Handpicked Software

Doing a clean install of a new OS can really make you appreciate all those little apps you installed a long time ago and forgot weren’t a part of the system. As soon as I started surfing in Safari, I immediately missed fiwt (”find while typing”) and AcidSearch.

Like fiwt, AcidSearch is a SIMBL plugin, but AcidSearch expands your search options in Safari. Why limit yourself to searching Google? With AcidSearch, you can add an unlimited humber of search engines, or search multiple engines at the same time. And that’s not all.

After installing AcidSearch, the drop down menu in Safari’s search field will display a number of additional “search channels,” which can be search engines or Web sites, and it’s easy to add your favorite sites. It also installs a contextual menu, so you can control+right-click on any highlighted word and select an engine from the menu.

AcidSearch also lets you assign a keyboard equivalent or shortcut to a channel, making it a snap to switch between them. For example, let’s say you want to use Google as your default search engine, but want to search the Apple site for dashboard widgets. You can assign the shortcut ap to the Apple site. Then, just type ap dashboard widgets in the search field, and AcidSearch will take you to the search results on the Apple Web site. AcidSearch reverts to your default engine—Google in this example—when you search again.

AcidSearch also lets you search multiple sites. Just group the sites in a folder, add your search tearm, and select the folder. AcideSearch opens each channel in its own tab.

All this is pretty nifty, but AcidSearch also includes a Find As You Type option, so if you install AcidSearch you won’t need fiwt.

Bottom Line: AcidSearch is Google on acid…or steroids? Either way, why setting for searching Google when you can have a gaggle of options to choose from?
From: Robin Hamilton-Pennell
Price: Free
Platform: Macintosh