apple
iPods
Here’s a post all about iPods. Feel free to skip it :-)
We’ve got two iPods: Lib has a 3rd generation ‘big’ iPod and I have an iPod shuffle.
I find the 3rd generation iPod a bit hard to navigate, and not very responsive to key presses. It is slow enough to be annoying and I find it too heavy to take a lot of places. That’s why I bought myself a 512M Shuffle.
The shuffle is great. It works pretty much perfectly for my walk to and from work.
But more and more it is full of fairy stories and Tigger songs, as my daughter Bea really likes to be able to listen to her stuff, and I’m really happy to give her the shuffle because it is simple to work, she loves it, it is light and hard to break. By now, the neck cord on the shuffle is looking pretty dirty and the whol package is a bit less apple-worship pristine, if you know what I mean.
I’d love to fall in love with 3G iPod, but that isn’t going to happen. Too big, too heavy, too fragile.
I want my own iPod Mini. Oh bugger, Apple have got me again.
My Favourite OS X tools
I’ve been meaning to write down the set of software I use with OS X on a daily basis. It has taken me a couple of years to refine this set. OS X is a great operating system to start with. This is the cream.
Desktop Search/Launcher
The latest and greatest thing to make a big difference is Quicksilver. Hard to describe all it can do. At the basic level, you hit a hotkey, in my case Command-space and then start typing what you want. The name of an application, file, bookmark, contact, … and Quicksilver presents you with a list. You choose. It remembers for next time. I hardly ever use the dock anymore. Quicksilver has a plugin architecture that is constantly being added to, meaning that it can often perform functions inside applications. Like select a playlist from iTunes or something. Simply wonderful.
Writing/Editing
BBEdit is my tool of choice for writing and editing text, html and script languages. It is reliable and solid and works well under OS X. I use it for creative writing, blog posts, todo lists and just about everything else. I will use Microsoft Word for final documents, but I do all the source writing in BBEdit. It doesn’t get in the way. I’ve use both vi and emacs a lot in the past and still do on linux and windows. BBEdit is just better on OS X. Worth the money.
Browser
Two favourites. I use both Safari and Firefox. Safari wins for having that OS X sleek simplicity. Firefox wins for compatibility and extensions, like the Web Developer toolbar which I love. I’m in a Safari mood at the moment. Thankfully it is easy to move bookmarks back and forth between these two. Oh, Safari really benefits form the addition of Saft.
I use and enjoy Mail.app. Again, nice and simple. I like the open storage of Mail. Entourage databases scare me.
Calendar/Todo lists
I use iCal. Works for me. It has got a lot better in the last couple of version. Clean lines and simple. I wish it was better at inviting people via email. That side of things is a bit clumsy.
I use PyGTD and BBEdit to manage my To do lists.
IRC
I use IRC a lot when working. So, I was really pleased when Colloquy came along. Very Tidy.
Instant Messaging
Lots of sucky IM clients for OS X. iChat is ok, but it annoyingly loses the server frequently and has to be logged back in manually. Presence lost. However, the Skype implementation of IM is nice and it always manages to stay automatically connected without creating a fuss. Plus, I love the way it works. Read about the protocol (pdf, 300k). It is all peer to peer!
Java Development
I use Eclipse for Java development. Hard not to love it. Free and fully featured and reliable and heavily extensible.
And the rest…
iPodderX Lite for podcast downloading. NetNewsWire as an RSS reader, most of the iApps for various things. Address Book for contacts. Terminal for just about everything else.
That covers most of it.
Powerbook Superdrive trouble
The Superdrive on my Powerbook is playing up. It refuses to load CDs or DVDs and makes horrible noises while failing to load them.
Given that it costs $60 just to get the guys at NextByte to have a look and quote on a repair without actually fixing anything; and given that the powerbook is just about 2 years old, I think I’ll try and fix it myself. Also, sounds like a mechanical problem which is encouraging.
And thanks to the lovely people at PB FixIt, there is a disassembly guide and screw chart available for download.
So now I just need about 4 hours and a clear desk to attempt it. I’ll let you know how I get on.