GrowlMail and Leopard not getting along?! Here's a solution

Last weekend I upgraded to Mac OS X Leopard, and one thing that doesn't seem to work with Leopard is GrowlMail* (a Growl Extra). After missing Growl Notifications for Mail.app a lot, I decided to search for a solution. After some googling, I found this on Kevin Way's blog:

"I wanted a simple system that would notify me whenever I received an e-mail from somebody "important", but not for every new message that hit my inbox."

"I tried GrowlMail and Mail.Appetizer, but found them both unsatisfactory. I finally decided that what I really wanted was a growl message to appear for messages from selected recipients. Something with the name and the subject of the e-mail, like this..."

This seemed a lot like what I needed, with the exception of the only receiving notifications when email from "important" people arrived part. So, here are my slight changes to Kevin's instructions:

• Open Main.app and add a rule named "GrowlMailScript":

If any of the conditions are met:
Every Message
Perform the following actions:
Run AppleScript: ~/AppleScripts/GrowlMailScript.scpt

Careful! When you're finished making your new rule, Mail.app asks you "Do you want to apply your rules to messages in selected mailboxes?" Be sure click the "Don't Apply" button! If you don't, you may be bombarded with a "new mail" notification for every email you've ever recieved all at one.

• Open a finder window and create a folder called "AppleScripts" in your user folder (this new folder will be a sibling with "Documents").

• Now, you'll need to create the "GrowlMailScript.scpt" script mentioned above. Fire up Script Editor and paste the following script into the edit window:

        on perform_mail_action(info)

            tell application "Mail" 

                set selectedMessages to |SelectedMessages| of info

                repeat with eachMessage in selectedMessages
                    set theSubject to subject of eachMessage
                    set theSender to sender of eachMessage

                    tell application "GrowlHelperApp" 

                        set the allNotificationsList to ¬
                            {"New Mail"}

                        set the enabledNotificationsList to ¬
                            {"New Mail"}

                        register as application ¬
                            "MailScript" all notifications allNotificationsList ¬
                            default notifications enabledNotificationsList ¬
                            icon of application "Mail" 

                        notify with name ¬
                            "New Mail" title ¬
                            "New Mail from " & theSender description ¬
                            theSubject application name "MailScript" 

                    end tell

                end repeat
            end tell
        end perform_mail_action

• Save the script (using File->Save As... when the Script Editor is active in the menu bar) in your new "AppleScripts" folder with the name "GrowlMailScript.scpt".

You're done! Send yourself an email to test it out.

* Tested with GrowlMail 1.1.2

posted at: 18:37 | path: /Mac | Permanent link to this entry | Add/View comments (6 existing)

MacBook Pro Review

With the announcement of the MacBook this past Tuesday, I figured it was about time that I post my review of my MacBook Pro. Before I get into my review, I'd like to mention how the introduction of the MacBook has effected the MacBook Pro line.

The base MacBook comes with an Intel 1.83Ghz Core Duo processor. When the MacBook Pros first came out last February, the base model also came with the 1.83Ghz Core Duo. Now that the MacBook is out, Apple has updated the base model of the MacBook Pro so that it now comes with a 2.0Ghz Core Duo instead of the 1.83Ghz for the same price. Unfortunately, I bought the 1.83Ghz base model of the MacBook Pro several months ago, so I guess I'm already obsolete (just kidding). Oh well. Such is life.

Now on to my review of the MacBook Pro:

As I mentioned above, I've had my MacBook Pro for several months now. I suppose I could sum up the whole experience by simply proclaiming "I love it", but I'll go ahead and ramble on about it a little bit. I'll start off by talking about the fit and finish. The MacBook Pro, like its Powerbook G4 predecessor, is constructed of aluminum with a silver matte finish. It's simply beautiful. The notebook itself has clean lines and nicely rounded edges. One thing I have always hated about most Windows based notebooks is how boxy and uninspired they looked. It's obvious that as much time and care went into the design of the outside of the MacBook Pro as on the inside.

In addition to having a beautiful fit and finish, the MacBook Pro also has wonderful ergonomics. A perfect example of this is how the optical drive, like all recent Macintosh computers, is slot-loading instead of tray-loading. Loading a CD or a DVD into my MacBook Pro is easy as sliding the disk into the drive slot. If it were a tray-loading drive, I would have to place the disk on a flimsy tray that would jut out of the side or front of the notebook. Another great ergonomic feature is the tactile feel of the keyboard. The keys feel great. They have a solid feel with just the right amount of springy feedback. I also have to praise the MacBook Pro's beautiful display. It's big, bright, has a widescreen aspect ratio, and comes with an anti-glare screen. I personally prefer anti-glare screens to the glossy screens that come with many PC notebooks. I should mention, in case you prefer a glossy screen, that a glossy screen is now an option on the MacBook Pro, and the new MacBooks only come with glossy screens.

A computer isn't very useful without software, and there is no shortage of software for the MacBook Pro. There is plenty of Mac software you can run, new and old. The MacBook Pro is one of the new Intel-based Macs, unlike older Macs, which used to have PowerPC processors inside. Macintosh software, until recently, was built specifically for the PowerPC. The new Intel-based Macs can run software built for the older PowerPC-based Macs thanks to a compatibility layer built directly into the Intel version of OS X (the Macintosh operating system) called Rosetta. With Rosetta you can run all of your existing Mac software, such as Office 2004 for Mac, perfectly on the MacBook Pro with only a small performance hit. Now that Macs are Intel based, you can even run Windows. Thanks to Apple's Boot Camp software, which has been released for all Intel-based Macs, you can dual boot Windows and OS X on the MacBook Pro. This means you can run almost anything from the huge library of Windows software right on your MacBook Pro. I must admit that I haven't tried out Boot Camp yet, but it seems to be getting great reviews. Only on Macs can you run Windows and Mac software. You can't get that on a PC.

If dual booting your MacBook Pro in order to run Windows is not your cup of tea, you can buy virtualization software called Parallels Desktop that allows you to run Windows right inside of OS X, without the need to reboot. Since the MacBook Pro is Intel-based, and since the Parallels software makes use of virtualization technology instead of emulation, Parallels Desktop runs Windows very fast. It isn't good enough for games, but it is perfect for business and office software. I've been using Parallels for about a month now, and I'm lovin' it.

The software bundled with the MacBook Pro makes the MacBook Pro a great bargain. The MacBook Pro comes with Apples fantastic iLife suite, Omni Outliner, Front Row, Photo Booth, and a whole lot more. I'm not sure how I ever lived without iLife back in my old Windows days. Software of this quality would cost hundreds of dollars if you were to buy comparative software for the PC.

There's a whole lot more to the MacBook than what I've covered here, including the built in iSight camera, scrolling trackpad, illuminated keyboard, bluetooth, and Wi-Fi. I'm having a great time with my MacBook Pro. If you're thinking about switching, or if you are in the market for a great quality notebook, I highly recommend the MacBook Pro. If you need something that's a little easier on the pocketbook, have a look at Apple's replacement for the iBook, the MacBook.

Thanks for reading my review of the MacBook Pro. If this article has had any influence on you, leave me a comment. I'd love to hear from you.

posted at: 12:33 | path: /Mac | Permanent link to this entry | Add/View comments (0 existing)

MacZOT is at it again with BlogZOT 2.0

MacZot is running a promotion called BLOGZOT 2.0 on MacZOT.com for a pretty interesting looking piece of software called SubEthaEdit from CodingMonkeys. The promotion states that the price of SubEthaEdit will be reduced by $0.05 every time someone blogs about it. If 600 people blog about this promotion during the promotional period, MacZOT and TheCodingMonkeys will award $105,000 in Mac software to the blogosphere. Check out the MacZOT site for further details.

SubEthaEdit is a collaborative writing tool. Basically, multiple people on multiple computers across a network can edit the same document at the same time collaboratively. I can imagine plenty of uses for this sort of program. If the price gets low enough, I'll give it a look-see.

posted at: 12:09 | path: /Mac | Permanent link to this entry | Add/View comments (0 existing)

MacZOT running special promotion for App Zapper

MacZot is running an interesting promotion where they drop the price of App Zapper $0.05 every time someone blogs about the promotion. No sales are allowed until the end of the day (3am PST tomorrow morning) so that everyone can get the same price, which could be free if enough blogging about it gets done!

App Zapper is a really cool application that helps you get rid of any remnant files left by an application when you trash it. The App Zapper guys claim it's the tool Apple forgot, and I agree with them. I already own it, and I use it. I hope you're able to get a copy for free.

posted at: 12:07 | path: /Mac | Permanent link to this entry | Add/View comments (0 existing)

MacBook Pro Review to Come

About 7 months ago I was planning on buying a PowerBook, and then the big announcement that Apple would be switching to Intel came out. Because of the big news I decided to wait, and my patience was rewarded. During the keynote speech given by Steve Jobs at this years Macworld Expo, Mac fans were introduced to the MacBook Pro. Not able to wait any longer, I ordered one. I'll give a full review when I finally get it sometime in February.


Image courtesy of Apple Computer    [Details]

posted at: 23:44 | path: /Mac | Permanent link to this entry | Add/View comments (0 existing)

Apple to Use Intel Microprocessors - It's official!

It appears that all of the rumors about Apple's switch to Intel processors are true. Steve Jobs has officially announced the news along with a demonstration at Apple's WWDC today. Here is a link to the press release: http://www.apple.com/pr/library/2005/jun/06intel.html

posted at: 12:01 | path: /Mac | Permanent link to this entry | Add/View comments (0 existing)

Apple to switch to Intel

I just heard this news last night. Steve Jobs will be giving his keynote at the WWDC today at 10am. This is big news, and I intend to comment on this as soon as I learn more specifics. Here is an interesting link to an entry on Tom Yager's blog where he mentions this might be a good thing.

posted at: 08:06 | path: /Mac | Permanent link to this entry | Add/View comments (1 existing)

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