Category Archives: Web

Flock

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I think some people may be wondering, what is my favorite freeware web browser? Well, after searching all over the internet and downloading almost every known web browser for Macs and PCs (don’t worry PC owners, all of the web browsers that were only for Mac were horrible).

What I want from a web browser (in priority order)
5. Ease of use
4. Social networking compatibility
3. Overall compatibility
2. Speed
1. Easy to use interface.

The story- when I had a PC, I was too very interested in trying out new software, particularly web browsers. Internet was my thing (and it still is). I had used Firefox, but before that I tried a web browser called Flock, which I had enjoyed.
Recently, I was trying Firefox to see if I liked it as the best. and I thought I liked it as the best. But while the Firefox post to my blog was stil in draft form, I remembered about Flock. And I finslly rediscovered it and I named it the best. It had everything I ad listed up there as for expectations. Especially speed. Once it finds the server, it can just suck it right out of there, a little under the speed of light (literally).
Also, it is really easy to use. But its biggest part is connecting with social networks. You can connect to blogs, photo sharing services, youtube, and almost everything else in existence. If you connect to a blog service, you can blog straight from flocks blogging interface, which still works while offlne, where you can save as a draft for publishing and editing later on. In fact, I am using the Flock blogging application to create this post.

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iChat

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I recently started to use Adium, which was yahoo, google, and everything else known to man. But I am always interested in all of Apple’s computer products, And iChat I had tried and was not satisfied. I have a yahoo, google, and facebook IMs, and iChat only worked with AIM. So I used Adium. Then I was looking at pictures of the OS X desktop, and I saw the iChat icon in the dock. So I gave iChat another chance. I opened iChat and put in my AIM, and I was like, Okay. This works. then, I saw what other accounts I could use. I saw a Google Chat account, and I put that in. It calls it the Jabber list because that is what it uses to connect the gmail with iChat. Then, I got an iChat account, and that was awesome. It is called an Apple ID, which apparently when browsing the Apple Store your checkout will already have the info from your Apple ID put into the info. it gives you a _@mac.com username, but sadly you cannot use that as an actual email address.  I haven’t met anyone with an iChat account, but when I do I think it will come in handy. Sadly it doesn’t work with Yahoo! IM, but most of the people I know that have yahoo IMs also have AIM IMs.

The UI is very nice, and I really like the chat interface. The buddy list interface is also nice. I like using it with the spaces function so I can assign it to all of my spaces so when I switch spaces my conversation will come with me. I don’t usually like to keep my buddy list open when switching spaces, so I can just press the X button or do a Command+H, and keep my chat windows open.
I think that iChat is a great IM application, and you can be reassured with compatibility with OS X because all macs come with it.
Use iChat if you have an AIM or Google account that you want to take care of chat capabilities.

Skype

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I have been using skype for a very long while, in fact almost two years. One of my friends Sergey recommended it to me before I got my mac. We only got to see each other at orchestra practice, which was only once a week. He lives 30 minutes away, which is too long to have to drive. And phone calls? come on. $$$$$! Anyway, we are both on our computers most of the time. so I decided to get skype to talk to him. He had a webcam, which in the beginning I didn’t. But for free over the internet, we could talk and I could see him. Then I got a webcam. It was a creative webcam, Live! chat, which wasn’t bad, but not great either. Then, I wanted to get a better one and take a step up, so over amazon, I ordered a Logitech QuickCam Chat (I think) so we could now see and hear each other over the internet. All for free! The only problem was, he was nocturnal. I had the normal hours of sleep. So the only times we could see each other was late at night and about 9 when he had just woken up and I was about to go to sleep. But at least we could leave chats for each other with text, another cool feature. Then, my PC got all v!$T@d up (even though it had xp ;-)) and there were numerous reinstalls, grub problems, and things like not loading that stupid dang explorer.exe file. COME ON! I mean, on a mac, you are unable to delete the finder, and it will force startup at login. it’s like that app itself is its own operating system! If the Mac turns on and it shows the logo and the throbber, it is an VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY small chance that it will not boot finder. What happened to me was after I logged in on windows, All I got was a gray screen and a mouse. Reinstallation came next. Then I got my MacBook. SO EASY! I installed skype on it as well, and with the built in microphone and webcam, calling sergey on skype was so easy! I could move my macbook around! with my PC, even though it was a laptop, I always plugged it into a monitor, which was where the webcam was. So it was a pain to try to mobilize with that thing. also, skype JUST WORKS. If you pay for it, you can even use it to call people over landlines and cellphones, just like a normal cell rate! even worldwide calls! and it REALLY cheap. If you want to go for free, it has to be computer to computer over the internet. video is free, chat is free, everything is free if over the internet. You can make worldwide calls over the internet as well for free. Internet=FREEEEEEEE!

I recommend you download it, get a Skype Name, and Start giving it to all your friends! I have alot of friends who travel alot, and go on cruises but and do have internet, and this is how I can call them and SEE them when they are on the other side of the world!
DOWNLOAD!!!!