Choosy browser how to#
Choosy browser manual#
Choosy browser software#
Choosy browser free#
Choosy browser mac#

Choosy browser free#

There’s a free trial, and if it makes your life easier, you can pay a one-time fee to keep using it indefinitely (or until Apple changes the API). It’s got a dead-simple interface that looks and feels native.

Choosy browser mac#

It’s Just Really NiceĬhoosy is one of those great Mac apps written by someone who clearly gets the Mac as a platform. I set up the rules a few weeks ago and haven’t thought about them since. This all happens completely in the background. When I use Alfred to open one of my recipe bookmarks to plan my next trip to the grocery store, Choosy directs me to Safari.

Choosy browser software#

Since I have FoxyProxy set up in Firefox to send all secretly-secret-project requests through the corporate VPN, I can see all my project-related information, regardless of where I am, without having to run any extra VPN software directly on my main machine.

Choosy browser manual#

That means whenever I click on a Slack message from another dev on the team to do some manual testing, Choosy sees that I’m heading for and opens that in Firefox. After you teach it some basic rules using a truly wonderful rule-building UI (reminiscent of the Smart Playlists in Music), it can automatically direct the link you just clicked to open in any of the browsers that you have installed. It won’t let you read the New York Times or chill out on YouTube, but it knows about all of the web browsers that you have installed. Whenever you click a link in an app like Slack, VS Code, or Mail, Choosy handles the link instead of sending it to a normal browser like Safari. Choosy Devs Choose ChoosyĮnter Choosy, a tiny app by one of the devs over at Thoughtbot that does one thing and does it well. It should work for me, not the other way around. If I’m being careful, I’ll right-click the link, copy it, open up Firefox, and paste it in, but honestly, who has the time? And even if I did have the time, I don’t want to babysit my computer.

This setup means that when I click a project link in our Slack channel, it automatically opens in a browser that (since it isn’t connected to my proxy) can’t do anything to help me get my work done. My default browser is Safari for uninteresting reasons. On my current project, my proxy setup only works with Firefox and Chrome, so I want to open any work-related links in one of those two browsers. Skipping the VPN for non-project traffic often makes video calls much less jittery and StackOverflow much snappier. Good fences make good neighbors, and good crypto does too.Īs a side perk, this strategy (isolating the corporate VPN) usually speeds up my overall computing experience. Although every bit of my network traffic is wrapped in thick layers of encryption already, sending data from one client over another client’s network isn’t something that I’m comfortable with. I have a responsibility, not just to my current client, but to everyone that I’ve worked for in the past. Why? As a consultant, I work with clients who trust me to keep their data safe. Whenever I use a corporate VPN, I isolate it and only use it for traffic related to that client’s project. The company bought the device and has a vested interest in protecting everything that happens on it.

Those devices usually come with formal and informal agreements about what can and cannot be accessed, so overall, it’s a pretty fair strategy. VPNs Are GreatĬorporate VPNs are usually built to service the needs of employees, especially those using company-issued devices, so they often funnel all communications through the company’s VPN server. While most of us don’t often need to use VPNs for personal security, they can be invaluable tools for big companies. It helps defend their organization from hackers, corporate espionage, bots, etc. Backstory!Įvery day, while building my client’s web app, I log into their corporate VPN. Here’s how I use a little app called Choosy to reduce the headaches of a multi-browser lifestyle. I’ve been running that setup for a few months now, and it’s been especially powerful during this season of working from home.Īfter writing that guide, I found a new tool that makes my selective VPN recipe even sweeter.

Choosy browser how to#

Last time, I showed you how to use a proxy to send some (but not all) of your traffic over a VPN that lacks built-in traffic controls.