Fluid review

The beauty of WebKit, the framework that provides basic functionality for Apple's Safari browser, is that it can be put to work in many other applications, too.

Because WebKit is built into Mac OS X itself, it's a relatively simple task to build your own browser-based application using Apple's own developer tools. So simple, in fact, that it can almost be automated - and that's what Fluid is all about.

Fluid is an ingenious application designed to build site-specific browsers for use with one website - usually one that offers some kind of online application.

Fluid presents you with very little in the way of user interface: just a simple box asking for a URL, a name, and optionally the location of a .png file to act as an icon. Click on the Create button and Fluid builds a brand-new browser-based application for you on the spot, neatly sticking the finished product in your Applications folder where it belongs. It'll even launch it for you.

Making each new application is so simple that Fluid can become quite addictive: which web service can you compartmentalise into its own little application next?

Obvious candidates include webmail services such as Google Mail, Yahoo Mail and MSN. You might want to put Google Reader or another online RSS service inside a separate browser. Fluid is also useful for people addicted to online radio stations, or perhaps the BBC iPlayer.

However, what's the point of separating websites out in this way? Some people find it easier to treat their email as a separate application, even if it's web-based. Others might find online audio and video less of a distraction if they're kept away from work-related browsing. And Safari might thank you for putting less strain on it by keeping mail and RSS tabs open for days on end.

If you use a lot of web apps, or even just one or two quite often, Fluid gives you more choice on how you use them. And since it's free, there's little to be lost (except productive work time) by downloading it and having a play around.