because of one specific feature, I just can't use it. Its makers will have to adopt a Firefox 2-like tabbed-browsing system before they get me. OmniWeb's tabbed browsing uses thumbnails of the Web sites running down the side of the browser window. That would be nice as an option, but as the only tab UI, it uses too much space. The option to convert the thumbnails to text actually requires a bit more space, not less.
I was supposed to meet with Omni Group at Macworld, but I wound up having to miss the show for business reasons. I didn't get to give them my feedback as a result. I hope this will suffice.
More Mac Software
I still haven't selected my one and only FTP package, but it's still between Yummy and CuteFTP. Both are running on my Mac very well.
For the moment, I'm running the FeedDemon RSS reader under Windows, but my intention is to switch to NetNewsWire for the Mac (which, like FeedDemon, was purchased by NewsGator). I've used NetNewsWire before, and I just haven't found anything else I like as well. Three or four readers also suggested it.
One of the more esoteric utilities on my list is an RSS feed creation tool. I've been using Dan Bricklin's ListGarden for the past couple of years under Windows. The fact that I was searching for a Mac solution was kind of funny. It turns out that Dan makes versions of this tool for Windows, Mac OS X and Linux. So I'm all set.
This is an updated list of the Mac software that has been admitted to my regular-use list:
- Microsoft Office 2004
- Eudora (I don't recommend Eudora generally on the Mac.)
- Spamnix for Eudora
- Mozilla Firefox
- Parallels Desktop
- Bare Bones Software's BBEdit or TextWrangler
- Coriolis Systems' iPartition
- Microsoft Remote Desktop Client
- Shirt Pocket's SuperDuper
- Yummy Software's Yummy FTP
- GlobalScape's CuteFTP Mac Pro
- Adobe Reader
- DoubleCommand (keyboard-customizing utility)
- Apple .Mac
- Software Garden's ListGarden
- Titanium Software's OnyX (OS X system tweaking utility)
- ClamXav virus scanner (I may not be using it much longer.)
- IBM's Lotus Notes
I also regularly use these Apple programs that come with the Macintosh software bundle:
Do you have something you want to tell me about the Mac (or Windows, for that matter)? Drop me a line.
This article is an advance excerpt from the next issue of Scot's Newsletter and is published by permission. Scot Finnie is Computerworld's online editorial director.
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