Frequency is a client for various weblog systems, including MovableType and Blogger. It has a unique design: it is written using the RealBasic development environment, which allows its author to release versions for the Mac OS and Windows simultaneously.

Frequency's initial setup screen allows you to select the font used for editing entries, choose some basic posting options, and configure your weblog accounts. To configure weblog accounts, you must enter your username and password, as well as the "RPC host" for your blog. Frequency does not provide any in-line help for figuring out what the RPC host should be. The Frequency documentation does offer some suggestions, but it would be nice to have that information up front. Once the RPC host is entered, you can get a list of the blogs available on your host. Selecting a blog from the list will fill in the rest of the required information, such as the blog name and blog ID.

When setup is finished, Frequency offers a simple interface to create and edit posts. There is a main window, in which you can enter the title, body, and category of your blog entry, along with some HTML and text formatting tools. There is a "Weblogs" menu, which selects the particular weblog that the current post will be sent to, as well as a Posts menu, which has functions to display a list of previous posts, refresh the list of post categories, or post the current entry to the weblog. Beyond these basic functions, Frequency has very few frills.

To publish an entry, you must simply click the "Post" button from the main blog entry window. This causes Frequency to communicate with the blog server, sending the new entry and rebuilding any remote files as necessary.

Frequency cannot control the overall look and feel of your blog. This is a limitation of the API Frequency uses to communicate with the server, which is only designed to manage the content of a blog, not the layout. You can, of course, customize the look of each individual entry by using HTML tags within the post itself.

The Frequency download includes a PDF file with complete documentation on Frequency's features and usage. This documentation is easy to follow, and applies to both the Mac and PC platforms (one benefit of the aforementioned cross-platform development).

Regarding the previously mentioned cross-platform development, it can be seen as both a positive and a negative for the program. It's positive because it enables just about everybody to use the program, whether they're on a Mac or a PC. It ensures that Frequency will look and act the same no matter what type of computer it runs on. And it makes development and support much easier and faster, since the developer has to focus on only one set of features. It is negative, however, because it precludes the use of technologies unique to the Mac OS. Other applications written purely for the Mac can make use of automatic spell checking, built-in printing and searching, and many graphical interface elements that Apple makes available. Because of this, Frequency does not have the same look and feel that most Mac users have become accustomed to.

In the end, Frequency is a simple and relatively easy to use program, which may satisfy the needs of many basic users. It may also be a good choice for those who want uniformity across multiple platforms. However, its relatively small feature set and lack of good Mac OS look and feel may leave some users wanting more.

All of the contents of this site are copyright 2004 by Peter R. Wood, unless otherwise indicated. Email me if you have any questions.