Steven Frank, co-founder of shareware developer Panic Inc., has a side-project that may be of interest to Mac users interested in expanding their Web browsing capabilities: WebDesktop 2.0, a major upgrade to the application that layers a Web browser over your Mac desktop.
With WebDesktop 2.0, you can access a fully functional Web browser from the Finder. Practical applications include monitoring stock quotes, intranet/Internet servers, staying up-to-the-minute with news, and more.
The new version of WebDesktop now uses Apple’s WebKit, announced at WWDC last month. WebKit enables WebDesktop to use the same HTML rendering engine used in Safari, supporting capabilities like Flash and animated GIF images. Keyboard input in forms is supported, too.
Mac OS X 10.2 “Jaguar” and Safari 1.0 are both required to get WebDesktop to work. The software is distributed as freeware.