Paddery
Like much of the rest of the world, we’ve gone iPad crazy here at thriftmac. And with the arrival of the device via FedEx yesterday, we couldn’t resist starting up a blog about it. It’s called paddery.
So far, there are a few impressionistic pieces, and there are plans for app reviews and thoughts on the iPad’s usability. It’s like setting out into uncharted territory filled with a sense of wonder tempered by apprehension over hidden dangers.
I promise not to make this a fanboi site, although I have to admit that at this point I am clearly smitten and perhaps overly willing to overlook the faults. Hope you enjoy it — there’s a contact link if you have any feedback.
Posted Saturday, May 29, 2010 in Site-News
A few tweaks here and there
It’s true — we can never seem to leave well enough alone. Over the past couple of weeks you may have noticed a few changes around the place, designed to reduce clutter and up the coolness factor. In no particular order:
Tabs: In the sidebar to the right, we consolidated new apps, random apps, popular apps and faves into a single tabbed interface. Click on the tabs along the top to see what’s inside.
Accordion: Over to the left, we’ve saved space by placing blog categories, recent comments and most commented into accordion-style navigation. Click on one and a list of links slides down. Click again to slide them back up.
Magic lines: The main navigation across the top now has a “magic” line that slips from link to link as you move your mouse. Go ahead and play with it. Links were never so much fun.
Fabulous fonts: Normally the fonts on websites are restricted to those you can be sure most visitors will have on their computers, which are not very many and not very interesting. A service called Typekit vastly expands what’s possible, so we now have the Angie font gracing the titles of articles.
Nudged links: When you click on a link, it now shifts down one pixel. This gives the impression of button being pressed — subtle feedback to let you know that you have indeed clicked.
Doing stuff like this is one of the joys of running a website. Hope you like it.
Posted Wednesday, May 12, 2010 in Site-News
And the 2010 Mac Freeware Idol game is . . .
It was a squeaker, but in a final showdown with SuperTux, the winner was Pac The Man X with 60 per cent. It deserves to win if only because it’s so nicely done. Pac The Man X, along with Quinn, is about as good as it gets without having to pay.
Now that the voting is over, I’m going to have to get busy adding some of the nominees to the thriftmac collection. I thought I had added Dropbox ages ago . . . I’ll rectify that little matter soon.
Posted Tuesday, April 27, 2010 in Site-News
And the 2010 Mac Freeware Idol is . . .
It wasn’t close. Dropbox finished with 27.27 per cent of the vote — twice as much as it closest competitor, Notational Velocity with 13.64 per cent.
After being a bit of a skeptic about the utility of Dropbox, I became a devotee after reading these instructions on how to use it for backup. It’s great. Every time I make a change to a document on my Mac and save it, the change is automatically synced to Dropbox. It’s reassuring to know I have backups both in Time Machine and off-site.
Other apps in the poll were lucky to register even five per cent: Bean, Alfred, Caffeine, NetNewsWire and Cyberduck. Write-ins included Quicksilver (twice), Name Changer and Burn.
QUICKIE POLL TO DECIDE GAMES IDOL
On the game side of things, Pac The Man X and SuperTux never were able to break out of their deadlock, with each receiving 27.59 per cent of the vote. Games able to muster more then five per cent included Counterpoint, Jumpman and Macswear. Among the write-ins were Sauerbraten (twice), Polly-B-Gone and Dungeon Crawl Stone Soup.
They say a tie is like kissing your sister, so we’re going to see if we can break it with a quickie poll that expires Tuesday at noon Pacific time. You’ll have the choice of one or the other. But be quick about it. Vote now.
Posted Sunday, April 25, 2010 in Site-News
Dropbox takes commanding lead
Dropbox has nearly twice as many votes for Mac Freeware Idol as its closest rival, Notational Velocity. But with polls continuing until Sunday, you still have a chance to knock this program off its perch.
Other apps in the front of the pack include Alfred, Bean, Fluid, NetNewsWire and Cyberduck.
Meanwhile, in the games category, Pac The Man X and SuperTux are locked in a deathmatch, with neither app able to get a substantial lead over the other. If this keeps up, we will need a separate poll with only those two duking it out — and settle this thing once and for all.
We’ve also had some write-in votes. Among the non-games are NameChanger, Burn and Quicksilver. Remember, though, that Quicksilver was one of the apps that placed well in the 2007 Idol (along with Quinn and Adium), so we’ve decided to set aside the three of them this time around and let others have a chance.
Game write-ins include Sauerbraten and Dungeon Crawl Stone Soup.
If you haven’t voted yet, then what are you waiting for? This way to the polling booth.
Posted Thursday, April 22, 2010 in Site-News
Cast your ballot for Mac Freeware Idol 2010
Voting is now open for Mac Freeware Idol 2010. We’ve divided it into two categories: games and non-games. If you don’t see the app you like, you can write one in. Please keep it fun for everyone by voting only once and not organizing any campaigns.
We used a freeware app called Divisilist in lottery mode to pick the winner of a “thriftmac T-shirt:http://www.printfection.com/thriftmac featuring Scrimpy the Worm. The winner is Brian Parker, who will no doubt be getting some sideways glances this summer in Vancouver, Wash.
This way to the polling booth.
Posted Monday, April 19, 2010 in Site-News
Freeware Idol poll goes up Monday
If you have a nomination for Mac Freeware Idol, now is the time to do it. Voting starts Monday when the poll goes up. We’ve got a pretty good selection so far, but don’t be shy about adding your two cents worth. You can either use the contact form or leave a comment. Oh, and don’t forget — those who submit freeware nominations are eligible to take part in a random draw, with the winner receiving a thriftmac T-shirt featuring Scrimpy the Worm.
Posted Friday, April 16, 2010 in Site-News
Idol nominations rolling in
Here are the latest nominations for Mac Freeware Idol:
Garmin Base Camp
NetNewsWire
DropBox
Remember
Jumpcut
VirtualBox
RCDefaultApp
Clyppan (again)
Do you know of a great Mac freeware app that should be included in the voting? Then be sure to contact us or leave a comment.
Posted Wednesday, April 14, 2010 in Site-News
Give us your Mac Freeware Idol nominations
Nominations for Mac Freeware Idol are starting to trickle in. Here’s what we have so far:
Alfred
Notational Velocity
Fluid
Spark
Clyppan
Bean
SuperTux
iTunes Statistician
Caffeine
Amoebax (Puyo Pop Clone)
Bullfrog
Coblyn
Counterpoint
Toady
GimmeSomeTune
Jumpman
Macswear
Macsword
Pac The Man X
Think you’ve got something better? Use the contact form or leave a comment. Once we have a good list of nominees, we’ll create a poll where you can cast your vote for Mac Freeware Idol 2010.
Posted Tuesday, April 13, 2010 in Site-News
Introducing Mac Freeware Idol 2010
In 2007, we held a Mac Freeware Idol contest, and the clear winner was Quinn, an elegant version of the classic Tetris game. Also getting a lot of support were Adium and Quicksilver.
Much has changed since then, especially with the proliferation of free web-based apps. So we’ve decided to once again take the pulse of Mac freeware popularity with an Idol contest updated for 2010.
To make it more interesting, we’ve added a few twists:
First, we’ve decided to disqualify Quinn, Adium and Quicksilver. They had their time in the sun, and we’d like to see some fresh blood.
Second, we have a prize! We’ll do a random draw and award a thriftmac T-shirt to a lucky winner. Amaze and baffle your friends — or total strangers — with this sartorial masterpiece available in three worm-centric designs.
Third, there will be a write-in ballot. In addition to the usual list of apps you can vote for, there will be a spot where you can type in the program of your choice — just in case there was one that didn’t make it through the nomination process. Speaking of which . . .
Nominations for the 2010 Mac Freeware Idol are hereby declared open. Submit a comment or use the contact form to voice your proposal for the best Mac freeware app currently available. Just don ‘t forget that we’ve decided to let Quinn, Adium and Quicksilver rest on their laurels — so don’t waste your time nominating them.
Once we have a feel for the top nominees (hint: multiple nominations would be a good sign), we will put together a poll and let the voting begin. Voting will continue until we’ve established a clear winner or until we feel the novelty has worn off.
So send in your nominations, and remember to include some way of getting in touch if you want to be eligible for the thriftmac T-shirt draw.
And one more thing — remember this is all meant to be in good fun, so don’t feel bad if your app doesn’t make the cut.
Posted Monday, April 12, 2010 in Site-News
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