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Option-Click AirPort Menu for Network Details

If you hold down the Option key while clicking the AirPort menu in Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard, you'll see not just the names of nearby Wi-Fi networks, but additional details about the selected network. Details include the MAC address of the network, the channel used by the base station, the signal strength (a negative number; the closer to zero it is, the stronger the signal), and the transmit rate in megabits per second showing actual network throughput. If you hover the cursor over the name of a network to which you're not connected, a little yellow pop-up shows the signal strength and type of encryption.

 

 

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TidBITS Watchlist: Notable Software Updates for 31-Aug-09

Things 1.2 from Cultured Code is a maintenance update to the Getting Things Done-inspired task manager. Changes include added compatibility with Snow Leopard, a Quick Entry dialog autofill feature, a slew of new keyboard shortcuts, support for Spotlight searches and Quick Look, enhanced performance speeds for recurring maintenance tasks, and new localizations for French, Spanish, and Russian. Full release notes are available via Cultured Code's Web site. ($49.95 new, free update, 8.0 MB).

WireTap Studio 1.0.12, WireTap Anywhere 1.0.5, and Snapz Pro X 2.2.0 from Ambrosia Software are compatibility updates to the company's media capture utilities. The updates bring compatibility with Snow Leopard. ($69/$129/$69, 19.6/12.4/11.1 MB)

Sync'Em 1.40 from Derman Enterprises is a minor update to the multi-platform syncing utility. Changes include added compatibility with Snow Leopard, support for recurring/detached Google calendar events, and a number of minor bug fixes related to the display of incorrect status information and information sources. ($49.95 new, free update, 20.3 MB)

TextSoap 6.3 from Unmarked Software is a compatibility update to the text cleaning utility. The update brings support for Snow Leopard and its 64-bit Automator, as well as a new scripting command that enables users to convert clipboard contents to plain text. Additionally, Unmarked Software is offering a discount on the software until 09-Sep-09, bringing the price down from $39.95 to $27.95. ($27.95 new, free update, 5 MB)

Coda 1.6.5 from Panic is a minor maintenance update to the Web site development tool. Most notably, several issues with Snow Leopard, including a crashing bug that occurred when using a source code validator, have been addressed. Also, three other crashing bugs have been fixed including one that occurred when trying to generate site thumbnails with Flash 10 and Safari 4, another that occurred if SVN failed, and one that occurred when using type-to in the file list. Additionally, Coda will now attempt to recover open remote files after a crash. ($99 new, free update, 20 MB)

KeyCue 4.5 from Ergonis Software is the latest version of the keyboard shortcut documentation utility. Changes include the added capability to display QuicKeys shortcuts, compatibility with Snow Leopard, improved handling of unique cases for Java applications, and enhanced flexibility when dealing with special application requirements. The update also fixes a bug that would cause Firefox to crash, a problem that caused KeyCue to lose license information when syncing preferences with MobileMe, and an issue with Thunderbird that caused KeyCue to skip particular menus. (19.99 euros new, free update for purchases made within the last 2 years, 1.1 MB)

DragThing 5.9.4 from TLA Systems is a minor maintenance update to the highly configurable dock utility. The latest version adds compatibility with Snow Leopard, a new Marble dock theme, the capability for docks to disregard Expose, an option to highlight 32-bit applications under Snow Leopard, and a handful of minor bug fixes. DragThing now requires Mac OS X 10.4.11 or later. ($29 new, free upgrade, 7.5 MB)

TextWrangler 3.0 from Bare Bones Software is a significant update to the company's free text editor, essentially the younger sibling of text-editing powerhouse BBEdit. Changes in TextWrangler 3.0 include a refreshed FTP/SFTP interface, improved FTP performance, new Find and Multi-Search Windows, and an enhanced Find Difference command. Also new is support for Ruby and JavaScript, language keyword support for Objective-C and Objective C++, and improved modules for the Java and Python languages. The full and lengthy list of changes is available on the Bare Bones Web site. (Free, 11.9 MB)

 

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