Feb 2006
Customize Camino
February, 28 2006 04:51 PM Filed in: How-to
If you have
downloaded and are using Camino (You have, haven't
you?) you may be interested in adding a few new
features. Enter CamiTools which will add:
All very nice additions. In particular I wanted to mention the ability to easily add new search engines to the default drop down. After you've installed CamiTools proceed to the NadaMac search engine page where you can download cepfiles for 1300 search engines. My favorite thus far is Flickr keyword searching closely followed by the imdb search. Very cool and easy to do. Interested? First, lets jump to the search engine list.
Next you'll want to browse the list and download the cepfiles:
Enjoy.
I've been using Camino since it's early days and for he past 8 months it has been my default browser. My primary reason: speed and resource usage. On my 1 GHZ PowerBook Camino seems to use the least amount of memory and processor of all the OS X browsers and this helps keep my laptop a little cooler. Another benefit is the speed at which Camino backs through my previous pages. I'm on dial-up and the backwards browsing through my history is much faster in Camino then any other browser because it loads from cache... it is instant. Safari and others seem to want to reload every revisited page.
Technorati Tags: Apple, OS X, Camino, OS X Browsers
- a toolbar search engine editor for Camino
- an image and script blocker for Camino
- Flashblock for Camino
- configure many aspects of Camino
- it lets you switch the appearance style (Aqua, Unified or Metal) and hide the status bar
- open your existing Camino profile or create a new one
- define your own styles for the pages you're visiting
- sync your bookmarks with a ftp server
All very nice additions. In particular I wanted to mention the ability to easily add new search engines to the default drop down. After you've installed CamiTools proceed to the NadaMac search engine page where you can download cepfiles for 1300 search engines. My favorite thus far is Flickr keyword searching closely followed by the imdb search. Very cool and easy to do. Interested? First, lets jump to the search engine list.
Next you'll want to browse the list and download the cepfiles:
- Download the .cepfile: Control click on the search engine you need and select 'Download Link Target...'
- Open CamiSearch or the search tab of Camino ExtraPrefs and click on 'Configure'
- Click on 'Load' and select the downloaded .cepfile
- Restart Camino
Enjoy.
I've been using Camino since it's early days and for he past 8 months it has been my default browser. My primary reason: speed and resource usage. On my 1 GHZ PowerBook Camino seems to use the least amount of memory and processor of all the OS X browsers and this helps keep my laptop a little cooler. Another benefit is the speed at which Camino backs through my previous pages. I'm on dial-up and the backwards browsing through my history is much faster in Camino then any other browser because it loads from cache... it is instant. Safari and others seem to want to reload every revisited page.
Technorati Tags: Apple, OS X, Camino, OS X Browsers
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Concerning the OS X vulnerability
February, 23 2006 08:08 PM Filed in: Security
In recent
days we've been seeing a lot of press regarding newly
discovered vulnerabilities in Apple's Safari web
browser. My response can be summed up as: no need for
panic, just be aware. In particular be aware of any
file that you download whether it is downloaded from
a web browser, email, or iChat.
Next, let's be clear that this is more a vulnerability of Mac OS X than it is of Safari. If you do use Safari I suggest a quick trip to its Preferences. Go to the General tab and uncheck the "Open safe files after downloading" checkbox. Turning off this option means you will have to manually expand downloaded files yourself.
So, to reiterate: be careful with downloaded files! If you download and expand an archive that contains a malicious script, if you then open that script which is masquerading as a file, it will still do whatever damage it would have automatically done. The thing to remember about this vulnerability is that it requires action on your behalf to do the damage. Know the source of your files and until this is fixed remember that the file which seems to be a jpg or tiff or whatever may not be so.
You can find more in this post by John Gruber over at Daring Fireball or in this post by Rosyna at Unsanity's blog. Both are very well written descriptions of the underlying problem and it definitely is a problem. Apple needs to fix this.
Technorati Tags: Apple, OS X, OS X Vulnerability, OS X Security
Next, let's be clear that this is more a vulnerability of Mac OS X than it is of Safari. If you do use Safari I suggest a quick trip to its Preferences. Go to the General tab and uncheck the "Open safe files after downloading" checkbox. Turning off this option means you will have to manually expand downloaded files yourself.
So, to reiterate: be careful with downloaded files! If you download and expand an archive that contains a malicious script, if you then open that script which is masquerading as a file, it will still do whatever damage it would have automatically done. The thing to remember about this vulnerability is that it requires action on your behalf to do the damage. Know the source of your files and until this is fixed remember that the file which seems to be a jpg or tiff or whatever may not be so.
You can find more in this post by John Gruber over at Daring Fireball or in this post by Rosyna at Unsanity's blog. Both are very well written descriptions of the underlying problem and it definitely is a problem. Apple needs to fix this.
Technorati Tags: Apple, OS X, OS X Vulnerability, OS X Security
Use JunkMatcher to teach Apple Mail about spam
February, 22 2006 02:18 PM Filed in: Review
It had to
happen sooner or later: spam. Yes, I know it's been
around but for the most part, I've been lucky. My
current set of 6 email accounts the oldest of which
dates back to 2002 have escaped the attention of the
spammers. I did have an older account which I had set
up way back in 1997 that, after three years, fell
under an avalanche of spam. Luckily I had already
transitioned to several new accounts and was ready to
move on at that point.
In recent months I've notice that my oldest active email address has become a target. I've also taken notice that today's spammers have gotten smarter because the junk I do get is mostly slipping through Mail's junk filtering mechanisms. Yes, I've dutifully used Mail's "Mark as Junk" button in a failed attempt to train Mail. In fact I've always done that but it is becoming far less affective.
Enter JunkMatcher. Download and drop it into the Applications folder. Open it with a double click and it will install a plugin for Mail and open the JunkMatcher application. Use the JunkMatcher application to configure the plugin then close the app. The plugin goes to work in the background. Anytime you want to tweak the settings open the app back up... and yes, there are many settings to tweak if you so choose. I left it alone and have thus far been very happy with the default settings. In fact, JunkMatcher has caught every single piece of junk, flagged it red, and stuck it in my junk box. Nice. Not so nice is that it has also identified quite a few non-junk items as junk. No problem, JunkMatcher is easily trained. Control click these false positives and choose "Train as Ham".
Definitely an improvement. I'd rather have it lean in that direction. Time will tell if it will learn and in turn, if Mail learns. Here are more details from the site:
Technorati Tags: Apple, OS X, Apple Mail, JunkMatcher
In recent months I've notice that my oldest active email address has become a target. I've also taken notice that today's spammers have gotten smarter because the junk I do get is mostly slipping through Mail's junk filtering mechanisms. Yes, I've dutifully used Mail's "Mark as Junk" button in a failed attempt to train Mail. In fact I've always done that but it is becoming far less affective.
Enter JunkMatcher. Download and drop it into the Applications folder. Open it with a double click and it will install a plugin for Mail and open the JunkMatcher application. Use the JunkMatcher application to configure the plugin then close the app. The plugin goes to work in the background. Anytime you want to tweak the settings open the app back up... and yes, there are many settings to tweak if you so choose. I left it alone and have thus far been very happy with the default settings. In fact, JunkMatcher has caught every single piece of junk, flagged it red, and stuck it in my junk box. Nice. Not so nice is that it has also identified quite a few non-junk items as junk. No problem, JunkMatcher is easily trained. Control click these false positives and choose "Train as Ham".
Definitely an improvement. I'd rather have it lean in that direction. Time will tell if it will learn and in turn, if Mail learns. Here are more details from the site:
JunkMatcher is a cocktail-styled spam filter for Mail.app on Mac OS X (10.3.x or later). It filters spam by conducting a wealth of tests over emails. Two types of tests are available: property tests can detect general characteristics of spam using techniques such as naive Bayesian filtering (thanks to SpamBayes) and blacklist lookup (checking if a message was sent from a spamming IP address), and pattern tests can spot keywords such as "v1ägra" or "\/Iagr á" by using patterns written in regular expressions, a very powerful language designed just for that - to describe patterns.
JunkMatcher integrates tightly with Mail.app and OS X. You don't need to keep a second app running in order to use it - the filter will automagically spring into action via a rule within Mail.app! You can even use it with Mail.app's built-in filter if you wish, in which case it will become a good teacher to the built-in filter. JunkMatcher also knows your Address Book, and you can train emails as spam/ham (good emails) directly from within Mail.app, etc.
JunkMatcher is extremely configurable. The GUI lets you tweak a gazillion of settings, analyze mis-classified emails, and even design your own pattern tests to catch more spam. You can write patterns to match many "views" of cleanly distilled emails such as the headers, the subject, the body, and even the text rendering for HTML emails (thanks to ELinks). You can also check on what JunkMatcher has done in the past and correct its mistakes if necessary, all from a very friendly GUI.
JunkMatcher evolves, too. In addition to the built-in Bayesian classifier that learns from mistakes, you can also download new pattern updates directly within the JunkMatcher GUI. Best of all? JunkMatcher is completely free (donation is welcome)! In fact, it is an open-source app so you also get the source code!
Technorati Tags: Apple, OS X, Apple Mail, JunkMatcher
Share your Calendars via Bonjour and CalTalk
February, 19 2006 09:28 PM Filed in: How-to
Not too long
ago I discussed the lack of development for
Bonjour. One aspect of what
I've been looking for is the ability to share
calendars easily via Bonjour. Finally, someone has
done it! Check out:
CalTalk 0.9 - VersionTracker
Set up in less than 10 seconds. Sweet. Of course I'd still like to see this integrated into iCal but this will do for now!
Technorati Tags: Apple, OS X, iCal, Bonjour
Set up in less than 10 seconds. Sweet. Of course I'd still like to see this integrated into iCal but this will do for now!
Technorati Tags: Apple, OS X, iCal, Bonjour
Mac OS X Trojan horse/worm
February, 17 2006 12:04 AM Filed in: General
Well it seems
to have finally happened. A "Trojan horse" or worm
(depending on who you ask) for Mac OS X has been let
loose into the wild. No need to panic, here's the
deal.
The Trojan horse/worm is hidden within a package, "latestpics.tgz" and is spread via iChat. It is important to note that this file cannot replicate itself arbitrarily. It requires that you click to open the tgz file and then also click the file within. If you use iChat and find yourself on the receiving end of a file transfer consisting of "latestpics.tgz" the solution is to refuse the file and notify the sender that they have activated a Trojan horse/worm. According to Apple:
You can also find more details in Peter Cohen's article at MacWorld.
Technorati Tags: Apple, OS X, Trojan Horse, OS X Worm, iChat, OS X Trojan Horse
The Trojan horse/worm is hidden within a package, "latestpics.tgz" and is spread via iChat. It is important to note that this file cannot replicate itself arbitrarily. It requires that you click to open the tgz file and then also click the file within. If you use iChat and find yourself on the receiving end of a file transfer consisting of "latestpics.tgz" the solution is to refuse the file and notify the sender that they have activated a Trojan horse/worm. According to Apple:
Leap-A is not a virus, it is malicious software that requires a user to download the application and execute the resulting file,” said Apple. “Apple always advises Macintosh users to only accept files from vendors and Web sites that they know and trust. We have a guide to safely handling files received from the Internet at http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=108009.
You can also find more details in Peter Cohen's article at MacWorld.
Technorati Tags: Apple, OS X, Trojan Horse, OS X Worm, iChat, OS X Trojan Horse
iPhoto, Smart Albums, and Keyword Assistant
February, 15 2006 07:39 PM Filed in: How-to
Do you use
iPhoto to organize your digital images? Do you tag
your iPhoto images with keywords? If you're not you
should and here's a tool that makes it easier:
Keyword Assistant. Give it a try and
you'll discover a totally new power within iPhoto
that also leverages the power of OS X Tiger.
Keyword Assistant installed you'll discover a new
menu and shortcut in iPhoto that brings forth a
small simple window that greatly speeds and
simplifies the process of adding keywords to your
images. You can also create new keywords right
from this new mini-window.
With iPhoto keywords you'll discover a whole new level of organization within iPhoto and a powerful way to use Smart Albums that also tie into Tiger's Spotlight technology. Very cool. Making iPhoto Smart Albums is quick, easy, and an amazingly powerful tool assuming keywords have been assigned to photos. Just control click in the left pane of iPhoto (where your albums reside) and choose "new smart album" or choose it from the iPhoto File menu. This will bring up a dialog box. In the first drop down menu choose keyword leave the second menu as contains and then in the empty field add your keyword. I now have smart albums for each keyword I've created and assigned to my photos. If I want to see all my ocean pictures I just select that smart album and there they are. Instantly. No searching.
Of course it goes without saying that Tiger's Spotlight also picks up iPhoto keyword assignments right from the Finder so you can keep track of particular photos via Finder Smart Folders too. The process is almost identical to what we did in iPhoto. From the Finder choose the File menu and then New Smart Folder. This will bring up a Finder window with search options. In the first options row set the kind to images. In the second row set the keywords to your keyword. Click the save button on the top right of the window. But wait, there's more! You can also do this search from the Spotlight menu in the top right of your Mac's menu bar. Activate the menu and type in the following: kind:image keyword (in this example I'm searching for all images with the keyword of ocean).
Similarly, if you use Quicksilver or LaunchBar search using a term that matches one of your iPhoto keywords and you'll get a list of all photos thus tagged or even jump to a Smart Album in iPhoto.
Technorati Tags: Apple, OS X, Keyword Assistant, Spotlight, iPhoto, Quicksilver
With iPhoto keywords you'll discover a whole new level of organization within iPhoto and a powerful way to use Smart Albums that also tie into Tiger's Spotlight technology. Very cool. Making iPhoto Smart Albums is quick, easy, and an amazingly powerful tool assuming keywords have been assigned to photos. Just control click in the left pane of iPhoto (where your albums reside) and choose "new smart album" or choose it from the iPhoto File menu. This will bring up a dialog box. In the first drop down menu choose keyword leave the second menu as contains and then in the empty field add your keyword. I now have smart albums for each keyword I've created and assigned to my photos. If I want to see all my ocean pictures I just select that smart album and there they are. Instantly. No searching.
Of course it goes without saying that Tiger's Spotlight also picks up iPhoto keyword assignments right from the Finder so you can keep track of particular photos via Finder Smart Folders too. The process is almost identical to what we did in iPhoto. From the Finder choose the File menu and then New Smart Folder. This will bring up a Finder window with search options. In the first options row set the kind to images. In the second row set the keywords to your keyword. Click the save button on the top right of the window. But wait, there's more! You can also do this search from the Spotlight menu in the top right of your Mac's menu bar. Activate the menu and type in the following: kind:image keyword (in this example I'm searching for all images with the keyword of ocean).
Similarly, if you use Quicksilver or LaunchBar search using a term that matches one of your iPhoto keywords and you'll get a list of all photos thus tagged or even jump to a Smart Album in iPhoto.
Technorati Tags: Apple, OS X, Keyword Assistant, Spotlight, iPhoto, Quicksilver
Apple.com resources
February, 15 2006 02:16 PM Filed in: Apple
I've noticed
that many of the Mac users I know personally do not
check the various support pages at
Apple.com when they have a
problem. So, it's a simple tip today, if you are a
Mac user don't forget to utilize the resources
provided by Apple:
Apple.com Discussions
Apple.com Pro Tip of the Week
Apple.com Support
Technorati Tags: Apple, OS X, Apple Support
Apple.com Discussions
Apple.com Pro Tip of the Week
Apple.com Support
Technorati Tags: Apple, OS X, Apple Support
Apple releases 10.4.5
February, 14 2006 07:24 PM Filed in: Apple
Apple has
released the 10.4.5 update for OS X. Here's a partial
list and summary of the changes:
-iChat video conferencing
-Safari rendering of web pages
-usability of Dashboard and widgets
-viewing of QuickTime streaming media behind a firewall
-printing to some Epson printer models
-iDisk and Portable Home Directory syncing
-time zone and daylight savings for 2006 and 2007
-VPN connections to Cisco servers when using NAT
-using and mounting Windows formatted storage devices
-compatibility with third party applications and devices
-previous standalone security updates
Get the details in this Apple Knowledge Base article.
Technorati Tags: Apple, OS X, OS 10.4.5
-iChat video conferencing
-Safari rendering of web pages
-usability of Dashboard and widgets
-viewing of QuickTime streaming media behind a firewall
-printing to some Epson printer models
-iDisk and Portable Home Directory syncing
-time zone and daylight savings for 2006 and 2007
-VPN connections to Cisco servers when using NAT
-using and mounting Windows formatted storage devices
-compatibility with third party applications and devices
-previous standalone security updates
Get the details in this Apple Knowledge Base article.
Technorati Tags: Apple, OS X, OS 10.4.5
Camino 1.0 Released
February, 14 2006 01:33 PM Filed in: Software
It's been a
long time coming but well worth the wait.
Camino 1.0 has been
released. I've been using this
browser since it's early days through many
versions and I'm thrilled to see it reach this
milestone. Next to Safari I'd have to say that
Camino is my favorite browser. Over the years I've
tried them all: iCab, IE, Firefox, Omniweb, Opera,
Shiira... probably a few others that I'm
forgetting. Safari and Camino have been, by far,
my favorites. Considering that Camino has been
developed by such a small staff and volunteers,
I'm greatly impressed that their browser competes
so well.
If you've not tried Camino I urge you to download it and give it a spin.
Technorati Tags: Camino, OS X Browsers, Mac Browsers
If you've not tried Camino I urge you to download it and give it a spin.
Technorati Tags: Camino, OS X Browsers, Mac Browsers
Using iWork to Create Graphics
February, 12 2006 12:17 AM Filed in: iWork
Either iWork application will do: Pages or Keynote. In fact, the simple logo at the top of this site was created with Pages and of course the image in this post was as well. Not only is it great for working with text but I can drop an image in from my iPhoto Library and add a drop shadow in a couple seconds. Now that Pages 2.0 has basic built in photo editing it is even better at the task. Assuming that the graphic is intended for something other than an iWork document, say a website or blog entry, there is a little trick for quickly transferring it to a file on the desktop. A simple keystroke Command+Shift+4 will allow me to define an area for a screenshot. I create my selection over my graphic in the iWork document and I'm done. Easy and quick. I've got a new png file waiting on my desktop.
Technorati Tags: Apple, OS X, Pages, Keynote, iWork
Zoodo: Quick iCal todo from Quicksilver, Launchbar
February, 09 2006 01:19 AM Filed in: Productivity
If you are a
fan of launching from the keyboard via apps
like Quicksilver or Launchbar and if you use iCal
todos you will love Zoodo. A
little app that will let you create new todo's
from the keyboard. iCal has to be running. Works
perfectly.
Incidentally, if you want to do the same thing but create new iCal events you can easily create a one step Automator action if you are using 10.4 Tiger.
Technorati Tags: Zoodo, Quicksilver, iCal, OS X
Incidentally, if you want to do the same thing but create new iCal events you can easily create a one step Automator action if you are using 10.4 Tiger.
Technorati Tags: Zoodo, Quicksilver, iCal, OS X
Greatly improved MailTags 1.2 coming soon
February, 08 2006 08:13 AM Filed in: Productivity
One of my
favorite Mac sites, HawkWings, has posted
news on MailTags 1.2 as well as a link to a
screenshot.
Perhaps I should say more about MailTags which I've not mentioned here before? Of course I should! I've been using the MailTags plugin since it's release (currently version 1.1) and along with that same developer's Act-on plugin I have a greatly improved mail. MailTags is a plugin for the OS X Tiger 10.4 version of Mail which creates a little info sidebar in each email. With this little sidebar or panel you can tag your mail with keywords or assign the mail to a project. This information will then be picked up in Spotlight searches.
So imagine a specific project that you may be working on that entails email with a few folks. Tag each email with a specific keyword or create a project in MailTags. If you are tagging related project files in the finder with the same keyword and contacts in your Address Book a Spotlight search brings it all together.
Version 1.2 will be bringing all sorts of crazy cool functionality. Mentioned in the comments of the post at HawkWings (he's a beta tester) are greater Finder integration (emails with todos in a Finder Smart Folder?!) as well as iCal todo links. Using MailTags 1.2 we will be able to create iCal todos right from an email. Even better, when we make changes to those todos in iCal the changes will be reflected in the email todo tag. But wait, there's more. Looking at the screenshot posted above I see that we'll be able to jump straight to that specific email from a link in the iCal todo!
Version 1.2 is soon to be released though there are hints that more features may be added. Regardless, this Mail plugin is obviously under active development so I'm certain we'll see new features in whatever version follows. I'm excited. This is the kind of integration and cross linking between apps that I've really wanted in OS X.
MailTags and Act-On are donationware.
Technorati Tags: MailTags, Apple Mail, iCal, OS X
Perhaps I should say more about MailTags which I've not mentioned here before? Of course I should! I've been using the MailTags plugin since it's release (currently version 1.1) and along with that same developer's Act-on plugin I have a greatly improved mail. MailTags is a plugin for the OS X Tiger 10.4 version of Mail which creates a little info sidebar in each email. With this little sidebar or panel you can tag your mail with keywords or assign the mail to a project. This information will then be picked up in Spotlight searches.
So imagine a specific project that you may be working on that entails email with a few folks. Tag each email with a specific keyword or create a project in MailTags. If you are tagging related project files in the finder with the same keyword and contacts in your Address Book a Spotlight search brings it all together.
Version 1.2 will be bringing all sorts of crazy cool functionality. Mentioned in the comments of the post at HawkWings (he's a beta tester) are greater Finder integration (emails with todos in a Finder Smart Folder?!) as well as iCal todo links. Using MailTags 1.2 we will be able to create iCal todos right from an email. Even better, when we make changes to those todos in iCal the changes will be reflected in the email todo tag. But wait, there's more. Looking at the screenshot posted above I see that we'll be able to jump straight to that specific email from a link in the iCal todo!
Version 1.2 is soon to be released though there are hints that more features may be added. Regardless, this Mail plugin is obviously under active development so I'm certain we'll see new features in whatever version follows. I'm excited. This is the kind of integration and cross linking between apps that I've really wanted in OS X.
MailTags and Act-On are donationware.
Technorati Tags: MailTags, Apple Mail, iCal, OS X
iWeb and .Mac: I'll pass... at least for now
February, 08 2006 08:11 AM Filed in: Review
Most avid Mac
users know by now that the introduction of iLife 06
brought with it a new application: iWeb. I've given
it a spin along side of a demo account of .Mac and
I'll pass on both. I can sum up the experience with
one word: yuck.
I used .Mac during it's first year as a paid product but did not renew. My feelings then as now, I like the concept and the features but not the performance. Terrible even on broadband. While I generally like the Finder in OS X this does not apply to the use of .Mac's iDisk which makes the Finder (and me) crawl up into a little ball and cry. I've painted whole houses in the time it takes anything show up in my iDisk. It's not even close to acceptable. Uploading files? Yes, that's me sobbing in the corner again. In my attempts anything larger than a couple of megabytes proved to be a task akin to finding Mulder's abducted sister (you do watch X-Files reruns, don't you?). Uploading an iWeb site? The same.
I really do like the advertised features but without speedy performance features are pointless.
I've used iWeb for a couple hours and followed this up with browsing the Apple iWeb discussion forums to confirm my experience. As a 1st version iWeb is off to a slow start. It could be much worse. But it could be better. The included templates are very nice and adding content to those templates to create my own site could not have been easier. Given that the intended users are folks who do not design websites this is perfect. I'd like to be able to customize but I realize that's not really the intent.
The real problem with iWeb seems to be the size of the sites it outputs. Huge. My test site was fairly minimal. A couple pages, a blog with 2 entries, and 2 small photo pages: 7.1 MB. As a comparison I created sites in Sandvox (still in beta) and RapidWeaver. Both came out to around 1 MB. The problem seems to be iWeb's graphics output. While some images are optimized others are not. That's crazy. No website creation app should output images that have not been optimized. Apple should not assume every user has a broadband connection. I opened my iWeb site on a dial-up connection and yes, I ended up falling asleep while I waited for the pages to load. I woke up and still had time to take the dog out for a walk. Then I made lasagna from scratch. Even on a broadband the pages were slow to load.
As of now I'll pass and I would not recommend the .Mac/iWeb solution for any of my family or any client. Apple products are supposed to be top of class and this combination is not.
The good news is that these problems are fixable and there's great potential here. A company the size of Apple can make .Mac work if it so chooses. iWeb, in its next version will be improved I'm sure. Maybe even a few incremental upgrades in the next few months might do the trick.
If you really want to set up a simple to use site now my suggestion would be RapidWeaver and a standard site hosting service. Alternatively there are free and paid blogging services that are very easy to use. Some of these, such as TypePad, have built in photo galleries. If your primary goal is to share images in your iPhoto library then Flickr is an excellent option. Download the free Flickr Export plug-in and you'll see that iPhoto already works very well with Flickr.
Technorati Tags: iWeb, .Mac, iLife
I used .Mac during it's first year as a paid product but did not renew. My feelings then as now, I like the concept and the features but not the performance. Terrible even on broadband. While I generally like the Finder in OS X this does not apply to the use of .Mac's iDisk which makes the Finder (and me) crawl up into a little ball and cry. I've painted whole houses in the time it takes anything show up in my iDisk. It's not even close to acceptable. Uploading files? Yes, that's me sobbing in the corner again. In my attempts anything larger than a couple of megabytes proved to be a task akin to finding Mulder's abducted sister (you do watch X-Files reruns, don't you?). Uploading an iWeb site? The same.
I really do like the advertised features but without speedy performance features are pointless.
I've used iWeb for a couple hours and followed this up with browsing the Apple iWeb discussion forums to confirm my experience. As a 1st version iWeb is off to a slow start. It could be much worse. But it could be better. The included templates are very nice and adding content to those templates to create my own site could not have been easier. Given that the intended users are folks who do not design websites this is perfect. I'd like to be able to customize but I realize that's not really the intent.
The real problem with iWeb seems to be the size of the sites it outputs. Huge. My test site was fairly minimal. A couple pages, a blog with 2 entries, and 2 small photo pages: 7.1 MB. As a comparison I created sites in Sandvox (still in beta) and RapidWeaver. Both came out to around 1 MB. The problem seems to be iWeb's graphics output. While some images are optimized others are not. That's crazy. No website creation app should output images that have not been optimized. Apple should not assume every user has a broadband connection. I opened my iWeb site on a dial-up connection and yes, I ended up falling asleep while I waited for the pages to load. I woke up and still had time to take the dog out for a walk. Then I made lasagna from scratch. Even on a broadband the pages were slow to load.
As of now I'll pass and I would not recommend the .Mac/iWeb solution for any of my family or any client. Apple products are supposed to be top of class and this combination is not.
The good news is that these problems are fixable and there's great potential here. A company the size of Apple can make .Mac work if it so chooses. iWeb, in its next version will be improved I'm sure. Maybe even a few incremental upgrades in the next few months might do the trick.
If you really want to set up a simple to use site now my suggestion would be RapidWeaver and a standard site hosting service. Alternatively there are free and paid blogging services that are very easy to use. Some of these, such as TypePad, have built in photo galleries. If your primary goal is to share images in your iPhoto library then Flickr is an excellent option. Download the free Flickr Export plug-in and you'll see that iPhoto already works very well with Flickr.
Technorati Tags: iWeb, .Mac, iLife
MacProductive hosted... on a Mac!
February, 07 2006 09:56 PM Filed in: General
Technorati Tags: MacProductive, Itsamac, Mac-based Hosting
Welcome to the new blog and site
February, 07 2006 09:06 PM Filed in: General
Quicksilver and Transmit 3: One step ftp with "docksend"
February, 01 2006 10:10 PM Filed in: How-to
Here's a tip
for using Quicksilver and Transmit for easy ftp
uploading right from Quicksilver. First you'll need
to edit your Transmit bookmarks. For each bookmark
you'll need to set the path to the local files. Once
you do this you can click the checkbox to enable
docksend. That's it, you're set to go! The final
step:
[cmd-space] filename [tab] openwith [tab] transmit [return]
A side benefit of using this method is that you now have the option to use this new docksend feature. Any file from the directory specified in the bookmark can now be dropped onto the the Transmit 3 dock icon and boom, away it goes. You'll also note that using the docksend feature results in a nice little pop-up window with a progress indicator. Sweet.
Found via the excellent forums over at Blacktree. Lots of Quicksilver users over there with tips aplenty.
Technorati tags: Mac, Apple, Quicksilver, Transmit, Web
[cmd-space] filename [tab] openwith [tab] transmit [return]
A side benefit of using this method is that you now have the option to use this new docksend feature. Any file from the directory specified in the bookmark can now be dropped onto the the Transmit 3 dock icon and boom, away it goes. You'll also note that using the docksend feature results in a nice little pop-up window with a progress indicator. Sweet.
Found via the excellent forums over at Blacktree. Lots of Quicksilver users over there with tips aplenty.
Technorati tags: Mac, Apple, Quicksilver, Transmit, Web
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