Secrets - Access Secret Mac Preferences

I've been a long-time user of an application launcher extraordinaire called Quicksilver for a few years now. I just love how it works... hit a couple keys, start typing what you want to launch and... boom... it's launched. Of course, Quicksilver can do a lot more (trigger a new email, copy/move/delete files, even control iTunes), but that's not really the point of this review.

The reason I bring it up is because after having used Quicksilver for so long, when I heard about a new project by Alcor - a developer on Quicksilver - I just had to try it out.

The name of the new project is Secrets, and it's a Mac Preference Pane that gives users access to tons and tons of system and program preferences that would otherwise be inaccessible.

Setting up Secrets is simple. Just download the ZIP file from the Secrets website. Inside is a Preference Pane; double-click it to install. When you're finished installing it, you'll see a list (currently of around 20 different programs), showing all the programs included. To see what preferences are available, click a program name.

What kinds of things are we talking about here? Well, as an example, when I click on NetNewsWire (my favorite RSS reader for Mac), I see that there are two options available to me. The first is to adjust the Feed download timeout, and the second is whether or not to include the stylesheet used by NetNewsWire (in displaying feeds), when printing feeds. A quick glance at NetNewsWire's regular preferences shows that while I am able to set the use of my own stylesheet for viewing feeds, there is nothing mentioned about using that stylesheet when printing, and there is nothing about a feed download timeout at all.

And that's why Secrets is so valuable to users. These options are out there... available to be used... but just not accessible to "normal" people. Some may be hidden from view because the software developer didn't want them to be visible, while others may just not have been deemed to be important enough to warrant a spot in the regular application preferences. Regardless, because of Secrets, the secrets are out!

One very cool thing about Secrets that I just noticed is that it doesn't give me preferences I can't use. For instance, in looking at the Secrets website, I notice that it supports a couple different preferences for programs such as Textmate and Acorn (a popular text editor and graphics editor). Well, guess what? I can't see those preferences when I go to the Secrets Preference Pane. Why not? Because Secrets only shows me the preferences for applications I have installed. How cool is that? Only the stuff I need, and nothing I can't use. Brilliant.

One other cool thing about Secrets is how tied in the program actually is to the Secrets website. For instance, let's say you come across a preference that doesn't make sense to you, or one that you're not quite sure what it does. Simply double-click on the secret preference, and you'll be taken to the Secrets website, which gives more detailed explanations of the preference, including such information as exactly what that preference file is called on your computer.

I think Secrets is pretty great. It's obvious that a program like this can be expanded almost indefinitely. All that needs to happen is for new, heretofore hidden preferences be found in programs, and then added to Secrets' list of preferences. Because of this, its usefulness is practically unlimited. The changes that it makes can certainly affect how your programs run, but these changes are also such that it only takes a second or two to undo them.

I'd recommend giving Secrets a try. It's free, it's open source, and it works great.