MacRecon > Software Review :: ForkLift

As promised, here’s a review for what I analyzed as one of three great apps on the horizon. Now that it’s finally been given a proper 1.0 release, Binary Nights Software does not disappoint with their first app — ForkLift. And this is one prime example of how Mac software should be done by mixing in various features present in other apps within one great user interface.

Design. The interface is both sleek and efficient, thanks to the dual pane the app offers. It has everything you’d need in the interface: navigation, volumes, favorites, info and tabs. The tabs are extremely useful if you’re caught doing a lot of work, and the info pane will save you a lot of time in those Get info commands, as well as previewing. My personal favorite are the, well… Favorites — which work like a charm even for the deep end of your server. It’s interface is everything you’ve come to love of your Mac.

Functionality. It’s basically three apps in one: a file manager for both networked or local content, an FTP/SFTP client, and even an app deleter within the lines drawn by AppZapper. The app has a lot of built-in value, but then again, none of this would work if it were slow or even choked at times — that’s why I’m pleased to report that it’s quite speedy, even with multiple tabs at the same time. Another important feature to point out is that it also allows for live previews and remote editing on your server — perfect for web admins.

Limitations. None significant — only the minor gripe that there’s only one pair of navigation arrows for both columns. That means that you have to click before-hand on the column where you wish to navigate, if that were not the most recently used. I’m mentioning this because, for example, an FTP client named Yummy FTP has two pairs of these arrows — one per column. So that one’s a bit more linear in terms of moving backward and forward when using both columns. Yet, as minor as this may be, it will drive navigation freaks insane in the time they get accustomed to it.

Final thoughts. When I previewed ForkLift as one of the most exciting on the horizon, it was for a good reason. It’s an app that was carefully tested as a public beta, with awesome features normally found across various apps — but here they’re all packed into one. And the good news is that it preserves the pricing of a single app: $29.95. So, whether you’d like the app for navigating/editing content that is either networked or stored locally, this one is a no-brainer. In fact, I could also recommend it solely as an FTP client. Indeed, ForkLift is a keeper.

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[tags]Apple,Mac,Software,ForkLift[/tags]