Last week, I mentioned how there was a beta version of Adium that suported Facebook chat.  Well, that version is beta no more.  In addition to the support for Facebook, there is also a redesigned Contact Inspector (it used to be called Get Info), a Contact List search box is newly available, and there are many performance and compatibility updates.  Current Adium users can just go to “Check for Updates…” and get the newest version directly.  Of course, you can always download it from the Adium website.  This new version is an improvement over the old version with no downsides, therefore I have no reservations giving it our new Seal of Approval.

For Mac users out there who want to run Windows programs frequently, Boot Camp does not really cut it because it requires a restart to get into Windows.  Parallels and VMware Fusion both allow you to run Windows apps in Mac OS X seamlessly.  Those two programs solve the issue of constantly restarting, but they are also rather pricey (at least they are too expensive for my budget).  For those people, there is another option: VirtualBox.  VirtualBox works the same way as Parallels and VMware Fusion and has most of the same features as well.  The main thing it lacks is the price tag.  I have not used VirtualBox myself, but I have found a comprehensive tutorial on how to set it up for your Mac.  Follow the link after the jump.

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There are none.  I’m pretty upset about it, but the LiveCD wouldn’t even work on my desktop.

As a Boot Camp user, I have run into many frustrations when I can access the files on my Windows partition from the Mac side, but cannot access files on the Mac partition from the Windows side.  I know I could just buy MacDrive, but I don’t have $50 to spend on a single purpose application like that.  Luckily, I discovered HFSExplorer.  While not nearly as elegant as MacDrive, HFSExplorer gets the job done for accessing files on my Mac partition.  Since it is free, it can’t hurt to try it if you run Boot Camp.

Linux Mint Live CD

I make it no secret that I love Ubuntu, and usually love any offshoot of the project.  Linux Mint is supposed to be a more user friendly variation of Ubuntu.  I gave Revision 1 of  Linux Mint 5 Elyssa Main Edition a test run and it was less stable than I anticipated for a revision of a release edition, but it does show promise.  Read on to find out more.

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Evan has already written an article about Pidgin already where he mentioned Adium, but I felt that Adium deserved its own article considering how great it is.  Back when I did not have a Mac, Adium was the application that made me jealous of Mac owners.  Adium supports all the major IM platforms and even a bunch that I have never heard.  The current beta version even supports Facebook chat.  Adium has a large library of Xtras that includes everything from user interface skins to a plugin that lets you chat with your friends on Skype.  Like any good Mac app, Adium supports Growl notifications, animated dock icons, and an active menu bar button that adds to the usability of Adium.  It feels less like an program running on the operating system and more like something built in from the beginning.

If you’re like me you’re not willing to shell out the ridiculous $650 for Adobe Photoshop, but you are willing to spend nothing. Here’s the good news, there is a free alternative to Photoshop called GIMP, here’s the better news, it’s cross-platform. That means all you Linux, Windows, and Mac OSX users can get on the GIMP wagon. Read on after the break to find out more.

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In one word, Linux is awesome. Most of you out there are probably Windows, or recently converted Mac users. I’m sure if you’ve never used Linux you think its only for the Tech elite but in the past couple years Linux has made huge strides and become much more user friendly. To find out more, read on after the jump.

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Pidgin is AIM’s open source thus much more awesome cousin. It’s no secret I’m a huge fan of open source software and one reason for this is that it makes it impossible to bundle random unnecessary crapware in in with software, something AOL often does. Pidgin is great because it does exactly what it’s supposed to, and if you really want it to it can do so much more. Read on after the jump if you’re interested.

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Open Source Initiative Logo

I figured I should give an explanation of Open Source before I do the Linux article. To put it simply Open Source is when a team of programmers releases the source code to the public so that other people can help out with the project. Two awesome things that come out of open source projects: free software and great software. You may have noticed that a lot of the software we review here at JPT is open source, and for good reason. Read after the jump to learn more.

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