Comments on: 10 Mac alternatives to Windows utilities

By: Daniel Parnell

Daniel Parnell — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 21:34:35 +0000

I second Araxis Merge. The Mac version is very nice

As for blog posting software, you might want to take a look at a little bit of software I wrote called BlogThing ( http://www.automagic-software.com/products/blogthing )

By: Stuart Dootson

Stuart Dootson — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 09:52:07 +0000

re: Beyond Compare – I did hope that the existence of a Linux version of BC would mean a Mac version might emerge.

Another alternative is Araxis Merge – that has a Mac version.

By: Craig

Craig — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 23:24:03 +0000

@Gary Correct.

I was connecting from my Windows machine (with 22″ screen) to my Macbook. Partly so I could develop on the big screen, but it also meant I could use Beyond Compare from Windows (via a shared projects folder on my Mac). It also meant I could just plug the Macbook into the power anywhere in the house and access it via wireless without having to clear desk space or plug anything else in.

I ended up buying a DVI adapter which I use with a DVI-HDMI adapter to plug into the monitor. It’s a pain to have to fiddle with cables, but VNC is too slow and I get a resolution upgrade from 1280×800 to 1680×1050 (and dual screens) as part of the deal.

By: tim

tim — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 16:32:49 +0000

@Martin thanks for the tip about Cyberduck

Tim

By: Martin

Martin — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 11:36:09 +0000

SFTP: "On the Mac I use Fugu, and of the two I prefer it." My Mac-using colleagues tell me that Fugu is getting a bit stale and now prefer Cyberduck which is still being developed?

By: Gary

Gary — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 07:53:58 +0000

@Tim, Craig is after an remote desktop server not a client I think Tim. For that purpose I think you would need Apple Remote Desktop (ARD).

I wouldnt (dont) run virtualbox as I think performance wise it isnt on a par with Parallels/vmware fusion.

I’m a Delphi dev who uses a Mac so nice to see someone else in the same boat! XCode is a great tool but ObjectiveC seems a little quirky compared to good ol’ Delphi.

Gary

By: tim

tim — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 05:43:28 +0000

@Craig if connecting to a Windows box (or vm) why not use the Microsoft Remote Desktop Connection as mentioned above?

Tim

By: Craig

Craig — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 23:19:34 +0000

I use Windows most of the time (Delphi developer), but have been using OSX a lot more lately (writing iPhone apps during my commute).

The big things (as a developer) I think are missing from your list are:

Beyond Compare. I’m using DiffMerge, but I’ve not found anything anywhere near as good as even version 1 of BC (let alone V2 or V3).

A decent RDC server. VNC is “ok”, but it’s very slow. Even connecting to Windows 7 running under VirtualBox on OSX is quicker than connecting to the OSX host’s screen.