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Disk Order - an advanced Finder replacement
Disk Order is another app that takes a stab at replacing the Finder, but doesn't seem to take things quite as overboard as PathFinder. With tabbed file browser windows, built-in FTP client, command line tools and more, Disk Order should have a few things to offer anyone who feels like the Finder is the ugly duckling of Mac OS X.A full-featured demo of Disk Order is available, while a license costs $22.57.[via MacMerc]
Quicksilver developer update with new triggers, preference UI, more
A pre-release, developer version of Quicksilver is available with a seriously revamped preference pane. Also included in this not-ready-for-prime-time release: a new Triggers system that allows for groups, a revamped plug-in pane with categories and "droplets," which you can read more on here. I'm sure there's more hidden under the hood of this release, but finals are trumping the amount of time I have to tinker with this stuff.Since I just know some of you are going to ask, here's how to get your hands on this developer preview edition, but please do not bug us if things get wonky; it's an unstable dev edition. You have been warned: Go to the Application tab in Quicksilver's preferences and change which version it checks for updates; I believe it's actually called 'developer preview.' Then tell it to check for an update and you should be able to snag the new version. Enjoy.[via Hawk Wings]
Apple Support doc: Mac maintenance Quick Assist
Apple has released a "Mac Maintenance Quick Assist" support document that is more or less a 10-step guide aimed at beginners for taking care of their Mac, both inside and out. These steps include good, basic practices such as using relevant names for files instead of "DSC_00001.jpg," while also recommending that you occasionally clean your Mac (duh).I was surprised to see a few tips make this list, however. The first: Check for viruses. "Macs don't get anywhere near the amount of viruses that Windows PCs are prone to, but that doesn't mean that they can't get infected," reads tip #8. I guess the guys who wrote this article didn't get the memo from the team who made the "Macs don't get viruses" TV commercials. The other odd tips deal with Mac maintenance stuff, like repairing permissions and defragging your hard drive. I was under the impression that, since Panther, Mac OS X defragged itself. On the permissions topic, there has been a lot of chatter over the last couple of months about whether repairing permissions is actually useful. Just check out the pseudo-series John Gruber had on the topic.All in all, I think I was actually a little frightened by evidence of even cheesier one-liners making their way into Apple's support docs: "As a Mac user, you won't have to do windows, but you will need to do some housekeeping!" Yuk yuk.
Easy iPod/PSP movies with Instant Handbrake
When it comes to turning a DVD into a movie file, Handbrake's name is hailed far and wide for its ease of use, speed and overall quality. Recently, Handbrake's developer took these praised aspects and raised the bar by releasing Instant Handbrake (beta), a one-stop, brain-dead-easy app for converting a DVD to iPod/PSP-compatible video.By default it's set to crop the video when necessary (4:3 for iPod, 16:9 for PSP), depending on which device you specify, but you can elect to maintain the video in its original size. Video formats are MPEG-4 or H.264 for the iPod, and MPEG-4 for the PSP.Like its big brother, Instant Handbrake is free and available here.
Path Finder 4.1 released with Universal Binary, other enhancements
Path Finder, the powerful file browser/manager (pseudo-Finder) from Cocoatech, has been updated to version 4.1. Along with Universal Binary status and the typical round of bug fixes, this update also includes: Improved Go To Folder with autocomplete Smart Folders – Path Finder can now read Finder-created Smart Folders New Size Browser for quickly viewing total file sizes of folders, bundles, etc. Added rotate buttons to the integrated PDF viewer Path Finder can now preview PDF bundles (often found on OS X install disks) Added preview support for Help Viewer bundles Path Finder now displays if an application is PPC, Intel, or Universal Binary in the info panel Path Finder can now previews NEF files Added preliminary “email to” support for Microsoft Entourage and Eudora Updated Chinese, Japanese, Russian, French, and German localizations Check out Cocoatech's changelog for the full list of improvements and fixes, and scroll to the bottom of Path Finder's product page to download the new version. A 21-day demo is available, while a full license costs $34.95.
Backup files to Backpack with Automator
Non Stop Mac has put together an ingenious how-to on creating an Automator action to backup files to Backpack. It's a simple process that uses the genius of Backpack's page-specific email addresses to email files that are sitting in a specific folder. Head over and check out their post for the full details, as it really isn't difficult to create a system for keeping your stuff backed up, online and accessible. However, don't forget: free Backpack accounts (to my knowledge) don't allow for hosting files or images.I actually have an amendment to offer up for Non Stop Mac's Backpack backup process. While I haven't tested this out yet, it should work in theory: instead of saving this system out as an Automator action, I bet you could save it as a folder action, then simply attach it to a folder of stuff you want to back up. In a sense, this might be a basic, one-way iDisk: you could (theoretically) save items to this folder, which would then automatically be emailed to Backpack. If you try any of this out, feel free to share your thoughts on the experience.[via Backpack blog]
Maxtor teams up with Fabrik on personal server
So Maxtor and Valley startup Fabrik are up to something together, which they're calling Project Fusion. It sounds very cloak and dagger and whatnot, but it's actually pretty transparent and literal: they're building a personal server (i.e. a big external hard drive) that connects up to the Internet with Fabrik's service and allows you to access your data with a web-accessible frontend. There's even a new buzzword to describe the package: "personal media portal." Ok then. According to Maxtor the device could go for as much as $799 for a 500GB, which leaves a bit of a bad taste in our mouths (especially when there's, you know, about ten thousand companies out there trying to get your files online for you), but Om likes Fabrik, and you can't really argue with Om.
TUAW Tip: easily open a file or folder location
Here's an easy tip for quickly opening the Finder location of a file you currently have open in almost any app.Let say, for example, that you're working in Photoshop on an image that's buried a few folders deep within your Home folder. You'd like to get to that file's location, but unless you've used Dave Caolo's tip for taking control of your sidebar (or you have another trick up your sleeve), it requires clicking on the Finder icon in the dock, then digging deep into the folder system. Well to bypass all that clicking, all you have to do is command click on the small icon at the top of the image window in Photoshop to open a popup list (pictured) of the full directory structure leading to your file. As you can see, my hard drive is named Stewie (yes, I use Family Guy character names for my drives), and my Home folder is named dcharti. I could then click on any of the folders in that list to immediately open it in the Finder, making it a lot easier to boogie around in the file system.The beauty of this trick is that it *should* work in any OS X app that has a file icon (like Photoshop) in the window's title bar (not the white menu bar which sits at the very top of OS X's desktop), and even in some apps that don't necessarily display that icon. Try it in Word and Illustrator. Then try command clicking on Safari's title bar, as it will give you a list of URLs the frontmost tab has visited (like a tab-specific history). You can even open something like a local PDF file in Safari and it will give you the directory list. I bet this works in all sorts of other apps I haven't even tried yet, but it doesn't seem to work in database-driven apps like Mail.app and NetNewsWire. If you find some handy extras with this trick, feel free to add them to the pile in the comments.
Automator action: Export movies to iTunes/iPod
Since the 5G iPod landed, an army of scripts and mini-apps have answered the call for a simple, painless way for getting video into iTunes and ready for your favorite little music video player. Since I'm always up for more options, here's an Automator action that accomplishes the same task for Tiger users. You can select a group of files, run the action (it's meant to be installed as a Finder plugin), and it will use QuickTime to export the video and add it right into iTunes for you.While I haven't tested this out yet, I'm excited about being able to do with with an Automator action as it opens up the possibility of adding more steps to your workflow, such as batch renaming files, or anything else Automator can do. Plus, just like one of the reigning favorites - iSquint - the Export Movies to iTunes action is free.
Quicksilver pre-release version with mini-tutorial goodness
This morning Quicksilver notified me that a new version was available. Since I love living on the bleeding edge of application launching and file manipulation, I went ahead and updated. While I can hold my own fairly well with Quicksilver's unbelievably powerful features, I was still delighted to see that, upon installing the new version and restarting Quicksilver, I was greeted with an upgraded intro dialog (pictured) that better explains how Quicksilver functions. This should be good news to us Quicksilver-faithful, as it should help new and would-be users get a grasp of Quicksilver's function and power more quickly.The new version can be grabbed either from Quicksilver's preferences - or for you curious new users - their site.
