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Interarchy is Not Just for Geeks! I am a Geek, and there's no mistaking that fact! Now I may not look like one, or even dress like one (that I know of) but deep in the core of my being, I know that I am one. How do I know? Well, when a neat application comes along I download it, read the manual (a sign of geekdom), marvel on its cool factor, and then try to convince all of my friends to use it! So when I ran across Mac OS Journal and discovered that they were looking for a staff writer to share tips and tricks, I fired up my email program, sent Marc a note and here we are! [Editor's Note: José will become a regular member of the MOSJ staff next issue with his first column. He has graced us with his presence a month early with this feature... enjoy.]
Interwhat? Anyone who uses the Internet on a regular basis realizes that when your service is down, for whatever reason, all work and fun practically comes to a grinding halt! Also, if you use the Internet, chances are that there are a core of applications that you use to work and play: FTP software for uploading Web pages, Sherlock for searching the Internet, Browsers for downloading files, applications for downloading Web pages or complete sites, and so on. Network administrators and power users may want to trace the path their packets take, ping a server or find out what domain 17.254.3.183 resolves into. While there are many programs out there that do all of these tasks well, switching between programs can be time consuming and frustrating. Interarchy, in part solves that problem by offering a well integrated and comprehensive set of Internet tools. Interarchy lets you quickly and conveniently access your Internet applications by acting like a control center on steroids! All it takes to begin taking advantage of Interarchy is a bit of familiarity with the program and its capabilities. So what can Interarchy do? A whole lot! From searching for files via
your Sherlock plug-ins to downloading complete Web sites, to tracing the
route your data packets travel (for a complete list of features, be sure
to check out the Interarchy
Spellbook). What's more, you can even customize Interarchy via "skins"
called Wands that you can either download from places like the Interarchy
FTP server or the
ResExcellence Interarchy Wand Page or create your own using Interarchy's
Wand Forge. Interarchy comes with a default interface and set of Wands. But for this tutorial, we will be using Brian Ellis' Platinum Full Wand downloadable from ResExcellence, color coded for your convenience. Remember that Interarchy's interface can vary from Wand to Wand and can be a bit intimidating at first glance. And that all of the commands (although with slightly different names) are accessible from Interarchy's pull down menus.
Interarchy's default Wand
The Tools In order to better understand the program, we can break the tools down into 4 basic categories:
Brian Ellis' Platinum Full Wand Search tools let you search using your currently installed Sherlock plugins, The Info-Mac Software Archive, or VersionTracker, from one convenient window. Command-double clicking a result opens the page in a Browser or dragging a result to the desktop saves it for later viewing.
The Search Window
Application Launcher tools give you quick access to some of your most frequently used Internet applications.
Launcher Tools Web: Launches your default Browser.
File Transfer tools let you upload and download files via ftp.
The FTP Window FTP:
The HTTP Window HTTP:
The Mirror Upload Window Mirror Up (FTP Mirror): Matches the contents of a local folder to a remote FTP directory, overwriting any existing files (great for maintaining sites remotely).
The Mirror Download Window Mirror Down: Downloads the entire contents of a directory or Web site (great for viewing sites at a later date).
"Inter"Networking Tools let you exercise your geekyness in some pretty cool ways.
Networking Tools Finger:Performs a Finger query, which generally provides information
on recent network activity.
Adios and Gracias Well there you have it folks, a quick overview of Interarchy's major
features. I realize that Interarchy may not be for everyone but if you
spend a substantial time on the Net, you may just find its comprehensive
set of tools might help you get your work done more efficiently. So head
down to http://www.interarchy.com,
download a copy and give it a try. A special thanks goes out to Andrew Tomazos, Stairways and the Interarchy team for creating such an awesome application, to Chris Pepper for writing the Interarchy Spellbook, and to Brian Ellis for taking the time to create his very cool Platinum Full Wand. Questions, comments and suggestions for future articles are always welcome so feel free to drop me a line or use this form!
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