RubyCocoa is a bridge between the Mac OS X Cocoa Framework API that makes it callable from Ruby code. You can create applications, objects, call Mac OS X Services. You can even call Applescript:

require 'osx/cocoa'
include OSX
def speak (str)
  str.gsub! (/"/, '\"')
  src = %(say "#{str}")
  NSAppleScript.alloc.initWithSource(src).executeAndReturnError(nil)
end
speak "Hello World!"
speak "Kon nich Wah. Ogan key desu ka?"

Ben Bleything submitted a talk to RubyConf, titled “Harmonize: Exploiting RubyCocoa and Sync Services for Fun and Profit” where he discusses making a wrapper around the SyncAPI in Ruby. (blog post introducing Harmonize)

RubyCocoa looks like it may have stagnated a little as the last release was November 2005, but perhaps with such a renewed interest in Ruby, and Mac OS X gaining popularity, perhaps new life with be breathed into it. Projects such as SyncBridge and Harmonize also obviously help.

Update: Check out the very good examples and information at RubyCocoa.com, including how to use your Apple Remote from RubyCocoa .

RouteBuddy is a new GPS and mapping program of Mac OS X. It looks really slick, with a nice interface. They even promote the use for in-car navigation and mapping.

It’s a little expensive, at $100, plus about $50 for each set of maps you want to buy for it. It seems like for $100, you should at least get 1 set of maps for free to start. This kind of pricing isn’t really aimed towards a hobbyist or someone who just wants to ‘play around’ with maps.

There are numerous other mapping solutions for the Mac, none with as smooth an interface, but run much cheaper with similar functionality. Here is a quick list as well as their own blurb and pricing.

USGS Topo!

View any point on the topographic map in 3D or draw a route and see a 3D fly thru of your route. $60

GPSUtility

GPSUtility displays GPS data including speed, bearing, position and satellite information. Free

GPSy

connects your Macintosh to a broad range of Global Positioning System (GPS) navigational units and has advanced mapping, logging, and data transfer features. $50

TrueNav GPS and Go

Expand your digital hub by connecting global positioning system (GPS) devices. Experience the wealth of information that GPS devices are able to provide to your Macintosh. Include location information with your data. $50

MacEnc (by GPSNavX)

charting and navigation application that allows the use of the free NOAA S-57 ENC marine charts on your Mac. $99.95

GPSRouteX

auto-sequencing GPS route navigation application for Mac OS X. Full support for GPSd, import/export Google Earth KML files, import/export GPX files, create your own routes and waypoints, even use your laptop with Google Earth driving directions to give you spoken, “turn-by-turn” driving directions! For a more complete description, check out the feature list.$29

GPSNavX

for the boater that wants to take the Macintosh aboard for real-time display of position on full color marine Softcharts and BSB raster charts.$60

Mac GPSPro

transferring Waypoints, Routes, Tracklogs, and GPS satellite Almanacs. MacGPS Pro works with almost all brands of GPS receivers for a real-time display of GPS information on a moving map on the Macintosh screen. It allows import of maps from a wide variety of sources. These maps can be viewed with no GPS receiver connected, or used in real-time as a moving-map display of your current position and velocity. $50

TopoDraw

allows you to draw new waypoints and tracks directly onto a 2D map simply by pointing and clicking. You can also use TopoDraw to present navigation data gathered with your Garmin GPS unit on a 2D map.$12.95

Route66

contains more than 6,500,000 streets in the US & Canada, ROUTE 66 Route USA 2004 contains no less than 4,000,000 Points of Interest in over 60 categories like hotels, restaurants and petrol stations, most of which together with their addresses and telephone numbers. What is more, ROUTE 66 Route USA 2004 also provides support for GPS, enabling you to establish your exact location using satellite navigation and ensuring that you will never lose your way again.$40

TerraBrowser

Terrabrowser is an internet browser for satellite photos and topographical maps which are obtained from the Microsoft Terra Server. $15

RoadNav

Roadnav is an in-car navigation system that can run on a variety of operating systems like Linux, Windows, and Mac OS X.
Roadnav can obtain a car’s present location from a GPS unit, plot street maps of the area, and provide verbal turn by turn directions to any location in the USA. Roadnav uses the free TIGER/Line files from the US Census Bureau to build the maps, along with the GNIS state and topical gazetteer data from the USGS to identify locations. Free

Trail Runner X

TrailRunner is a route planning software for all kinds of long distance sports like running, biking, hiking, inline-skating, skiing and more, with geographic display of your workout area. Exports to cellphone or iPod Nano. Free

There are also some nice frameworks and utilities for working with GPS:

MacGPSBabel

utility for converting between GPS formats

FourCoordinates

Cocoa Framework for interfacing with GPS devices

GPSd

daemon that allows multiple connections to a GPS unit, GPSdX is a Mac-specific version

NoSweat

interface to the Garmin Forerunner

gps2gpe

GPS to GoogleEarth converter

LoadMyTracks

LoadMyTracks downloads Tracks, Routes, and Waypoints from GPS receivers (including those from Garmin, Magellan, and Timex) to your Macintosh. From these, it can create GPX files (for use in software that understands GPS output) or KML files (for use with Google Earth and Google Maps).

I’ll try and do an overall review of the various applications later.

Apparently Microsoft Virtual PC for Mac is now free. This isn’t surprising, as there is now BootCamp and Parallels Desktop for Mac, yum, 2 os’s at the same time. (via FactoryJoe)

I’ve owned Virtual PC for 2 years now and ran it about 4 times when I first got it. It was too slow on my dual 1.8 G5. Go figure.

So I love me some Macs. I’m a switcher from a long-time DOS/Windows user 4.333 years ago (see sad tale of Jabberwocky). However, as much as I promote Mac OS X and all that is glorious about it, it is still not without its faults.

Snark my dual 1.8G5 decides that he wants to shutdown right now, and there’s no convincing him otherwise. Of course, he does tell me this in several languages, which is very considerate of him.

And when I finally force Snark come back to life, he greets me with useful bits of information

panic(cpu 0 caller 0x000A4754): attempt to interlock mutex (0x04AA9FD8) failed on mutex lock

Latest stack backtrace for cpu 0:
      Backtrace:
         0x00095718 0x00095C30 0x0002683C 0x000A4754
         0x0025F918 0x0025EF28 0x002689F4 0x00268090
         0x002AAF98 0x000ABF30 0x33000000
Proceeding back via exception chain:
   Exception state (sv=0x3B0BEC80)
      PC=0x90046060; MSR=0x0000F030; DAR=0xF058AEC4; DSISR=0x42000000;
      LR=0x90045E20; R1=0xF058ABE0; XCP=0x00000030 (0xC00 - System call)

Kernel version:
Darwin Kernel Version 8.7.0: Fri May 26 15:20:53 PDT 2006; root:xnu-792.6.76.obj~1/RELEASE_PPC

I’ll get right on that.

I rececently found out about BuildFactory. It provides tools like: continuous integration (ala Rails testing), building out of Subversion, and building multiple projects.

Another feature I’d really like to see in some grander build-tool is being able to link Cocoa projects to online bug tracking, like Trac, to link to the appropriate files/lines and changes.