5646 If you're anything like me, you typically have several applications running at once while working: a web browser with several tabs open, as well as being used for downloading files; email apps (handling several accounts) running in the background; iTunes providing background music; a chat application; and a news reader. This is all in addition to whatever word processor, image editor, or spreadsheet app you may be using in the foreground.



And while all these are running in the background, they're accumulating information: new mail available, RSS feeds have updated, downloads have completed, etc. Handled separately, checking each app can be a hassle: not only going into each one, but often opening other window (ex: web downloads) to see what the status is. And then there's the matter of emergencies. If an important FTP upload gets aborted, does the application demand your immediate attention no matter what you're doing, or does it wait in the background until you check the FTP app? Or does an unimportant problem beep uncontrollably, bounce in the dock, and interrupt you when you're working on something more vital?



A potential solution for this comes in the form of Growl, a free system add-on for OS X that unifies notifications and gives you control over what information they present and how they alert you. Supported by many applications, either natively or through Applescript, Growl cleans up the notification process.



Growls' primary form of communication are widget-like bubbles that pop up, giving you the relevant information, and then either fade away, or stay until dismissed (depending on user preferences). After installation, Growl appears in the System Preferences window. From there, it automatically detects applications that support it and gives you a list of options for that app. For example, in Camino, it notifies me of when downloads are started and completed. Mail tells me when new messages have arrived, along with the account they were sent to, and the subject line. Adium (my chat application) has options for just about everything that could happen in Adium, such as new messages, friends signing on and off, and so in. I've turned most of these options, leaving notifications on for error messages and download problems: things I might miss in the background. Likewise for Cyberduck, the FTP program. Do I need to be notified that I've started an upload? Probably not, but I do want an alert if the upload terminates.



And in addition to getting this information from my apps, I can control how it is presented. Emergencies are presented in red text, in bubbles that remain on my screen until dismissed (in case I was away from my desk at the time), while more mundane information simply fades away after a few seconds. It also supports spoken alerts. And that's really the best part about Growl: it allows you to control what information you receive.

As an Open Source project, Growl is available free of charge. So, give it a download and start taming your notifications.

Bill's been using Macs since the late 80s. When he's not making smartass remarks to amuse Kirk Hiner, he enjoys fighting for the user.

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