shiira
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Shiira 2.2 updated for Safari 3 beta's WebKit
When Apple makes changes to WebKit - the open source rendering engine that powers Safari - like they just did with the Safari 3 beta, many, many other Mac OS X apps that have anything to do with websites need to do a little catchup so things continue to run smoothly. Shiira, the feature-packed alternative browser, is just such an app that fortunately just made the leap to Safari 3 beta compatibility. Aside from the twelve new localizations introduced in this new v2.2 update, I can't tell what else has changed. Still, if you installed the Safari 3 beta and noticed that Shiira has been misbehaving one way or another, this new version should calm the waters.
Shiira 2.0 goes official
We've seen the betas for quite some time now, but Shiira v2.0 - the feature-packed open source browser based on the same WebKit that powers Apple's Safari - has gone official. As far as I can tell, the feature list hasn't changed wildly from beta into this full version, but check out some of the slick tricks Shiira has up its sleeve: Tab Exposé (yep: Exposé comes to browser tabs) Sharing bookmarks with Safari Side drawer showing bookmarks and history Search field with choice of search engine Cache control panel Window appearance switching (Aqua and Metal) Enable/disable favicon with bookmark Wheel button operation (open in new tab, and tab switching) Auto-tab for bookmark folder Displaying back-forward list on toolbar buttons Search text field for bookmark and history The feature list is far from over, however, so check out Shiira's official screenshot and features list for more details and even some movies of its features in action. Since Shiira is open source, it's available free from Shiira.jp.
Shiira v2 beta released
Remember that Shiira v2 beta preview that delusions of grandeur had at the end of July? Well instead of simply reading about it, now you can take your own copy for a spin, as a public, localized beta has been released. Shiira, if you haven't been following the coverage as of late, is an open source and uniquely feature-packed browser based on WebKit, the same web (and also open source) rendering engine that powers Apple's own Safari. Most of the new features that were previewed seem to be implemented, including the Shelf, Tab Exposé, a tab thumbnails option (instead of standard tabs found in Safari and Firefox), FullScreen Mode with a really slick and self-hiding navigation overlay, a palette replacement for the sidebar and more. When this first landed on digg, the download was only a PowerPC build, but it has since been replaced with a true Universal version. So what are you waiting for? Get downloading!
Shiira 2.0 Preview
Shiira has always been the browser we all have installed, play with when we're bored or need to test site compatibility, but never really use in day-to-day work. Despite the fact that the current version has essentially all the features of Safari, the interface and features always felt a bit unpolished, at least to me. Delusions of Grandeur has a preview of the next version of the open source browser, Shiira 2.0, and it looks to be a refreshing change. Sporting a newly designed interface, multiple ways of viewing tabs, full screen mode, plugin API, and so much more, Shiira 2 will be pretty, if nothing else.
OS X Browser lineup
The Apple Blog has a nice overview of the multitude of web browsers that are available our favorite OS (that's OS X, folks). Why? Because the nice people at TAB want to help you decide which browser is right for you.For my money Camino is the best browser out there for OS X; it has the engine of Firefox but it actually looks like a Mac app. What browser do you spend most of your time in?
A collection of all available QuickPicks for Backup 3
Wishingline, a web design studio, has done .Mac members a favor and collected most of the QuickPicks that are available on the web for Apple's Backup 3. There are quite a few QuickPicks out there for everything from ecto to PDF documents, Photo Booth pictures to Shiira bookmarks, OmniOutliner documents and much, much more. Wishingline went so far as to list a number of the QuickPicks individually, or simply offer an encompassing package of everything they could find (scroll down about midway on the page for these goodies).The QuickPicks package is offered free from Wishingline, but remember: they didn't have anything to do with creating these (as far as I know); they just tracked them down and zipped them. If you want a QuickPick for one app or another, you should probably consult the app's author or check out these resources for creating your own.[UPDATE: Scott from Wishingline dropped us a comment to let us know that the QuickPicks linked from Wishingline are, in fact, home grown. Thanks for some rockin' QuickPicks Scott!]
Shiira 1.2.1
Shiira 1.2.1 has been released. Shiira is now a Universal application so once you get your hot little hands on a MacBook Pro you can run this favorite alternate web browser of ours. 1.2.1 also adds an 'autocomplete' function that stores your usernames and passwords in OS X's keychain for easy retrieval (plus it is secure).Sure this isn't the blockbuster release that 1.2 was, but for a .0.1 release it isn't too shabby.Update: We're getting a number of reports that 1.2.1 is a little 'buggy.' Specifically anything to do with auto complete causes the program to crash. Let us know in the comments if this is happening to you as well.
Shiira 1.2 released
Wow, it really is a wonderful life. A new version of Shiira was released today, 1.2, with a ton of great new features. I had all but switched to Shiira a while back, when Firefox was too slow and Safari too annoying. But Shiira began to lag in the features department (particularly RSS support) and I had to drop it. Since the browser is based on Webkit, it makes sense to see some stuff now added: Universal Access support, Private browsing... And there are some unique features of Shiira, like the page transitions (sorta pointless, but fun to show PC lovers), and the incredibly handy Tab Exposé, which allows you to show all tabbed windows with a keystroke (why doesn't Safari have this?). One thing I really like about Shiira, however, is the ability to automatically use Safari bookmarks without importing, and it supports Firefox bookmarks. And don't forget the Shiira mini-browser.With the new RSS support, I can actually see using a browser as a feed reader. Maybe I was doing it wrong before, but the sidebar in Shiira makes a perfect companion to browsing. One nice little window on the side shows me new, unread stories as I surf. The less clicking, the better. The sidebar is really what got me to switch to Shiira to begin with, I just like having it available. It's a little redesigned in this version, and actually works better. Oh and did I mention Shiira supports themes?
