As a web developer I have found that everytime I get to work, I always open up the same combination of applications. This workspace usually includes a web browser, and email client, my graphics program and code editors. Adam Pash has a great tutorial that will show you how to create Quick launch workspaces that will open your most commonly used applications with a single mouse click. Note - the tutorial is Windows only.
How many times have you taken a group photograph only to find out somebody had their eyes closed or were not smiling? A great new product from Microsoft Research is Group Shot, a simple tool that lets you take the best parts out of a series of pictures. So when taking your next group shot take 5 or more pictures, then ’stitch’ the best parts together for an amazing photograph!
SizzlingKeys for Mac OS X lets you control iTunes from the keyboard using global hot keys. You can pause the player, skip a track or rate a song by using simple customizable keystrokes. You can also search your iTunes Library or Playlists with a simple keystroke.
time.onrails.org is a free online time tracking tool. It has pretty basic functionality but could be good for simple time tracking on a limited number of projects. The service is hosted, but you can export your data at anytime to Excel (CSV) or XML.
Focus is a free app for OSX that shows you which application currently has focus by displaying an icon on your desktop. Typically the dock gives you no information about what application is active. You could just look at the menu bar to see, but a large floating icon like the one Focus gives you is a great visual cue.
MacFusion is GUI for the open source MacFUSE project that allows you to mount remote (networked) filesystems. I use MacFUSE to mount SSH volumes directly in Finder which removes my need to use an FTP client (my web hosts all support SSH). Another advantage of mounting these remote volumes is that I can live edit pages (I know - it’s dangerous - but I have some small sites that can handle my hacking)! MacFusion can even handle mounting FTP servers, giving read/write FTP in the finder.
If you design web sites and use a Mac, you must check out Sim Daltonism. It’s a small little application that allows you to preview your work as a person with color blindness would see it. The program lets you choose between 8 filters of the four types of color blindness.
Alright - the title of this post might be a stretch, but Namely certainly is one of the best I have come across lately. It works so well that I have already removed at least a dozen app icons from my dock!
The idea behind Namely is quite simple. Hit a customizable hot key and start typing in the name of the application you want to launch. Once Namely finds your application, press enter to launch it. Namely works much like Spotlight, but is optimized for filtering and finding applications so Namely works very quickly.
What is your favorite launcher?
Panic - the authors of the most excellent Transmit FTP client - has just released Coda - a one-window web development tool for Mac OS X. Upon first glance, this tool looks perfect for my workflow when I develop small sites. It includes a fantastic HTML/CSS editor, has integrated FTP (think Transmit), integrated terminal, and integrated reference books.
I have always found Dreamweaver to be a bit big for simple projects. It’s quite nice for larger applications, but if I’m developing a smallish, static site, Coda looks very capable. The only downside is the cost. At an introductory fee of $79, it might be a bit pricy seeing as I already own Dreamweaver. However, if you’ve yet to buy a good web workflow app, check this one out!
OpenDNS is a free DNS service that promises to be safer and faster than your ISP’s DNS. They offer a safer DNS by intercepting phishing attempts and warning you if you attempt to visit a phishing site. OpenDNS will also fix typos in the URLs you enter whenever it can. For example, if you’re using OpenDNS craigslist.og will lead directly to craigslist.org.
