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TAB looks at FTP clients
For anyone involved in the day-to-day running of a website, a good reliable FTP client is vital to getting anything done. But with so many options available for users to choose from, how is a person to decide which client is right for them? Mike over at The Apple Blog provides some assistance in the form of a roundup of the 5 most popular FTP clients for OS X. As many of you would expect, Panic's Transmit came out on top, followed by Interarchy. Personally, Transmit is my client of choice for most situations. However, every so often I'll come across a picky server which causes Transmit to start acting weird. In those rare instances, Interarchy comes in real handy.
Transmit 3.5.4
Don't panic! Panic just released an update to their uber-popular FTP/SFTP client Transmit which purportedly squashes all those nasty bugs which have been driving you crazy. Version 3.5.4 fixes issues with certain SFTP servers, adds a preference pane to keep you connected even through some troublesome routers, improved WebDAV support and permissions reliability, and fixes an issue with the "Transfer Complete" sound. 3.5.4 also improves overall application stability. Now, this might seem a bit silly, but my favorite thing about the notification email I received from Panic is the fact that they put a big, prominent download link at the top of the message. Thats the kind of smart thinking and small touches I love and expect from Mac developers.
Top ten supplemental blogging apps
Chances are if I am sitting at my Mac I am blogging (perhaps not for TUAW, but for some blog somewhere) and so this list of the top ten supplemental blogging apps for OS X caught my eye.The apps that make the cut are: Quicksilver (a TUAW favorite) Firefox (though Flock gets a mention) Pukka NewsFire Transmit Image Trick TextMate Voice Candy Dictionary.app Adium and Skype A fairly good list, though it doesn't cover some of the apps I use whilst blogging. After the jump you'll find my list of blogging apps I can't blog without.
Transmit 3.5.4 released
Transmit, Panic's FTP client that I firmly believe was coded by angels, has been updated to version 3.5.4. They offer detailed release notes, but the cliff notes include SFTP error improvements, upload/download error and Growl notification fixes, navigation tweaks and much more.Transmit 3.5.4 is a free update and available from Panic's site.
Get your run on - Apple taking preorders for the Nike+iPod Sport Kit
It looks as though Apple is officially taking pre-orders for the $30 Nike+iPod Sport Kit, a customized wireless transmitter and receiver set that helps you track your run by integrating with Apple's iPod nano. The tips started pouring in, and sure enough, it's up in the store in all its über-branding glory. Fortunately, more compatible shoes have also been added to the Nike Plus site, though I'm sure pioneering DIYers are scoffing at the thought of purchasing a pair, and are already hard at work at assembling specs and carving out their present running gear (I'm sure I'm not the only one who'd like to see a guide for this; send in those tips people!). On a related note, TUAW reader Aaron sent us a question that y'all might want to bat around: has anyone heard about the battery life of this kit? Aaron noticed that this kit's specs mention the battery in the shoe transmitter is not replaceable, so those who run 8 miles a day like Aaron (or who I'll refer to as: RoboRunner) might have to find out how much juice these things hold before they kick the bucket. On the other hand, I'm sure in a couple of months Apple will whip out a $40 charging dock for the $30 sensor kit and make all this worrying about battery life a moot point.
FTP explained
Who better to explain the ins and outs of the twisted FTP world than Steven Frank, one of the minds behind Transmit? Well, that's exactly what Steve has done for us on his blog. If you don't know your SFTP from your FTPS then this is the article for you.Sure, he recommends that you try his company's FTP application, but that doesn't mean he isn't FTP knowledgeable.
Airfoil v2.0.3 adds changing sources on the fly, menubar preference, more
Airfoil, the handy application for sending any audio to an AirPort Express, has been updated to version 2.0.3 for Mac OS X (remember, it's also available for Windows now). This new version adds the ability to swap audio sources on the fly, as well as a menubar option if you'd rather the app not take up dock space.Airfoil is a Universal Binary with a demo available (that overlays noise after 10 minutes until you register), while a license from Rogue Amoeba costs $25.
Got files to transfer? Check out Yummy FTP
I keep a lot of backups safely tucked away on my online storage space. So, I spend a decent amount of time each weekend either in Terminal or Transmit. However, that doesn't mean I'm unwilling to check out alternate FTP clients. Yummy FTP looks pretty good. It has support for both FTP and SFTP, automatic failure recovery, folder synchronization and more. What I really like are the "bookmarks." Basically, they're droplets that you can point to any directory in your online space. From there, you just drop a file you want transferred onto the bookmark and off it goes. Yummy FTP is good about asking if you want to make a new bookmark for new directories, as well as where you'd like them stored.* Other features include: Easy scheduling setup Can be scripted with Applescript Remote editing with your favorite editor Yummy FTP requires Mac OS 10.3 or later, and costs $25US for a single license. A fifteen day trial is available.*Yes, I know that the current version of Transmit lets you create droplets as well, but I liked Yummy FTP's method.
Backup files automatically with Transmit
Backups are very important. This is something that you learn once, and never forget again (usually as you try to explain why your wedding pictures no longer exist). The fine folks over at StrongSpace, a service that offers online storage, have posted a nice tutorial that goes through the process of using iCal, Transmit, and Automator to automate backups of files to an FTP server.Don't be fooled, this will work with any online storage that Transmit can connect to, though it is best suited for backup of smaller files (such as AddressBook entries). I wouldn't recommend this as your only backup strategy, but it is good for certain files.
Tips on removing apps from the Sync Services database
If you've ever installed an app that can take advantage of .Mac syncing services and then stopped using it or removed it for one reason or another, you might have noticed that its listing in the .Mac System Preferences pane still lingers. This could be a nuisance to neat-freaks, but it could also cause complications in some cases.Fortunately, a post at macosxhints has done some digging into the matter and revealed a few clues to cleaning up the mess. It turns out that Panic, makers of Transmit, offer a Terminal tip for removing Transmit from the .Mac sync services list. This inspired the macosxhints poster to do some digging to see about other services, so check out their post if you're looking to do some .Mac sync services spring cleaning.
Transmit 3.5 - where have you been all my life?
Last month Dave Caolo mentioned that Transmit updated to v3.5, went universal and added droplets, amongst other things like Growl support. While I'm sure droplets aren't a new concept by any means, these handy little DnD (drag-n-drop) extras that can perform all sorts of tasks seem to be all the rage lately with applications both old and new. Photoshop does them, DVGuru discovered Compressor does them, and Transmit 3.5's droplets were one of the few key reasons why I purchased a license a few days ago.Transmit's droplets are icons you can effortlessly create that allow a quick DnD operation to send files/folders up to a specific directory in one of your Transmit FTP accounts. What's even nicer is that you can opt to save the relevant password in the droplet, or require it to be input each time you use it to upload something. Creating a droplet is simple: right-click (control-click) on a directory in Transmit and chose the "Save droplet for Folder..." option like I have pictured.The one drawback of these droplets is that they still have to start Transmit in order to actually perform the upload. On the flip side, however, they also automatically quit the app when finished. Ultimately, these droplets are incredibly handy if you have multiple FTP accounts with various directories into which you simply need to dump stuff.Another new feature is Growl support. Since I am a lover of Growl, this is most welcome, but Transmit's implementation is a little quirky as there is no option in Transmit to toggle this feature; it's all done through the Growl System Preferences pane. Heads up to those who are new to the realm of Growl.The last major new feature in 3.5, the one that truly made this love affair flourish, is the "edit any remote file, in any application" feature Dave mentioned. This one almost has to be experienced to believe: you can now double-click remote files in Transmit (such as image or text files) and it will download and open them in an external editor you specify in the preferences. You can then work your magic, simply hit "Save" and Transmit uploads the altered file - seamlessly (try this on an image file with Photoshop for an insta-drool effect). Gone are the days of "download, surf to your local directory, open the file, edit, save, then upload." This alone was worth purchasing a license.Which reminds me: Transmit offers a 15 day trial, while a single license is a bargain at $29.95. Bulk pricing and upgrades are available.
Transmit goes universal
Transmit, Panic's great FTP client, has been updated to version 3.5. This release is a universal binary, and other changes include: The ability to edit any remote file, in any application Improved synchronization The ability to create your own droplets You can read the full change log here. I use Transmit all the time and really love it (iDisk is way faster via Transmit than OS X's Finder). Transmit requires Mac OS X 10.3.9 or later and is priced at $29.95US.
Dialog box delays with iDisk
I'm sure we've all experienced that annoying delay that sometimes occurs when we've got a CD or DVD sitting in our Mac's media drive. Call up an Open or Save dialog box and you have to wait while the disc spins up. Keith at MacIT.org noticed a similar delay that seems to have been caused by the local copy of his iDisk that he kept mounted on his desktop. He writes:"I turned iDisk Syncing Off in the .Mac System Preferences, which turns the local copy of your iDisk into a disk image file and un-mounts the volume, and the Open - Save dialog delays have disappeared."I've tried turning off my local iDisk as well, to see if I get similar results over the next week or so (as Keith notes, Transmit is much quicker with iDisk file management anyway). Has anyone else experienced this?
