Here’s a list of 20 applications that allow you to create blog posts from the comfort of your operating system environment, no internet connection required.

Mars Edit 2: Mac

Mars Edit is among the most popular desktop blogging apps for the Mac. It supports all of the major blogging platforms such as WordPress, Blogger, and Drupal and even many of the newer ones like Squarespace and Tumblr. Composing a blog post in Mars Edit can be as simple as writing an email but there are enough advanced features like macros (reusable snippets) and TextWrangler integration to keep professional bloggers happy.
Price: $29.95

Flock: Mac & Windows

I know this doesn’t strictly fit the category of a desktop blogging app, but it is a desktop app and it does have blogging integration… so there. Flock is the most unique web browser I’ve ever come across and is absolutely worth checking out. The thing that makes Flock unique is that it has integrated tons of the services you use online into the browser itself (by default). This means you can browse the web while keeping tabs on your social networking and blogging services. The built-in blog editor isn’t as fully featured as Mars Edit, but as a free utility bundled in a browser it’s pretty impressive. Check out all the services Flock supports below. Price: Free


Flock Services

Ecto: Mac

Ecto is a surprisingly fully featured blogging application with support for a ton of platforms. Ecto features include both a rich text editor and an HTML editor, full local control of recently posted entries and drafts, and the ability to convert and scale images. In my own testing Ecto seemed a bit rough around the edges but it’s definitely a good alternative to Mars Edit if you’re looking for something a little cheaper.
Price: $19.95

Qumana: PC & Mac

Qumana is another free option with most of the necessary features we’ve already discussed: WYSIWYG and HTML editor, support for most major blogging platforms, and local control of previous posts. What sets Qumana apart is its emphasis making money with your blog. Qumana lets you easily include ads in your posts so you can (theoretically) earn cash as viewers click on the ads.
Price: Free

Blogo: Mac

Blogo breaks ground in the interface category by delivering a slick, minimal UI for updating your blog. Blogo supports Wordpress, Blogger, Typepad, Typo, Drupal, Expression Engine, Twitter, Ping.fm and more. Notable features include a bookmarklet to easily grab content from your browser, a fullscreen editing mode and easy drag and drop photo uploading/resizing.
Price: $25

MacJournal: Mac

MacJournal is geared more towards private journaling than professional blogging, but it does include full support for LiveJournal, Blogger, Movable Type, and WordPress. MacJournal takes full advantage of OS X by offering features like Quicklook integration and iSight compatibility.
Price: $39.95

BlogJet: Windows

BlogJet is one of the nicer Windows-only options that I came across. BlogJet sports a ton of great features including posting to multiple blogs simultaneously, Flickr and YouTube integration, file sharing/attachments for your readers to download, and browser/feed reader integration. And of course, support for WordPress, TypePad, Movable Type, Blogger, MSN Live Spaces, Blogware, BlogHarbor, Squarespace, Drupal, Community Server, etc.
Price: $39.95

RocketPost

Another really impressive Windows only app, RocketPost claims to be the “only one with WYSIWYG editing, full local editing and full blog import.” RocketPost boast tons of top notch features like automatic linking to related posts, quote tracking, quick linking, auto save, instant photo album creation, and scheduled posts. If you’re on Windows and are serious about blogging, this may be the way to go.
Price: $29

And a Bunch More!

After you’ve listed the features for eight desktop blogging apps, things start to get redundant. So I’m going to stop there and let you check out the rest. The apps above are the ones I found particularly impressive or unique, but here’s another 12 that are definitely worth looking into.

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1. Adobe Creative Suite
An obvious and primary requirement (I feel) all serious web designers should have. I couldn’t get through the day without Photoshop while Illustrator and Flash are constantly called upon. I hear Fireworks is good too, especially for compressing images, but I’ve yet to use it myself.

2. Transmit
Transmit is an FTP client for Mac. Edit remote files, synchronize, search, SSL, tabs; it covers all your daily FTP needs.

3. Coda
Coda is a light-weight all in one text editor. You can edit your code, preview your web page, upload to server (integration with Transmit), edit CSS and run commands in Terminal; all from within this one app. I would use Coda for front-end development.

4. Textmate
Textmate is another text editor that I prefer using for back-end development. Code completion, snippets, syntax colouring are some of the things I enjoy about Textmate along with ease of customizing fonts and colours.

5. CocoaMySQL
CocoaMySQL gives you an interface to work with your MySQL databases. This is a desktop alternative to PHPMyAdmin, which is a lot quicker and in my opinion a lot easier to operate.

UPDATE 13/12/08: CocoaMySQL has been abandoned and replaced with Sequel Pro. Works just as well and looks even better. Check it out.

6. MAMP
MAMP is an easy way to get Apache, MySQL and PHP up and running on your machine. Just by running MAMP all these three services will be up and running, no messing around in Terminal needed.

7. Things
Great app for getting things done. Set yourself project tasks and daily tasks and check them off as and when you get them done.

8. CSS Edit
A very good CSS editor. It allows for real time previews of your website and styles and is a very efficient app allowing you to easily find all styles being applied to certain elements.

9. Transmission
Transmission is used for downloading/uploading torrents over the net. Useful for sharing files with friends and colleagues (among other things)

10. MarsEdit
MarsEdit allows you to compile draft blog posts on your local machine before publishing them live on your blog. I use it daily to take notes on various blog topics I think of and then I can easily compile a blog post over the course of a week.

11. Skitch
I was only recently introduced to this by GoodOnPaper @ FOWA. Allows you to easily share images/screenshots on the web and using the Skitch editor you can add notes to your image or highlight areas of a screenshot. Very useful and saves having to load up Photoshop for simple tasks.

12. Parallels Desktop
You can run Windows XP or Vista on your Mac using Parallels. Handy for being able to test your websites in versions of IE (using Multiple IEs) and if there are any Windows only apps you need to use, e.g. Microsoft Access.

13. Office
A good old favorite for creating text documents, preparing slideshows or looking after sets of data. There are a few Mac alternatives, and of course online alternatives, but I personally prefer Office.

14. Paparazzi
Paparazzi takes full screenshots of webpages. The problem with Cmd+Shift+3 is that it only takes a screenshot of the visible screen. Paparrazi takes the whole height of the page, even below the fold, so it’s great for showing screenshots of your web designs.

15. Twitterific
Easily interact with Twitterland via Twitterific. Saves you having to make the trip to Twitter to see what’s going on as it can retrieve and send tweets for you.

For example, to configure settings for the TextEdit application, open it from your Dock or the Applications folder, then from the TextEdit menu, choose TextEdit Preferences. Other application preferences can be configured in similar fashion.

The System Preferences pane controls system-wide settings (“global” settings), and is available from the Apple menu at the upper-left corner of the screen. System Preferences lets you to adjust things like your screen resolution, keyboard and mouse control, sound, and more. Read on for more information about using System Preferences.

Optimize Your Keyboard, Mouse, and Trackpad

We all type, point, and click differently. That’s why it’s important to make sure that you optimize your keyboard and mouse or trackpad, if you’re using a MacBook or MacBook Pro for your movements. Here’s how to do this.

Customize Your Keyboard

From the Apple menu, choose System Preferences.
In the System Preferences window, click Keyboard & Mouse.
Click the Keyboard tab. These controls allow you to set the keyboard sensitivity for how fast you type.
To control how quickly a key types its character repeatedly when held down, move the Key Repeat Rate slider left to slow down the rate, or right to speed it up. You can use the text field in the middle of the window to test your setting.
To control how long you can hold down a key before it starts repeating, move the Delay Until Repeat slider left to allow a longer delay or right to shorten it.
If you want to reassign the modifier keys on your keyboard (Control, Option, Command, and Caps Lock), click Modifier Keys. In the dialog that slides down, you can change which modifier is assigned to what key, or disable a key altogether. For example, if you keep hitting Caps Lock by accident and wind up typing in ALL CAPS, choose No Action from the Caps Lock Key pop-up menu. Click OK when finished.
If you’re using a MacBook or MacBook Pro and want to use the F1-F12 keys on your keyboard to control other application features, select the checkbox—you’ll need to press the Function (fn) key along with any F1-F12 key to perform a key’s default hardware function.
Optimize Your Mouse

Your Mouse preferences settings may differ, depending on what kind of mouse you’re using.

Open System Preferences and click Keyboard & Mouse to display these preferences.
Click the Mouse tab. These controls let you set the mouse sensitivity to control how fast the arrow flies across your screen when you move your mouse, and adjust for your double-click reflexes. Other controls may be available, depending on the type of mouse you’re using.
To control how fast the arrow moves across your screen when you move the mouse, move the Tracking Speed slider left to slow it down, or right to speed it up.
To set your computer’s reaction to your double-click speed, move the Double-Click Speed slider left if you tend to click slower, or right if you’ve got an itchy trigger finger.
If your mouse has a scroll wheel, you can set its scroll speed using the Scrolling Speed slider. You can also change the mouse’s primary button if you’re using something other than an Apple single-button mouse.
Optimize Your Trackpad

Portable Mac users can change the speed and functionality of their trackpad

Open System Preferences and click Keyboard & Mouse to display its preferences.
Click the Trackpad tab. These controls let you set the trackpad sensitivity to control how fast the arrow moves across your screen when you move your finger across the trackpad, and also adjust for your double-click speed.
To control how fast the arrow moves across your screen, move the Tracking Speed slider left to slow it down, or right to speed it up.
To set your computer’s reaction to your double-click speed, move the Double-Click Speed slider left if you tend to click slower, or right if tend to click faster.
If you want to add double-click functionality to your trackpad, select the Clicking checkbox below Trackpad Gestures. You can also select the Dragging and Drag Lock checkboxes if you’d like to drag items using the trackpad.
Change Your Screen Resolution
You may want to use a high resolution so you can see more files, folders, desktop items, and view graphics at the best possible resolution. Or you may prefer a smaller resolution. Here’s how to adjust your screen resolution.

This MacBook Pro display provides a maximum 1440 x 900 resolution, but also supports several smaller resolutions.

Open System Preferences and click Displays to display its preferences.
Click the Display tab; your display’s supported resolution settings are listed in the Resolutions pane, from the lowest to the highest resolution.
Select any of the choices to change the resolution. A lower resolution gives you less desktop space to display windows and interfaces, but these will also appear larger. A larger resolution maximizes your screen space, letting you see more of a photo or document, and can help you manage applications whose interface elements span multiple windows.
To adjust your screen’s brightness, move the Brightness slider left to make it dimmer, or right to make it brighter.
Change Your Sounds

Open System Preferences and click Sound to display its preferences.
To change the alert sound, it plays when your Mac wants to get your attention, click the Sound Effects tab, and select a sound in the top list.
If you want to hear sound effects play when you do other things in the Finder, such as when you drag stuff to, or empty, the Trash, or remove items the Dock, select the “Play user interface sound effects” checkbox.
To change the overall volume of sound effects, move the “Alert volume” slider left to turn the volume down, or right to turn it up.
To adjust the overall volume of your Mac, move the “Output volume” slider left to quiet things down, or right to crank it up. If you’d rather have your Mac be quiet, select the Mute checkbox.
To adjust the sound balance for your internal or external speakers, click the Output tab, select your speaker device from the list, and move the Balance slider left to skew the stereo sound mix to the left channel, or right to hear more from the right channel.
Customize Your Keyboard Shortcuts
Your Mac has plenty of functions and commands that can be triggered by a simple keyboard shortcut, pressing two or three keys simultaneously to perform an action.

Look in any menu. For example, click the File menu in the menu bar, and you’ll see a list of functions and commands, as well as a two- or three-character code to their right. These are keyboard shortcuts. Most shortcuts are made up of one or two modifier keys (Command, Option, Control, or Shift) and another key. Here’s what modifier keys represent:

You don’t have to stick with the keyboard shortcuts that are already assigned for your Mac. You can customize many of the functions with your own key combinations.

You can dictate which keys to press to make your Mac perform certain tasks in the Keyboard Shortcuts pane.

Open System Preferences and click Keyboard & Mouse to display its preferences.
Click the Keyboard Shortcuts tab to display a list of some of the system-wide menu commands whose shortcuts you can change.
To change any item, double-click on the actual shortcut, the characters in the Shortcut column, and press your preferred key combination to enter it in the text field.
To change the keyboard shortcut for any unlisted system-wide or application-specific item, click the plus (+) button.
In the dialog, choose All Applications or a specific one from the Application pop-up menu, and type the exact name of the menu command that you want to change in the Menu Title field, look in the menu to view the exact name.
Type your preferred keyboard combination in the Keyboard Shortcut field, and click Add.

Change Your Computer’s Sleep Habits
To conserve energy, all Macs have the ability to sleep. That is, when you haven’t used your computer for a set amount of time, the computer enter a low-power mode until you wake it by using it. Sleep doesn’t turn off your computer; it merely puts it into an inactive state that consumes less power. Waking your Mac from sleep is faster than waiting for your Mac to start up after a shutdown.

This is especially helpful for conserving battery life on MacBook and MacBook Pro computers. But sometimes you may need to alter your computer’s sleep settings, such as when you’re burning a DVD—if you’re not interacting with your Mac during this time, it could go to sleep during the process. Or, you may want to have your Mac go to sleep earlier than scheduled. Here’s how to change sleep preferences.

Set the Sleep Time

Open System Preferences and click Energy Saver to display its preferences.
Click the Sleep tab.
Move the sliders for both the computer and display to change the times in which they go to sleep.
Click the Options tab.
Select any other options you want, such as wake options, in the panel.
Customize Your MacBook or MacBook Pro Sleep Habits
If you’re using a portable Mac, you can set different sleep times for your battery and power adapter use.

In Energy Saver preferences, choose Power Adapter or Battery from the Settings for pop-up menu.
To change the sleep times for your power source choice, either move the computer and display sliders to change the sleep time, or choose one of the energy presets from the Optimization pop-up menu.
Schedule Sleep or Shut Down
You can also automate when your Mac goes to sleep and wakes up, or shuts down and starts up. If you want to put your Mac on a set schedule:

In Energy Saver preferences, click Schedule.
In the dialog, select the “Start up or wake” checkbox.
Choose a scheduled interval from the top pop-up menu, for example Every Day or Weekdays.
Set a wake up or start up time in the field to its right.
Select the bottom checkbox and from the pop-up menu to its right, choose either Sleep to have your Mac automatically sleep and wake on schedule, or Shut Down to make your Mac automatically shut down and start up on schedule.
Choose a scheduled interval from the next pop-up menu, for example Every Day or Weekdays.
Set a sleep or shut down time in the field to its right.
Click OK.
Change Your Language
Your Mac is set to display the language for the country in which you bought the computer. In other words, if you bought your Mac in the United States, your Mac is set to English. If you bought your Mac in France, your Mac understands French. But if you prefer to use a different language, you can.

If you bought your Mac in the U.S. but English isn’t your preferred language,
you can switch what language your Mac speaks via drag-and-drop.

Open System Preferences and click International to display its preferences.
Click the Language tab.
In the Languages pane, drag your preferred language to the top of the list.
Restart your Mac or log out and log back in to apply the language throughout your system.
Set Your Media Preferences
When you insert a CD or DVD into your Mac, we told your Mac what it should do. For example, when you insert a music CD, iTunes automatically opens so you can listen to it. When you insert a DVD, DVD Player opens so you can kick back and watch.

But you don’t have to stick with our assumptions. You can tell your Mac what you want it to do when you insert a prerecorded CD or DVD, or a blank disc.

You can tell your Mac which applications, scripts, or actions to take when you insert media

Open System Preferences and click CDs & DVDs to display its preferences.
The top two pop-up menus let you decide what your Mac should do when you insert a blank CD or DVD. By default, both menus are set to “Ask what to do”; this action opens a dialog. You can change it to open your choice of application, open Disk Utility, run a script, or simply ignore it.
The bottom three pop-up menus let you choose what your Mac should do when you insert a music CD, picture CD, or video DVD, respectively.
Change Your Date and Time
Your Mac has the ability to automatically set the correct date and time, or you can choose to set these manually. You can also decide how you want the time and date to display on your Mac. Here’s how to set these preferences.

Open System Preferences and click Date & Time to display the preferences.
Click the Date & Time tab.
If you always want your Mac to set the date and time automatically, select the “Set Date & Time automatically” checkbox, choose your location from the pop-up menu to the right, and skip to step 7. A network connect is required.
To set things manually, or if you don’t have a network connection, deselect the “Set Date & Time automatically” checkbox.
To manually set the date, click on the month, day, or year in the field above the calendar to select it,. Either use the up or down arrows to change the value, or type in the information. Or, click on the correct date in the calendar graphic, to change the month use the left and right arrows.
To set the time, click on the hour, minute, seconds, or AM/PM in the field above the clock to select it. Either use the up or down arrows to change the value, or type in the information. Or, click and drag the hands on the clock graphic to the correct time.
Click the Time Zone tab and either click your approximate location on the map or choose the city closest to you from the Closest City pop-up menu.
To change the way the clock displays on your Mac, click the Clock tab. In this pane, you can select whether to display the time and date in the menu bar, and whether it will be displayed in digital format, or as an analog clock face. Seconds display and additional options are available.