An OS X News Reader (Or “where are the mac warez”)
So in my search for “evaluation software” I have been looking for programs for the iMac. There is nothing on Kazaa, and while there are newsgroups (alt.binaries.mac.osx.apps), I have yet to find a mac news reader that can download, decode, and re-assemble the postings (in some sort of binhex crap encoding) as nicely as Pan or agent). I’m not sure if it’s the readers sucking (mostly) or the fact that the postings are done wierdly or something.
Where are all the Mac Warez???
you can start with some shareware if U like
http://www.thothsw.com/thoth/
Good news and bad news.
Bad news is that there is a Kazaa client, but it suxors: http://www.versiontracker.com/dyn/moreinfo/macosx/14971
The good news is that there is a (to my knowledge) a Mac-only warez network that is pretty damn cool. Overlooked in the media because it is Mac only: http://www.carracho.com/
The better news is that OSX has a ton of really slick gnutella clients: acquisition (http://www.versiontracker.com/dyn/moreinfo/macosx/15375) is nice, possibly worth the small registration fee. There are also others, to greater and lesser abilities: http://www.versiontracker.com/dyn/moreinfo/macosx/14971
The thing is, the Mac community has a long and solid tradition of shareware. When gaps formed from products that weren’t released in a Mac form, shareware writers took it upon themselves to make similar products for the Mac. So there is a culture there of SUPPORTING your local programmer, as is the case for excellent software like Proteus, acquisition, Fire, the-os-porn-downloader-that-foz-linked-but-I-can’t-find, Cocoa Efax, PageSender, the various things from unsanity.com, and many many others.
Yes, in general Mac users pay for software. It is a culture shock, I know: I still haven’t found an FTP program that I like, since there are some that TOTALLY ROCK for OSX, but they are pay-for and I am stingy. I mean, it is an FTP client for gods sake! In the Linux world, it would be like your DUTY to make a free FTP client, but there would be rough edges. In the Windows world, you will pay out your ass for a piece of crap that Linux does better. In the Mac world, you pay your $10 or $15 shareware fee but you get something sweeeeeeet.
I highly, HIGHLY suggest picking up the May 2003 MacWorld. The cover has “500+ Mac Products Reviewed”. It is a GREAT resource, probably the only MacWorld that will be saved from the garbage after I have read it. 🙂
Oh, one more thing. If there is something that is on Linux that is NOT on OSX that you want, go to fink.sourceforge.net and get the Fink package. Not only does it have a lot of the software that Linux has, it also has the various environments and libraries necessary for you to compile-your-own if it is not there.
I don’t mess with it much because I have found that there is nothing on the Linux side that OSX does not offer, but if you really need X program, then you can most likely either find it in Fink or easily compile it based on the libraries Fink provides.
For a fast, easy to use great looking ftp client go to panic.com and get transmit. If you want something like flashfxp for leechftp that the pc has… tough shit. Thats why I have a mac and a pc at the same desk. I’m still waiting for the world to turn mac… 🙂