Fluid: Because Web Apps Deserve Their Own Tiny Apps
I saw the link to Fluid from this entry over at MacRumors.com. I got intrigued and checked it out. Fluid is an application that creates small applications from web sites you frequently visit. Think of it as a web browser specifically for that web site or web app.
Fluid works this way. You enter the url of the web site or web app you visit often. My first test was Digg. After inputting the url you type in the name you want to give it. Guess what I named mine? Digg. What a surprise?!? Then you can set the location where you want to save the tiny app that Fluid will make. The default is in the Applications folder. That’s where I saved mine. You can set the icon you want to use, either by using the web site’s favicon or selecting another icon altogether. Click create and there you go. It creates the tiny app for you.
Now every time I want to browse Digg, I just use the tiny application that Fluid created. By default all links in Digg’s domain get opened in the Digg app that Fluid created. Links outside of that get opened in your web browser. Cool..
The tiny app created by Fluid is referred to as Site Specific Browsers or SSBs. It’s really just that a browser specifically for that web site. This is good for web sites/apps that you visit a lot such as Gmail, Digg, YouTube etc. It keeps them contained in their own environment. Thus allowing you to use your normal web browser for well… web browsing.
Fluid is a nifty little app. I’ll be exploring it more and see if it’s worth keeping. It’s a free download here. Be sure to check out the entire site and read about Fluid.
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POSTED IN: Apps, Juan's Posts, Software
1 opinion for Fluid: Because Web Apps Deserve Their Own Tiny Apps
Ben Boles
Jun 23, 2008 at 12:13 pm
I downloaded Fluid a little while back and set up a few of my everyday websites as apps but I found myself visiting them more in my browser than in the app. I guess you have to just force yourself to do it but that makes it feel so less natural which is what I want from an app in the first place.
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