Ten Programs I Can’t Live Without (This Week, Anyway)

It's been a while since I wrote any kind of "what's on my desktop" article, and while the whole exercise may seem like an ego-driven one, it's actually offered as a means to shine the spotlight on some of the smaller developers out there who are really doing some top-notch work in the hopes that they can keep doing it. So, without further ado, here is the 2004 version (in no particular order, despite the numbering) of ten programs I can't live without.

1) iKey

I was a huge QuicKeys fan on both OS9 and Windows, but QuicKeys X is way overpriced (especially for upgrades). At first, my macro utility jones was satiated by Keyboard Maestro, but as that product appears to be stagnant with no Panther update in sight, I finally stumbled upon iKey (formerly YoupiKey). In a nutshell, iKey gives you complete control to assign hot keys or menu access to any number of processes on your machine, from mouse clicks to menu selections to the execution of AppleScripts. You can even combine commands into sequences, and limit commands to certain applications (fig. 1). It's exactly what I remember loving about QuicKeys, but with a much lower price tag.

Developer: Script Software
Price: $20 Shareware
Available for download at: http://scriptsoftware.com/ikey/

Figure 1: Here in iKey's Editor panel, I've got a bunch of HTML tags mapped to shortcut keys that are only for use in SubEthaEdit.

2) MacBiff

For those of you who swear by the IMAP email protocol as I do, there's a fantastic little utility that makes the experience even more satisfying. MacBiff is a tiny app that sits in your menubar and checks your IMAP account(s) for you (fig. 2). It can alert you to new messages in any number of ways, checks for mail securely through SSL, features a tear-off window, and can even grab new message headers for you. In effect, MacBiff frees you from having to have your email program open all the time, in addition to bringing some of those cool "live feedback" functions Mail.app provides to other email programs that aren't quite as integrated into Mac OS X.

Developer: Branden Moore
Price: Free
Available for download at: http://www.forkit.org/macbiff/

Figure 2: MacBiff is currently showing me that I have a message waiting, where it's located in my IMAP hierarchy, what the subject is, and who it's from.

3) Anything from Unsanity

OK, sure. Including the entire Unsanity line of "Haxies," as they're known, pushes the overall program count past ten, but who cares? When a company is putting out so much quality stuff across the board, they get their own special place. From the classic Apple Menu resurrection utility FruitMenu to the simplicity of keyboard shortcut mapping found in Menu Master to the downright fun of ShapeShifter (fig. 3), there isn't a weak player in the bunch. And I haven't even mentioned WindowShade X, Metallifizer, Clear Dock, the ingenious Application Enhancer architecture...need I go on? I've purchased several Haxies, each of which I use, love and cherish every day.

Developer: Unsanity
Price: Ranges from free to $20 (depending on Haxie)
Available for download at: http://www.unsanity.com/

Figure 3: From left to right: FruitMenu brings back the Apple Menu with a ton more options; ShapeShifter lets me enjoy my favorite OS Themes (currently, Max Rudberg's Milk); MenuMaster makes remapping keys as simple as pulling down a menu, hovering your mouse over an item, and choosing the key combo.

4) GraphicConverter

This Swiss Army Knife of graphic format wranglers easily takes the prize for having the most features for the price. GraphicConverter packs hundreds of goodies into an inexpensive package, from obscure image support (fig. 4) to batch reformatting to file browsing to TWAIN scanning. Updates are frequent, each one bringing a slew of new features. I remember back when only DeBabelizer could do the image gymnastics GraphicConverter now does—the only difference is that DeBabelizer was (is) ten times the price of GC for what amounts to a pretty similar feature set.

Developer: Lemke Software
Price: $30 Shareware
Available for download at: http://www.lemkesoft.de/en/index.htm

Figure 4: It's almost sickening how many image formats GraphicConverter supports. And this isn't even the whole list.

5) QuickImageCM

This is a handy little Contextual Menu plug-in that gives you, as the name suggests, quick access to any image type (single or multiple images) directly from the Finder through a simple right/Control-click. QuickImage not only lets you view images, it gives you format conversion, thumbnail addition and subtraction, and basic manipulation options. It even has a few filters you can play with (fig. 5). Development seems to have stopped, however, and while the site lists it as not entirely compatible with Panther, I've had no real issues. So get it while the gettin's good.

Developer: Pixture Studios
Price: Free
Available for download at: http://www.pixture.com/macosx.php

Figure 5: Basic image manipulation, including filter application, can be performed right from the Finder with QuickImage CM.

6) Hydra (OK, OK, "SubEthaEdit")

Yeah, I know that this program is no longer named Hydra because of legal issues, but I just can't bring myself to call it SubEthaEdit (outside of this article, anyway). Regardless of what it's known as these days, it's one of the best text editors out there on any platform. You've got all the niceties any good editor should have, like syntax highlighting (which is extensible for any number of programming languages, from PHP to ActionScript and beyond), support for various encoding types and file endings, and line numbering. There's even live HTML previewing through the embedded WebKit engine (the same one that drives Safari). But you've also got something completely unique: Rendezvous-enabled collaboration (fig. 6). Multiple authors can work on a single document simultaneously over a local network or even the Internet, bringing a whole new twist to the concept of "extreme programming."

Developer: The Coding Monkeys
Price: Free
Available for download at: http://www.codingmonkeys.de/subethaedit/

Figure 6: Here is this very article open in SubEthaEdit, where I'm working on it in Rendezvous mode on two different machines. Changes that each user makes are color-coded so you can root out the slackers.

7) CSSEdit

I've become a fan of using CSS as much as possible when doing Web design projects, and this niche program does one thing (CSS, of course), and does it very well. CSSEdit lets you build styles either graphically or textually (fig. 7), all the while conforming to your preferred formatting style. Styles are previewed instantly within the program itself, with additional previews available in whatever Web browser you happen to have floating around on your system. Nice organizational touches like grouping and commenting round out this slick little app. Between this program and SubEthaEdit, I've relegated Dreamweaver and GoLive more or less to table building and special character reference.

Developer: MacRabbit
Price: $24.99 Shareware
Available for download at: http://www.macrabbit.com/cssedit/

Figure 7: CSSEdit is a very slick way to build stylesheets.

8) Zingg!

This nifty little Contextual Menu seems redundant at first, as it's yet another "Open With" menu akin to the one found in Mac OS X since 10.2. But one glance at Zingg!'s configuration panel (fig. 8) was enough to convince me to pretty much blow by the built-in OS X functionality in favor of this. You can set Zingg!'s menu to display (or not display) applications in the context menu on a case-by-case basis, with more behavior options than you can shake a stick at. So, for example, if you are annoyed that Final Cut Pro keeps showing up as an application to edit XML files, you can tell Zingg! to never show FCP in the menu, and problem solved.

Developer: Rainer Brockerhoff
Price: Free; Donations accepted
Available for download at: http://www.brockerhoff.net/zingg/

Figure 8: Zingg!'s configuration panel lets you customize your own "Open With" menu.

9) NetNewsWire Lite

Using a mere browser to check frequently updated sites is so last year. RSS/XML/Atom feeds are all the rage these days, even though the idea traces back to the "push" days of the mid-1990s. In any case, a good feed aggregator is vital these days for those who are addicted to frequently updated news and community-driven sites, and you can't do much better than NetNewsWire Lite. Find a feed, add the URL, set the update frequency, and you're off and running in browserless bliss. A handy Dock indicator tells you how many articles are waiting for you after an update (fig. 9).

Developer: Ranchero Software
Price: Free; Donations accepted; $39.95 Pro version also available
Available for download at: http://ranchero.com/netnewswire/

Figure 9: Only 48 unread articles to peruse this morning. Nothing like a little light reading.

10) Meteorologist

I realize that I'm torturing myself, especially as the weather begins to improve here in the Shenandoah Valley, by constantly subjecting myself to the forecast that I'm not outside enjoying as I work. But you don't have to be a weather junkie to appreciate the always-on simplicity that Meteorologist brings to your menubar. Fire it up, plug in a city or three, select a weather server, and you've got current conditions and local forecasts always at your fingertips (fig. 10).

Developer: Open Source Project
Price: Free
Available for download at: http://sourceforge.net/projects/heat-meteo/

Figure 10: Looks like it's going to be a beautiful day. Too bad I have to work. Why do I like this program again?

11) Default Folder X

To paraphrase Nigel Tufnel, this list goes to eleven. I couldn't stop at just ten, so Default Folder X is the perfect app to fill the bonus spot. DFX takes your normally lame OS X open and save dialog boxes and adds several snazzy enhancements to them. Features include file renaming and trashing from the dialog box, setting the default folder on a per-application basis, shortcut keys to favorite folders, quick-clicking on open Finder windows to select a desired location, rebounding to previously selected files and paths, and a whole lot more.

Developer: St. Clair Software
Price: $34.95 Shareware
Available for download at: http://www.stclairsoft.com/DefaultFolderX/index.html

Figure 11: In addition to all the other stuff it does, Default Folder X lists currently open Finder windows for quick jumps to different locations.

In conclusion...

The moral of the story is that you don't have to spend a bundle to put some really high-quality programs to work for you. Plus, every one of these apps is available on at least a trial basis, so you don't have to guess how useful each would be for you. And please, pay the authors if you find value in their work!

Now it's your turn. If you have your own personal list of must-have utilities, use the email link at the top of the page and let me know what floats your boat (in the shareware/freeware realm, that is). I'm always happy to give new things a try and to help bring attention to smaller developers and their often excellent work in future articles.

Filed under: Feature on March 30th, 2004

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