Tricklin

When you use a web based email client on a regular basis (Gmail), it can get quite annoying having to go to the appropriate tab (if you use tabs), in the appropriate browser, to check whether or not you've got new e-mails. It would be super nice if I could have an application that I could use to check my gmail account. Well... If you have a Mac with OS X Leopard installed, you are in luck. The solution is a great little application called "Fluid".

What is Fluid
Fluid is an application that allows you to create SSBs for the sites you frequent. What is an SSB? According to Wikipedia, "A Si te Specific Browser (SSB) is a software application that is dedicated to accessing pages from a single source (site) on a computer network such as the Internet or a private intranet. SSBs typically simplify the more complex functions of a web browser by excluding the menus, toolbars and browser chrome associated with functions that are external to the workings of a single site."

How Does it Work?
In this example, I'm going to show you how to make Gmail a stand-alone application. First, download the free application at fluidapp.com and add it to your applications directory. Once you've done this, open it.

In the "URL" field, type in the URL you would go to to manage your application. In this case, I would type in "http://www.gmail.com". In the "Name" field, give this application a meaningful name, as this will be the name you'll see in the dock, finder, etc. You can choose a location you'd like for this new application to sit, however, "Applications" is selected by default. This seems like the most logical spot for it, but feel free to put it wherever you like. Now, the "Icon" field is a great feature. You can, by default, select the "Use Website Favicon" option, but I'd recommend against it. Why? Well, favicons are very small (16 x 16 px), and scale terribly in the Dock, Expose, and Finder. So, select the "Other..." feature which will allow you to pick an icon from your computer.

"That's no good" you may say. "I don't have icons an icon for this application." Never fear, Flickr is here. There is a special fluid group on Flickr that will allow you to view and download icon sets specifically made for Fluid. From this group you should be able to find the icon for which you are looking. Once found, save it to your computer, and then go back to Fluid, choose "Other...", find the icon you've just saved, and click "Open". Your done, click "Create", and you've just created a stand alone application that was once a website you had to visit in your browser. You'll get a confirmation message that let's you know you've successfully created a new application, and from here you can either "Reveal in Finder", do nothing by clicking "OK", or launch the application ("Launch Now").

What I like about having my Gmail as a stand alone application is the fact that I am now notified when I have new email. I'm not annoyed with some crazy pop-up every time someone sends me an email. It's subtle and perfect, and functions just like OS X Mail: through the Dock, or when cmd-tab-ing through your open applications (below).

Since installing Fluid, I've added 5 additional stand-alone applications that would normally be an extra tab in my browser. These apps get used everyday, and are now a permanent part of my dock. Thanks to Fluid, getting stuff done on my Mac got much, much easier.