Recommendations you can check.
Programmer and technology writer known for his long Mac OS X reviews at Ars Technica; co-hosts the Accidental Tech Podcast and Hypercritical.
16 things
WindowShade XSoftware
WindowShade X is the most significant, as my sole remaining APE module. So-called "haxies" get a bad rap, but I seriously don't know what I would do without WindowShade.
His written "Uses This" interview, describing his Mac Pro setup, backup regime and software.
2009-07-01·usesthis.com ↗
QuicksilverSoftware
I've tried LaunchBar and a few others, but I always come back to Quicksilver. I want my launcher to appear, react to my input, and disappear instantly. Quicksilver has always felt the snappiest to me.
His written "Uses This" interview, describing his Mac Pro setup, backup regime and software.
2009-07-01·usesthis.com ↗
TerminalSoftware Apple
My second-most-frequently-typed-in application is Terminal. It has few frills, but it gets the basics right: I can copy and paste long lines of text without incident, it supports UTF-8, "unlimited" scrollback length, bitmapped 9pt Monaco, and it never crashes.
His written "Uses This" interview, describing his Mac Pro setup, backup regime and software.
2009-07-01·usesthis.com ↗
EntourageSoftware Microsoft
For email, I use Entourage which I've always viewed as the spiritual successor to Claris Emailer, my first email love.
His written "Uses This" interview, describing his Mac Pro setup, backup regime and software.
2009-07-01·usesthis.com ↗
SafariSoftware Apple
My primary web browser has been Safari since it was introduced, mostly due to the minimalist user interface and speed of non-rendering tasks (e.g., how long it takes to create a new, empty browser window).
His written "Uses This" interview, describing his Mac Pro setup, backup regime and software.
2009-07-01·usesthis.com ↗
Mac ProHardware Apple
My main machine is a 2x2.8 GHz Mac Pro (Early 2008) with 8 GB of RAM, dual optical drives, an NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GT video card, and 3.5 TB of disk space spread over four internal drives
His written "Uses This" interview, describing his Mac Pro setup, backup regime and software.
2009-07-01·usesthis.com ↗
Logitech MX300Hardware Logitech
I use the Apple aluminum keyboard that came with the Mac Pro and a Logitech MX300 mouse. (I haven't used an Apple mouse since the one that came with my Performa 6110CD.)
His written "Uses This" interview, describing his Mac Pro setup, backup regime and software.
2009-07-01·usesthis.com ↗
AirPort ExtremeHardware Apple
The Mac is connected through a D-Link DGS-2205 5-Port Gigabit Ethernet switch to an 802.11n AirPort Extreme base station.
His written "Uses This" interview, describing his Mac Pro setup, backup regime and software.
2009-07-01·usesthis.com ↗
SuperDuperSoftware
I make a bootable backup of the first drive onto the third drive using SuperDuper! every few weeks.
His written "Uses This" interview, describing his Mac Pro setup, backup regime and software.
2009-07-01·usesthis.com ↗
BackblazeService Backblaze
I also do an encrypted network backup using Backblaze.
His written "Uses This" interview, describing his Mac Pro setup, backup regime and software.
2009-07-01·usesthis.com ↗
BBEditSoftware Bare Bones Software
I do all of my programming and writing in BBEdit, which I've been using since version 2.1 (despite a brief dalliance with emacs when I was in college).
His written "Uses This" interview, describing his Mac Pro setup, backup regime and software.
2009-07-01·usesthis.com ↗
NetNewsWireSoftware Brent Simmons
Despite having all those web browsers, I do most of my web browsing indirectly via RSS/Atom feeds inside NetNewsWire.
His written "Uses This" interview, describing his Mac Pro setup, backup regime and software.
2009-07-01·usesthis.com ↗
ColloquySoftware
I use Colloquy for IRC. For IM, I use Adium with a custom Colloquy-look-alike message theme that I created when I came over from Fire a few years ago.
His written "Uses This" interview, describing his Mac Pro setup, backup regime and software.
2009-07-01·usesthis.com ↗
AdiumSoftware
For IM, I use Adium with a custom Colloquy-look-alike message theme that I created when I came over from Fire a few years ago.
His written "Uses This" interview, describing his Mac Pro setup, backup regime and software.
2009-07-01·usesthis.com ↗
TwitterrificSoftware The Iconfactory
My Twitter client of choice is Twitterrific, on both the Mac and the iPod.
His written "Uses This" interview, describing his Mac Pro setup, backup regime and software.
2009-07-01·usesthis.com ↗
DragThingSoftware
So in addition to the Dock, I run DragThing with two docks: a "process dock" growing down from the upper right corner, a la Mac OS 9, and a "folder dock" in the lower right corner containing my most frequently accessed folders.
His written "Uses This" interview, describing his Mac Pro setup, backup regime and software.
2009-07-01·usesthis.com ↗
Every entry is a verbatim quote and a link to the public post it came from. Nothing is paraphrased. If it is not on record somewhere public, it is not here.
The verdict is what they actually said: loved and liked are explicit; recommended means they told others to get it; uses means they only say they use it; read is a book on their public shelf with no verdict; mixed and disliked are kept too.
A dashed affiliate link, sponsored or their own label means the post disclosed a relationship. It is shown, never hidden.
The shading behind a date shows how dated a recommendation is for its kind of thing.
The shading behind a date shows how dated a recommendation is, for its kind of thing. Fully green is recent. It drains a quarter at a time as the post gets older, and is empty once it reads as dated.
What counts as old depends on the thing. A laptop praised four years ago has been replaced twice; a book loved twenty years ago is probably still loved. The shading is gone after about:
Stripes mean the post carries no date and the date shown is an estimate. No date at all, no shading.