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VirusBarrier Antivirus Mac

2012/04/19 By Leave a Comment

VirusBarrier icon

VirusBarrier window

Q: VirusBarrier Antivirus Mac? What happened to Bitdefender? I purchased Bitdefender Antivirus Mac eleven days ago and posted about it just a couple of days ago; so, why am I writing about Intego VirusBarrier today?
A: With Bitdefender, a full-system malware scan takes forever and although that’s understandable once, I didn’t anticipate having to do the whole thing again a week later. Yes, I had clicked the preference to NOT rescan already scanned files, but it did it anyway. I suppose I could have scheduled full-system scans overnight, when I wasn’t using my Mac, or perhaps, Bitdefender support might have been helpful, but I decided to test VirusBarrier because I liked their pitch:

“You chose a Mac for a reason. So why choose security software from a Windows vendor? We are Mac experts creating products exclusively for Mac. …While makers of Windows antivirus have recently entered the Mac market, only Intego has been protecting Macs exclusively since 1997.”

  • easy to install, set up and use
  • fully optimized for OS X 10.7 (Lion)
  • won’t slow your Mac
  • doesn’t need to be deactivated when installing new apps
  • free 30-day trial

So far, so good, the initial full-system scan was much faster than Bitdefender was.

>> Learn more about VirusBarrier Antivirus Mac

Comment: I’m still hoping to find something as close to “set it and forget it” as possible. I’ll let you know how it goes.

Update (20120424): Things I’m liking about VirusBarrier:

  • it apparently offered protection from the Flashback/Flashfake Trojan long before the story broke
  • it’s a modern 64 bit app
  • real time, always-on, proactive, malware protection
  • useful network tools are built into the app
  • funky looking, but very functional, instrument panel, user interface
  • the app icon
  • Intego’s website
  • and most importantly, I haven’t noticed any obvious slowdown as a result of the real time protection.

Update (20120425): I completed an Intego support request and was both surprised and delighted when I received a thorough response less than an hour later.

Update (20120427): VirusBarrier X6 is excellent, Intego Security Barrier isn’t. Because I was so impressed with VirusBarrier X6, I decided to upgrade to Security Barrier. I was charged $49.95 even though the cost difference between the two programs is actually $30. Intego sales explained that this was because I was upgrading and to be fair to Intego, the upgrade added one year to my subscription. So, what did I get for $49.95?

Other than VirusBarrier, the only Security Barrier app I’m actually using is Personal Backup and it’s a nice program, but it isn’t worth $49.95. I’ve scheduled a nightly clone of my startup disk.

I tested FileGuard and was not at all impressed:

  • garish low resolution graphics
  • a bright red warning that “Your subscription expired” which I gather is a ‘cosmetic’ bug that will be removed in a future update
  • the app lost track of my safes when I placed them in my documents folder
  • right clicking on the desktop shortcut offered a ‘Settings’ option, but failed to launch FileGuard and FileGuard’s settings when clicked.

I deleted FileGuard and I’m now using the excellent DropDMG to create my encrypted disk images. FYI, I’ve also used Knox and Espionage, but I find DropDMG serves many different purposes. I’ve added my encrypted disk images to my VirusBarrier X6 list of trusted files so that they’re not scanned.

Gmail does a great job filtering spam, so I didn’t need and don’t use Personal Antispam.

My kids are grown, so I didn’t find Content Barrier useful either.

My recommendation is to stick with VirusBarrier, which is excellent.

Filed Under: OS X Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

Bitdefender Antivirus Mac

2012/04/17 By Leave a Comment

Bitdefender Antivirus Mac icon

Q: Why am I using Bitdefender Antivirus Mac?

I’ve been using Macs since 1984 and until very recently, malware just wasn’t something I thought about; there simply wasn’t a compelling reason for concern. That changed when over 600,000 OS X users were afflicted with the Flashback/Flashfake Trojan in February, March and April of 2012.

“Security by obscurity, if it ever existed, is no more.”
– Ryan Faas, Computerworld

When I first heard about the Flashback botnet, I checked my Macs with the Bitdefender Virus Scanner. It:

  • was available for free at the Mac App Store
  • sported the award-winning Bitdefender engines, I’d read about previously
  • had malware definitions that were updated hourly.

Although, I subsequently discovered, my machines weren’t infected with the Flashback Trojan, I was astonished that Bitdefender uncovered a couple of malicious PHP scripts in my WordPress backups from 2009; frankly, I never would have guessed.

Q: Will we see more Mac malware?
A: Of course we will, albeit on a much smaller scale than what our Windows friends are likely to experience.

Although Apple security updates are always in the pipeline (examples for Mountain Lion: Gatekeeper and Apple Developer ID), I’ll admit I’m concerned that the Flashback Trojan was just the beginning of malware making regular appearances on the Mac. For that reason, I decided check out Bitdefender’s always-on, anti-malware solution called Antivirus for Mac.

Bitdefender Mac box

It proactively protects your Mac and it eliminates Windows viruses, as a bonus.

Bitdefender Mac screenshot

Q: Why choose Bitdefender Antivirus for Mac rather than Intego’s VirusBarrier? Because it:

  • is less expensive
  • automatically updates definitions hourly
  • has an excellent reputation in the anti-malware community.

I’ve been running Bitdefender Antivirus for Mac without any obvious slowdown or other problems, it just quietly does its thing. Unsurprisingly, it hasn’t detected any malware and, frankly, I hope it never does; but, from my vantage, better safe than sorry.

>> Learn more about Bitdefender Antivirus Mac

Comment: I stopped running Boot Camp, Parallels and VMware largely because every time I launched Windows there were malware updates galore that wasted my time. I spent more time updating than I did doing. Fortunately, it looks like Bitdefender Antivirus for Mac is going to be a “set it and forget it” kind of thing.

Update 20120419: I’m now testing VirusBarrier.

Filed Under: OS X Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Markdown Theme

2012/02/21 By Leave a Comment

You know the drill, you’re using Chocolat app, Sublime Text or TextMate 2 and you’ve decided to try composing your WordPress posts in Markdown. That’s when you discover that the ‘.tmTheme’ that you’re currently using doesn’t include markdown syntax highlighting. Although you’re considering rolling your own theme, you’ve decided to search for a markdown theme that’s ready to go.

I’ve tested a few markdown themes, but my favourite is Made of Code.

Made of Code markdown theme colors

Options:

  1. IR_Black.tmTheme

  2. if you don’t write a lot of code and you haven’t already fallen in love with a text editor, I’m convinced you should have a look at the Mou app. Why Mou?

    • composing/previewing markdown with Mou is good fun
    • Mou’s available live preview will quickly teach you markdown syntax
    • Mou’s actions (keyboard shortcuts) automate most markdown formating for you
    • Mou’s themes are gorgeous
    • Mou is a superb example of OS X 10.7 Lion technologies nicely implemented by a very clever programmer.

Mou icon

>> learn about the Mou app

Related articles:

  1. Mou App Evolving
  2. Markdown Apps
  3. Adventures With Mac Markdown

Filed Under: OS X, WordPress Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Bootable Clone Super Hero

2012/01/10 By 2 Comments

SmartBackup bootable clone

When my hard drive died, having a bootable clone, immediately available, saved me days of work, restoring Mac OS and all of my apps. Time Machine and Crash Plan backups were useful, but my clone took centre stage; it had me up and running again, within minutes. All I had to do was to select my bootable clone as my new Startup Disk in System Preferences and restart.

Almost everyone will eventually experience a hard drive crash. If you haven’t had a crash already, unfortunately, the clock is ticking. Data loss can be avoided by taking a few simple precautions. I’m convinced that one of the precautions should be to create and maintain a bootable clone of your startup disk. Most people who create bootable Mac clones use either Carbon Copy Cloner or SuperDuper. Both apps are time-tested and very trustworthy; I don’t have a single complaint about either one of them; they served me well for years. This post will highlight a lesser known, but equally impressive backup app.

When I upgraded to Lion, Mac OS X 10.7, one of my goals was to select 64-bit apps, whenever possible. I chose SmartBackup.

SmartBackup icon

Q: Why SmartBackup?
A: SmartBackup:

  • is 64-bit (CCC and SuperDuper are 32 bit)
  • is fast
  • has a very attractive UI

    • SmartBackup UI

  • will archive changed and deleted files, if that’s something you want (archived files are browse-able and can be easily restored)
  • has a commandline mode
  • can be automated
  • is very well supported by Thomas Bauer, the developer

The best way to be certain that you have a current bootable clone, available at all times, is to automate the entire process.

Create an automated bootable SmartBackup clone:

  1. install SmartBackup in your applications folder
  2. launch SmartBackup in SuperUser mode (set in preferences, or for the App Store version using SuperUser launcher)

    3. SmartBackup preferences

  3. select the destination volume for your new backup
  4. add your startup volume as the source
  5. now create a LaunchDaemon plist file (downloadable example)

    6. SmartBackup LaunchDaemon plist

  6. place the LaunchDaemon plist file in the /Library/LaunchDaemons folder (not /Users/username/Library/ and not /System/Library)
  7. if you’re using Lion (Mac OS X 10.7.x) you’ll have to change the ownership of your LaunchDaemon plist file to root (in Terminal app, type "sudo chown root /Library/LaunchDaemons/smartbackup.plist" without the quotes and then press return)
  8. restart and you’re backup will run, silently in the background, at the time you selected (you can always check when the last backup executed by launching SmartBackup).

>> download my LaunchDaemon plist as a template

Note: You’ll have to edit the backup location (I use /Volumes/FWE Backup) and start time (mine runs at 0100 hrs. (1 am) daily).

Comment: If you think this looks like a lot of work, remember, once these eight, straightforward, steps are completed, your backup will execute every day, automatically. Then, at a future date, when disaster strikes you’ll be back in action, in just minutes; after booting from your bootable clone super hero.

Filed Under: OS X Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Mac To Do List Managers

2011/12/14 By Leave a Comment

Mac To Do List Managers

Choosing a Mac To Do List Manager is tricky, simply because there are so darned many Mac OS and iOS apps to choose from.

Background: When I began the ‘university-phase’ of my life, I was ill prepared for the academic world. I was one of those fortunate/unfortunate kids who found high-school easy; the result was that I focused on sports and I never learned to study. In Pre-Med my concept of getting ready for exams was to redo my multi-coloured study plans, over and over again, as there were fewer and fewer hours remaining to study. Surprisingly, quite a few months passed before I discovered that a little less time spent planning and more time invested doing, was the key to success. I consider myself fortunate to have uncovered the essence of studying, before I reached the relatively unforgiving Med-School environment.

Does my university experience relate to choosing and using a Mac To DO List Manager? Yes, it does, I’ve used OmniFocus, Things and TaskPaper, but my task management style, or lack thereof, is best suited to TaskPaper, let me explain…

TaskPaper icon

I’ve always been a fan of OmniGraffle Pro and OmniOutliner Pro, so, it shouldn’t surprise anyone to learn that my Mac To Do List Manager quest began with OmniFocus. OmniFocus can be as simple as you want it to be, but it also has considerable depth for folks who need it. I was lured away from OmniFocus by Things which is prettier than OmniFocus and quite elegant. Although Things is very impressive, when I first tested TaskPaper, I was hooked. Here’s why:

Less Time Spent Planning And More Time Invested Doing
Is The Key To Success

  • it’s really easy to plan
  • the focus is on doing/accomplishing, not on planning and GTD systems
  • documents resemble plain text

TaskPaper screenshot

  • blissfully straightforward shortcuts:
    • end a word/sentence with a colon to create a project
    • start a sentence with a dash and a space and it’s a task
    • everything not recognized as a task or a project is a note
    • place @ before a word to create a tag/keyword

Are you old enough to remember Dave Winer’s brilliant outliner ThinkTank™? TaskPaper reminds me a little of ThinkTank, but of course, in today’s world, there’s an iOS version of TaskPaper that syncs with Dropbox.

TaskPaper is a Mac To Do List Manager done right. One minute and you’re a TaskPaper expert, the next, you’re getting stuff done.

My recommendation is that you begin your search for a Mac To Do List Manager by checking out @jessegrosjean’s TaskPaper.

Filed Under: iOS, OS X Tagged With: , , , , , ,

MailMate Markdown

2011/12/01 By Leave a Comment

MailMate Markdown

If you’re a Mac OS user, a fan of plain text and Markdown this post may be of interest to you. Compose your email messages with Markdown without leaving your email client.

MailMate icon

MailMate a popular, alternative, email client for Mac OS is testing Markdown in a new beta release.

If you’ve enabled Markdown in MailMate’s ‘Composer’ preferences, MailMate email messages will have two alternative body parts:

  1. a plain text body part and
  2. an HTML body part which is automatically generated from your Markdown within MailMate.

>> Download MailMate here

The beta can then be downloaded by holding down ⌥ (option) while selecting the “MailMate ▸ Software Update ▸ Check Now…” menu item.

Filed Under: OS X Tagged With: , ,

HTML5 Markdown

2011/11/13 By 2 Comments

HTML5 Markdown

Fans of HTML5 and Markdown might enjoy Dillinger. It’s a free, online option for markdown composition and preview.

>> check out Dillinger

Note: Not Mac OS specific, if you have an HTML5 capable browser, you’re good to go.

Filed Under: OS X Tagged With: , ,

Adventures With Mac Markdown

2011/10/27 By 4 Comments

Adventures with Mac Markdown: So many applications, round and round in circles I go…

Warning: Comparing Markdown app features has been known to boggle the brain.

My Mac OS Markdown adventure began gently with the MultiMarkdown bundle for TextMate and the Made of Code theme. Life was good.

My dizziness (round and round in circles reference) began when I discovered an excellent HTML preview app called Marked – "Markdown preview for any text editor". I blame Brett Terpstra, the developer of the Marked app, for making it really easy for me to test a variety of Markdown/MultiMarkdown composers. :)

Mac Markdown apps I’ve played with:

  • BBEdit without Marked
  • Byword with and without Marked
  • iA Writer + Marked
  • MarkdownNote
  • MarkMyWords
  • Mou
  • MultiMarkdown Composer + Marked
  • Sublime Text + Marked

Lesson Learned

Q: What did you learn?
A: John Gruber nailed it with Markdown:

"… write using an easy-to-read, easy-to-write plain text format, then convert it to structurally valid XHTML (or HTML)."

"The idea is that a Markdown-formatted document should be publishable as-is, as plain text, without looking like it’s been marked up with tags or formatting instructions."

MultiMarkdown, created by Dr. Fletcher Penney, is a ‘superset’ of Markdown’s syntax. My gut feeling is that MultiMarkdown messes with the "easy," not-marked-up paradigm that defines Markdown.

"Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not one bit simpler."
– Albert Einstein (1879 – 1955)

These days, I write almost exclusively for the web and I very rarely have a need for tables, footnotes and citations. Likewise, I don’t require LaTeX, OPML or OpenDocument. Wouldn’t folks who use these features all the time be best served by an app like Ulysses?

My conclusion is that Markdown is a good fit for what I do; I rarely, if ever, need MultiMarkdown.

Preferred Mac Markdown App

Q: So, after testing quite a few Mac apps, do you have a favourite?
A: I have two and another app I’m watching closely.

Byword app icon

Mac Markdown Favourite #1: Byword + the Marked preview app with ‘Markdown Compatibility Mode’ checked in preferences. I wish the Byword app had a Markdown only mode. Otherwise, it does exactly what I need it to do.

Mou app icon

Mac Markdown Favourite #2: I’d love to use Mou all the time. Mou is an elegant, single window, Markdown-only app with a split screen; one pane for composition and the other for live HTML preview. It’s very easy to use. Chen Luo, the developer, is crafting a terrific Mac app. His beta:

  • is a modern, 64 bit, Cocoa app that’s fun to use
  • has very impressive syntax highlighting in the editor/composer pane
  • features keyboard actions that make Markdown really easy
  • is donation-ware (people who donate while the app is in beta will receive the final release for free).

I enjoy writing with the preview pane hidden most of the time. I use Shift + Command + I to toggle the preview window and I use Moom to reposition and resize Mou’s window quickly.

So, what is the Mou app missing, why isn’t it my #1? The big things are:

  • auto formatting of list entries after pressing ‘enter’ while inside a list (added Mou 0.7.1)
  • something similar to Byword’s list-shortcuts (added Mou 0.7)
  • custom CSS for the HTML preview pane (added Mou 0.7).

Update: Mou has very quickly become a full-featured markdown composition/preview app that’s great fun to use. Check out what I had to say when I wrote ‘Markdown Theme.’

Mac Markdown app worth watching: MultiMarkdown Composer with ‘Enable MultiMarkdown syntax and features’ unchecked in preferences + the Marked preview app

>> Byword app

>> Marked app

>> Mou app

>> MultiMarkdown Composer app

Filed Under: OS X Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

MultiMarkdown Composer

2011/10/21 By Leave a Comment

MultiMarkdown Composer icon

MultiMarkdown Composer is now available in the Mac App Store. When I wrote Markdown Shakedown, I suggested that the arrival of MultiMarkdown Composer would herald the beginning of a shift away from the Markdown standard toward a new MultiMarkdown era and that many people would choose Composer rather than purchase a full-featured text editor, like BBEdit, Sublime Text or TextMate. Was my postulation nothing more than bold hyperbole or could it actually happen?

Q: Is Fletcher Penney’s MultiMarkdown Composer likely to gain traction in an already crowded Markdown/MultiMarkdown application marketplace?
A: It might, but only if Doctor Penney is as determined as his competitors.

What I liked most:

  • no one understands MultiMarkdown better than Fletcher Penney
  • Composer is a modern 64 bit app
  • selecting some text => pasting a URL => watching link syntax appear
  • QuickCursor support via the ODB Editor protocol
  • export and print options
  • integration with Marked app preview.

See the full list of features here.

MultiMarkdown Composer and Marked app

Interestingly, the ‘Syntax Highlighting as You Type’ would have seemed like a breakthrough feature had I not seen Mou‘s implementation three weeks earlier.

FYI, my favourite composers are:

My ‘go to’ app combo has been Byword and the Marked app, but it’s very likely that I’ll be using MultiMarkdown Composer with Marked more and more as the days pass.

Update: I’ve had an opportunity to play with MultiMarkdown Composer today and I’ve discovered that I really miss a couple of Byword’s keyboard shortcuts:

  • Bulleted List: Select text, Cmd + L
  • Numeric List: Select text, Cmd + Option + L

Example: Let’s assume I have just pasted the following text into a document

BBEdit
Byword
iA Writer
Macchiato
MarkMyWords
MarkdownNote
Markdown Pro
Mou
MultiMarkdown Composer
Sublime Text
TextMate

Step 1. Select text from BBEdit up to and including TextMate
Step 2. Use shortcut ‘Command + L’

The result would be

* BEdit
* Byword
* iA Writer
* Macchiato
* MarkMyWords
* MarkdownNote
* Markdown Pro
* Mou
* MultiMarkdown Composer
* Sublime Text
* TextMate

and, similarly, shortcut ‘Command + Option + L’ would create

1. BEdit
2. Byword
3. iA Writer
4. Macchiato
5. MarkMyWords
6. MarkdownNote
7. Markdown Pro
8. Mou
9. MultiMarkdown Composer
10. Sublime Text
11. TextMate

I wasn’t able to uncover similar keyboard actions in Composer; it’s possible they’re there but I haven’t found them. I’ve sent an email to Fletcher Penney asking if they exist and, if not, requesting they be added to Composer’s Format menu.

Update: Dr. Penney replied, “… this is not a bad feature. I’ll look into adding it.”

Ends up, I also prefer Byword’s subdued syntax highlighting. If I get my keyboard shortcuts, I suppose I could always create a custom style sheet for Composer.

Filed Under: OS X Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Markdown: Why Byword App?

2011/10/12 By 2 Comments

Byword icon

It’s no secret that I’m a huge fan of John Gruber’s Markdown.

Byword is, “Markdown… with as little friction as possible.”

In my quest to discover my ideal Markdown composer I’ve purchased:

  • BBEdit
  • Byword
  • iA Writer
  • MarkdownNote
  • Mou
  • MultiMarkdown Composer (added to list 20111022)
  • TextMate

and I’ve also had a look at:

  • Macchiato
  • MarkMyWords and
  • Sublime Text.

BBEdit and TextMate are still mired in the 32 bit realm, while the rest are modern, 64 bit Mac OS X apps. My favourite 64 bit Markdown composition apps are Byword, Mou and Sublime Text. Each one of my favourites features Markdown syntax highlighting, but I prefer Bywords subdued approach (Markdown syntax is a light grey and my content is black so that it’s easy to read).

Byword app syntax highlighting

Byword app’s website subtitle is "A writing app that gives you just the tools you need to write Markdown and rich text with as little friction as possible."

Markdown syntax is simple, but Byword’s keyboard shortcuts make composing Markdown an almost magical experience. Overstated? No, not really, the shortcuts are great fun to use.

Handy Byword Keyboard Shortcuts for Markdown:

  • strong/bold: select text, command + b
  • emphasize/italic: select text, command + i
  • link: select text, command + k
  • image: select text, command + option + i
  • bulleted list: select text, command + l
  • numeric list: select text, command + option + l
  • block quote: select text, command + ‘
  • text selection (a space, a word, a sentence, a paragraph or the entire document) command + option + up arrow (repeat up arrow as necessary to extend your selection) and reduce your selection with command + option + down arrow
  • reorder selection with control + command + up arrow or control + command + down arrow
  • indent selection with control + command + right arrow and outdent with control + command + left arrow

Light and dark themes, large text (I use Menlo Regular 18 pt), typewriter scrolling and a full-screen focus mode make writing as easy as is possible. I actually prefer using Byword in a window, not full-screen mode, so I can easily use PTHPasteboard, TextSoap and other apps. Byword remembers a default window position and size, so it’s easy to position the window alongside the Marked app for sophisticated HTML preview. Be sure to test Byword.css with Marked (a custom stylesheet that gives Marked.app Byword’s Preview styles). And yes, of course, Byword has all the latest Mac OS X Lion goodies plus the dictionary, spelling/grammar, smart quotes, smart dashes and hyphenation. Oh, and if you happen to love QuickCursor, you’re covered.

Update (20120314): Byword app is now available for iOS (iPhone and iPad). The iOS version:

  • is universal (runs on both iPhone and iPad)
  • features all sorts of fun markdown automation (smart editing including list continuations and auto-wrapping of asterisks, brackets, parenthesis and quotes).

Create An ‘Open in Marked’ Service for Byword

Follow these steps to create an ‘Open in Marked’ service for Byword. Marked is a terrific HTML preview app that works with any text editor.

Instructions:

Step One: Create an Automator Service that will run the following AppleScript snippet:

tell application "Byword"
    set theDocument to file of document of window 1
end tell
tell application "Marked"
    open theDocument
end tell
  1. Open Automator.app
  2. Create a new service
  3. In the ‘Choose a type your document’ panel, select Service
  4. In the Library column, select Utilities, then double-click Run AppleScript
  5. Delete default text
  6. Copy the AppleScript snippet above and paste on the right
  7. At the top make it so ‘Service receives no input in Byword.app’
  8. Save and call the service ‘Open in Marked’.

Check your work by launching Byword.app, then in your menu under Byword click Services and you should see ‘Open in Marked’.

Step Two: Add a keyboard shortcut for your new Service.

  1. Open Byword
  2. In your menu under Byword select Services
  3. Select the ‘System Preferences’ menu item
  4. Search for your ‘Open in Marked’ entry
  5. Click in the rightmost column
  6. Create your preferred shortcut (I created control + option + command + p for ‘Preview’).

Byword’s developers, Jorge Pedroso and Rúben Cabaço, have done a superb job, Byword is exactly what a Mac Markdown app should feel like.

I’ve added Byword to my list of Best Lion Apps.

If you haven’t done so already

>> click here to learn more about Byword

Related post: Choosing Markdown Software

Filed Under: OS X Tagged With: , , , ,