scottorchard.com » OS X

Multi-Safari

Scott — Thu, 30 Aug 2007 19:35:57 +0000

I previously wrote about Tredosoft’s Multiple IE, which is great for testing my web development in legacy versions of Internet Explorer. Today I came across Multi-Safari and just installed Safari 2.0.4, which is the latest non-beta version of Safari on most Mac’s running Tiger. I’ve been running the Safari 3 Beta for quite sometime and I don’t want to have to uninstall it everytime I need to check compatibility in Safari 2 for projects. This will save me a lot of time and allow me to continue running the Safari 3 Beta, check it out if you have a chance, Multi-Safari. (via cameronmoll.com)

Pixelmator

Scott — Thu, 31 May 2007 15:25:52 +0000

Pixelmator looks like a possible Photoshop competitor with a pretty slick UI and is based on Apple’s Core Image technology. It’s supposed to take advantage of GPU-powered image editing, so your video card can handles some of the processing and frees up your CPU for other tasks. It doesn’t look like it will be available until late July 2006, but with a $59 price tag, it could be hard to pass up. We’ll have to see how it compares to Photoshop CS3, though it looks they share many comparable features. (via Daring Fireball)

CSSEdit 2.5 and Coda

Scott — Mon, 23 Apr 2007 20:58:20 +0000

MacRabbit just updated CSSEdit to version 2.5, which brings some new features such as tabbed windows and the X-ray inspector for all of your CSS needs. I’ve been using this quite a lot since the 2.0 release, the new features have been very helpful with development; I can’t recommend this program enough.

Panic just released Coda, which is an integrated web development solution, part Transmit, part SubEthaEdit and Terminal, with CSS support all rolled into a single interface. Personally I started on Dreamweaver, but dumped that for a combination of Textmate, CSSEdit and Transmit for all of my development needs. I think Coda can give Dreamweaver a run for it’s money, Coda is a much more affordable solution for a freelance developer.

The Textmate-CSSEdit-Transmit combo work quite well for me, but Panic’s new program looks very interesting, I may have to download a copy and see how it works. (via MacRabbit Blog | stevenf)

Buying a Mac?

Scott — Fri, 23 Feb 2007 07:40:31 +0000

If you’re disheartened by the prospects of a new OS from Microsoft, but you’re under the impression that that damn Apple company updates their products too often, here’s a couple of sites that keep track of Apple’s product cycles and offer recommendations that may prevent you from screaming in agony when your “brand new” laptop gets updated next Tuesday:

http://buyersguide.macrumors.com/
http://mactactic.com/

Apple Pro

Scott — Sat, 27 May 2006 16:50:11 +0000

The redesigned Apple Pro section offers a wealth of information from the many industries that Apple products affect. See who is changing the industry and what products their using, or find some tips from other professionals.

I just bought a Powerbook!

Scott — Fri, 16 Dec 2005 21:43:18 +0000

I just bought a new model, Powerbook G4 1.67GHz, 15-inch screen with 1 GB of RAM. I’ve been stuck with an aging PC at home and an iBook I received from my parents not too long ago. I’m hoping the new laptop will replace both machines at home and increase productivity. Right now, my 1 GHz Pentium III system at home can barely run Photoshop and Illustrator at the same time.

Besides that I’ve been pretty busy with various freelance projects and I can’t wait to add some new stuff to my portfolio and get back to cover interesting things.

Now for the worst part, waiting…

Inquisitor Instant Search Beta

Scott — Mon, 10 Oct 2005 06:46:15 +0000

I have been using Inquisitor in Safari for quite sometime and enjoy its slick interface and ease of use. Recently, info was released regarding its next incarnation, Inquisitor 2.0 which looks very promising.

I must say that the Inquisitor Instant Search Beta is an online version of the same search interface, working on any platform. Built on the same technology that powers Google Suggest with some AJAX goodness, should prove to be an interesting experiment.

Linotype FontExplorer X

Scott — Wed, 05 Oct 2005 07:39:16 +0000

I posted about this before on evolvefuel, but I want to devote a little more time to reviewing the product.

Linotype FontExplorer X is a new font management utility, much like Suitcase X1 or Apple’s Font book. I’ve been using Suitcase for a few years now and it usually works pretty good, though the PC version lacks some additional features that are in the OS X version.

Font Book sounded really good when it was first introduced but I found it difficult to manage a large library of fonts without my system slowing to a crawl or Font Book crashing out right.

In comes FontExplorer, a sleek interface reminiscent of iTunes brushed metal, and easy to use tools. Font organization is quick, featuring multiple preview options, auto-activation with an option to buy missing typefaces directly through the application. Searching for fonts is as easy and quick as using Spotlight.

I’d recommend this alone on the how its features are equal to or better than the competition, but the last selling point is that it is completely free, free forever, no ads or nagging, pretty generous of Linotype in my opinion.