Keyboard Cleaner – plok: “It comes in handy when you want to clean your keyboard, but you are afraid you might trigger a command or change or delete some of your current work beyond repair and undo. Of course you could save and close everything. Sometimes however, it is just not what you want.”
It is also great to keep your toddlers from mashing the keys and starting or freezing something!
(Via jan.prima.)
The Lifehacker Editors’ Favorite Software and Hardware [What We Use]: “
Lifehacker readers range from the complete newbie to the most seasoned techie, but where do the Lifehacker editors stand? We polled our own editors for the computer hardware and applications they swear by and we’re breaking it down for you here. This post is categorized into the software each editor uses on a daily basis, the operating systems we live in, the hardware we rely on, the peripherals we utilize on a regular basis, and webapps we need. Then we tell you exactly what kind of user we think we are.
Gina Trapani, Editor:
The Basics
ls and scp. While Terminal.app offers these Unix command line tools built into OS X, Cygwin can give it to you on Windows.remind reminders to keep me on track during the day. Here’s more on setting up GeekTool on the Mac, and incorporating text files on your desktop with Samurize.
Primary OS
It’s changed over the years and will continue to shift, but right now I split my time about 80%/20% Mac OS X and Windows XP. I plan to increase my Windows time (and get Vista into the mix) to better serve Lifehacker readers, who are primarily Windows (about 70% at the moment, though this chart changes by the minute). Setting up a Hardy desktop is also looking more and more tempting.
Hardware
I used to use four different computers on a regular basis, but keeping them all maintained, synced, backed up, and up to date with operating system patches became too much. So last year I decided to simplify and pare down the machine I use for work purposes to one laptop (so I could take it with me when I travel), and chose:
Peripherals
Besides a stack of external hard drives, a Netgear router, an ink jet printer, and a widescreen Dell monitor I hook the MacBook up to when I’m at my desk, I’ve got:
Webapps
Even though I still like keeping important files saved to my local hard drive, I’ve moved most of my daily work into a Firefox tab (which makes it easy to access from the iPhone as well). I use dozens of webapps, but the primary ones are:
I also love MediaWiki and del.icio.us. Here’s more on the apps that run Lifehacker’s virtual office.
Self Assessment
I’m a late early adopter. I love to try out new apps, but after reviewing thousands over the years here at Lifehacker, I think long and hard before I actually work one into my daily workflow. I’m a big open source advocate—to the point of a tendency toward that ‘tinfoil hat’ free software extremist mindset—but I will (and do) compromise for beautiful and easy-to-use software, too. It’s great that you can do so much in the cloud these days, but I like to store and manipulate my own data and avoid webapp lock-in as well—so, for example, I back up my Gmail account via POP. I love tinkering with software, but I’m not as much of a hardware DIYer as my co-editors, many of whom have built their own computers.
Adam Pash, Senior Editor:
The Basics
Primary OS
I’ve been primarily operating in OS X since I built my Hackintosh, but I’m always running VMware Fusion (another must have) with Windows and (sometimes) Ubuntu.
Hardware
I’m using the Hackintosh as my main desktop, an aging MacBook Pro with OS X and Vista in Boot Camp, and an older Windows box that’s a dedicated Media Center back-end. Then there’s the Xbox 360, of course, which gets about as much tinkering time as the Media Center.
Both of my desktop computers (the Hackintosh and the Vista Media Center) were built from the ground up.
There’s also my iPhone, which I use almost as much as my laptop these days.
Peripherals
After a weekend of watching a friend regularly reboot his router while I was visiting recently, I should give credit to my router, which is intermittently either running Tomato or DD-WRT. They’re rock solid.
I’ve got a Logitech MX Revolution wireless mouse and one of the new slim Apple keyboards, both of which are very nice to work with daily. I’ve also got a cheap-ish Canon MP180 printer/scanner combo with a recently broken printer tray.
Webapps
Self Assessment
I’m a big fan of anything I can build for cheaper than I can buy it. Hardware DIY gets easier and easier every year, and I’ve managed to do just fine for myself without ever picking up a soldering gun or anything of the sort. It’s all much easier than most people think.
Kevin Purdy, Associate Editor:
The Basics
Primary OS
I honestly split my time between Windows Vista and Ubuntu Hardy Heron (8.04). Up until recently, I’d been almost exclusively running Hardy (which I’ve openly professed my fondness of) with a wirelessly synced iPod touch, but I can’t get my dual monitor setup working in Hardy, and iPhone 2.0 put a nix on the second—for now.
Hardware
Peripherals
Webapps
I use quite a number of them, but the main ones are:
Self Assessment
I’m obviously a big fan of open source and free software, as you can probably tell from the lists above. I chose and customized my laptop in large part for its Linux-friendliness, and I’ll always favor software and webapps that can be accessed from any computer. In general, though, I can never leave well enough alone—a good trait in writing for this site, I’d think—and while I’m pretty satisfied with my current array of tools, I’m thinking a few lower-tech, real-world productivity tools—index cards, anyone?—could probably find a useful home somewhere in my system.
Jason Fitzpatrick, Contributing Editor:
The [Free] Basics
The [Paid] Basics
Primary OS
My primary OS is Windows XP. I’m usually in some state of tinkering
with OS X (working on a Hackintosh just for kicks), and Linux. I find as time goes on that with Linux I’m less tinkering with the limited free time I have to play with it and more enjoying it. Linux has really matured since I first installed it in 1994.
Hardware
I used to be an avid computer builder. As far as my primary machine for daily use goes, I usually just purchase a machine that’s on sale and throw a bunch of RAM and hard drives in it. I don’t game much anymore, so my rig doesn’t need to bleed speed. All of that said I have a ton of parts and I often strip down computers before people send them off to be recycled so I have more than enough motherboards, hard drives, etc. to build all the random projects I set my mind too. The level of parts in my workshop has reached a saturation point actually, and it is extremely likely that my next computer will be built from them with a few newer pieces thrown in.
Peripherals
I don’t really have any peripherals that I love… except my Logitech Trackman Wheel. I’ve been using a Logitech Trackman for over 10 years now and I love controlling the entire movement of the mouse with just my thumb. If Logitech announced they would no longer be producing the Trackman, I’d go out and buy a stockpile just to be safe. If we’re being a bit looser with definition of peripherals, I’m quite fond of my Windows Mobile phone, the HTC Apache, it’s a rather common WM phone but I like having a device I can custom and tweak to my hearts content. I frequently use the BuildOS program from PPCGeeks.com to rebuild my entire phone and try new things.
Webapps
The only web apps I use with any consistency are Gmail and Google Reader. I also use SmugMug to catalog and share media with family and clients and Mozy to back up data. For my Windows Mobile phone I use the service DashWire to conduct remote backups of contacts and other data.
Self Assessment
My computer usage reflects strongly on my general personality. I don’t use many social networking tools, I’m not the kind of person that Twitters the minute details of their life. I share my personal pictures on a password-protected site only for family, not on Flickr. When I’m working I use a pretty Spartan set of tools which helps me stay focused. Google Reader to distill my feeds, Firefox to help fling me about the web, a simple calendar, contact list, and to-do list in Outlook to sync with my Windows Mobile phone. And when I’m goofing around instead of getting work done I’m all over the map experimenting with new software, dubbing foreign films, playing in Photoshop, building a TiVo clone out of spare parts from my workshop bins, trying out new tweaks on my XBMC, etc. I love experimenting and playing with computers, I’ve just come to a point in my life where I have enough of a time crunch that I have to be careful to fence off the ‘Let’s see what we can solder to this!’ part of my love for computers from my ‘Let’s get some work done and pay the bills!’ part.
Tamar Weinberg, Contributing Editor:
The [Free] Basics
The [Paid] Basics
Primary OS
My primary operating system at this time is Windows XP Pro. Ah yes, a Mac OS would be nice, but I’ve been procrastinating on making the plunge! Windows XP does what I need. Additionally, I run a Fedora 9 box in the corner of my apartment and am always SSH’d into it to tinker around with the system.
Hardware
My main computer is a Dell XPS M1710 laptop, but I built the two desktops I use (they run Windows XP and Fedora 9). I test Lifehacker software on another old Dell laptop. I also have a MacBook Air that I haven’t yet used. I know Gina is going to kill me when she reads this.
Peripherals and Gadgets
I don’t use other peripherals on a regular basis primarily because my desk is my lap and my office chair is a couch. There’s not much you can use here without things falling all over the place.
Webapps
Self-assessment
Much of what I use revolves around my work behavior, since I’m tremendously focused on using the computer for all work and no play (if I play, I’ll go with a console of some sort—my Wii and Xbox360 get some nice face time when I have a spare moment). I’m somewhat old school but I love to try new things provided that I don’t have to install them on my computer (well, for the most part).
Now it’s your turn…
Readers, what are your preferred freeware, shareware, and commercial apps? What gadgets and peripherals tickle your fancy? Which webapps do you use consistently? Share your all-time favorite recommendations in the comments.
(Via Lifehacker.)
10.5: More control of fan speeds on iMacs and laptops: “
We take great care to ensure that our systems run with reasonable temperatures as that helps extend their lifetimes. We’ve used various applications to control the fan speeds on different systems but, with the upgrade to 10.5, our Intel-based iMac was left without a fan-control solution that worked adequately. To that end, I decided to modify the open source (GPL) FanControl to work with our iMac. The result is that I’ve generated two new versions of Fan Control, one for the Intel-based iMacs and one for the MacBook/MacBook Pro.
These versions also have some extended control capabilities over the original FanControl. The iMac version uses separate sensors to drive the contro…
(Via MacOSXHints.com.)
” You’ve got a UIF file from a friend and have no clue how to use it on your Mac? No need to go and boot up your old Windows PC (if you still have one). Just drop the file into UIF2ISO for Mac and it will convert it into a standard ISO format. The ISO you can just use with OSX. Open it. Burn it. It’s really that simple.* finder No command line knowledge required. In finder just drag your file on to the program icon or open it from the file menu. It will convert your file at a snap.
* sparkle Always stay up-to-date. Integration with the Sparkle framework assures you always got the latest release. New version? Update and relaunch. As easy as that.This software is based on the command line tool uif2iso by Luigi Auriemma and so is licensed under the GNU General Public License (GPL). “
(Via vafer.)
SeeMore’s Safety Browser™ | S4K
: Internet safety has become a major issue over the past few years. S4K’s research clearly shows that the number one concern of parents is “stranger safety”. To help parents provide a stranger-free, safe web-browsing and Internet experience, we have developed SeeMore’s Safety Browser, a proprietary web browser designed to provide a safe, educational and fun online experience for pre-school children. SeeMore’s Safety Browser™ offers a simple interface and access to safe, parent-approved content. It is available for both Windows XP/Vista and Mac OSXWe believe that parents should make the decisions about what their children view online. We designed SeeMore’s Safety Browser™ to be a virtual “seat belt” on the information highway. Buckle-up your child with our browser, and you and your child can enjoy hours of worry-free fun together.
How does it work?
Once the browser is installed and activated, you, as the parent, make the decisions about which websites are appropriate for your child to view. While SeeMore’s Safety Browser™ is active, your child cannot get to the internet. We have designed this interface to prevent any accidental link to the outside web. This is the critical difference with our browser: no amount of clicks on hot links can possibly lead your child out of this safety zone. We have disabled the functions that would allow access to the web. And we have disabled the system functions on your computer, so that function keys and command keys are inoperative. Your child can enjoy hours of fun on their favorite sites and never be exposed to other applications or websites.
Do I get to choose what my child sees?
Yes. Your child is buckled up, but you are in the driver’s seat! SeeMore’s Safety Browser™ comes pre-loaded with some appropriate content, but you can modify that content at any time, adding and subtracting sites you deem acceptable. And as your child grows, so does the browser! We designed it to be fully customizable.
Is it really safe?
Yes! In the SeeMore Safety Browser a user can not exit the browser without a password. This is a critical but often overlooked issue. If the exit/close application process is not managed, all the protection provided is lost as the user is returned to full system functionality.
(Via safety4kids
.)
Seven open-source Mac apps you need right now: “CIO.com looks at seven enterprise-ready open-source solutions that are must-haves for Mac users in the workplace.
(Via MacCentral.)
Free Alternatives to the MacHeist Bundle [Mac OS X]: “
Every now and then, a web site called MacHeist packages up a handful of popular Mac shareware and offers the entire bundle for a significantly discounted rate. Despite criticisms from developers, MacHeist is an obvious win for consumers looking to score some great shareware on-the-cheap. Now MacHeist is back with another bundle offering 12 Mac apps for a measly $49. To be honest, though, this time around I’m not terribly impressed with the options, so I’m rounding up no-cost alternatives to the current MacHeist bundle (minus the three games) that will give you most if not all of the functionality of their shareware counterparts for a grand total of $0.
Awaken is an alarm clock whose features include iTunes playlist support, volume fading, Apple remote support, and scheduled alarms. So are Aurora 3 (original post) and Alarm Clock 2 (original post). The difference? They’re both freeware. (Aurora 4 has gone shareware, but they’re still generously offering the freeware version 3 free of charge.)
Cha-Ching manages your money, helps maintain your budget, and alerts you of upcoming bills (original post). Web site Mint does the same thing and more, but again, it does it all without costing you a penny. Mint does raise security concerns to many people because of its presence on the web, but if you’re comfortable with the idea of managing your money on the web, Mint is ready for your money.
There are some things, like MP3 players, where it’s hard to get anything but the best—most of us just want an iPod. But when it comes to something like an iTunes interface helper app, even if the shareware CoverSutra is the best, is there anything that makes it that much better than freeware alternatives like DeskTunes (original post), You Control: Tunes (original post), or the other handful of menu bar apps with iTunes integration? For my money, the answer is no. It’s sort of a different app altogether, but I’d also highly recommend DockArt (original post).
DEVONthink is an excellent tool for keeping track of all the various bits of digital information scattered across your computer, and to be perfectly honest, I couldn’t find anything in the freeware realm that does what DEVONthink does. But that doesn’t mean you haven’t! If you have a good alternative solution, let’s hear about it in the comments.
iClip is a clipboard manager for your Mac, keeping track of and providing access to the history of your clipboard. So does Jumpcut (original post) or one of my catch-all favorites, Quicksilver.
Overflow is like the Windows Start menu for the Mac, except you have to pay extra for it. Granted it has a few features that make it a touch more useful, but in the end you’ll be much better off using an app like Quicksilver to quickly find and launch apps or documents. If you want a nice icon view of your applications, you can also just drag your Applications folder into the Dock and use Stacks as a Start menu in Leopard.
Wallet securely stores sensitive information, like serial numbers, passwords, credit card numbers, and more. So does the open source KeePassX (original post)—it just won’t cost you a dime.
I like the idea behind WriteRoom—I mean, we all got a little carried away at the idea of a completely distraction-free word processor when WriteRoom hit the streets. So carried away, in fact, that developers went ahead and built tons of them (obviously a single-feature word processor can’t be all that hard to build). That means that rather than paying for WriteRoom, you could use the cross-platform JDarkRoom (original post) or web-based options like Writer (original post) or DarkCopy (original post).
Xslimmer frees up space on your hard drive by removing unnecessary code or language packs from your applications. I’m not saying that OnyX (original post)—the open source alternative I’m suggesting—actually does this. But what OnyX does is clean up similar things from your OS X installation as a whole, and frankly, that’s about as far as most of us are willing to go to save a few megabytes of space.
Like I said, the MacHeist bundle is a boon for consumers under the right circumstances. The first MacHesit bundle, for example, was full of really incredible shareware. I’d argue that the quality has diluted in the latest bundle, so if you’re tempted by a few of the apps but don’t really feel like paying for the lackluster bundle, these freeware alternatives might do the trick. On the other hand, if you really like the majority of the programs and you’d prefer the support and polish of commercial apps, the current MacHeist bundle might be worth it for you. I’m still hoping for the day that MacHeist comes out with a bundle that truly inspires this software cheapskate to pry open his wallet (which I did for the first bundle).
(Via Lifehacker.)
Automatically Quick Look Your Downloads [Mac Tip]: “
All-things-Mac web site Mac OS X Hints discusses how to automatically Quick Look certain files as soon as they’re downloaded to your Downloads folder. The best approach from the thread involves setting your browser to automatically open certain file types (like your PDF or Word documents) with the Quick Look Droplet, a simple application that launches a Quick Look preview of whatever file it opens. Of course you could just set your browser to automatically open downloaded files with their default applications, but if you don’t want to load up heavy software like Microsoft Word just to peek at the file’s contents, this Quick Look Droplet might be a worthwhile solution.
”
(Via Lifehacker.)
Dock-U-Like: “Software changes Leopard’s Dock
BlockSoft has introduced software designed to customise the Dock within Mac OS X 10.5 ‘Leopard’.
”
(Via Macworld UK.)
OS X Portable Applications: “OS X FOSS portable applications are packaged so you can carry around on any portable device, USB thumb drive, iPod, portable hard drive, memory card, other portable device (or also on your internal hard disk), taking your preferences with you. Warning: Data and passwords stored with Keychain are not portable!”
(Via freesmug.)
ASCIIsee: “ASCIIsee v1.0.1″
Description
The concept of ASCII art is not a new one, but ASCIIsee provides something new. Like many other ASCII art applications, ASCIIsee can load an image of your choice and then convert it into an ASCII art image. However, unlike many other ASCII art applications, ASCIIsee has some distinct differences. Firstly, its output is in colour. Secondly, by utilizing the varying styles and weights of the fonts installed on your computer, you can use ASCIIsee to build your image from a custom message. The image below has been created with the words “This is a demonstration of ASCIIsee”.
(Via brucerayne.)
AppTrap: “The uninstaller feature Apple forgot”
AppTrap is designed with two things in mind:
Extreme simplicity
Being completely seamless
The first point is achieved by not including anything but the main functionality described above. There will never be any spring cleaning or or other snazzy features, not even bells and whistles!
The second point is achieved by integrating AppTrap with Mac OS X. You won’t ever see AppTrap except for its dialogue window; yes, that’s right, there’s no menu extra. Only a background application and a preference pane. Also, the aim is to include as many localizations as possible, so you’ll have to help out here!
(Via AppTrap.)
Bean: An OS X Word Processor: “Bean is a small, simple word processor (or more precisely, a rich text editor), with many niceties added to make writing convenient, efficient and comfortable.”
(Via Bean.)
Rhapsoft – LiveQuartz: “LiveQuartz is a powerful free image editor. It is based on layers and CoreImage filters. You have the layers on the left and the filters on the right of the window. To edit an image, just drag it into the layers’ list and it will be added as a new layer. LiveQuartz is localized in English, Chinese, Danish, French, German, Italian, Persian, Russian and Spanish.”
Image formats:
pdf,
jpeg,
tiff,
png,
gif,
bmp,
pict,
raw,
more elements
Image filters:Distortion Effect,
Geometry Adjustment,
Halftone Effect,
Color Adjustment,
Color Effect,
Tile Effect,
Stylize,
Sharpen,
Blur,
more elements
(Via livequartz.)
IceTime Widget is a graphical schedule widget designed to keep hockey fans informed of their division, team schedule, standings, stats and more. IceTime Widget is perfect for any hockey fan trying to keep track of their team.
No Tags
”
(Via FreeMacWare.com.)
| M | T | W | T | F | S | S |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| « Aug | ||||||
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | ||
| 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 |
| 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 |
| 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 |
| 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | |||
