14 DAY TRIAL // Designed and developed by Dan Greuel, SnowChecker is a desktop application based on the Wiki-based Snow Leopard Compatibility website. Thanks to the thousands of users adding compatibility data to snowleopard.wikidot.com, the program can effectively show which apps are fully or partially compatible with Snow Leopard, as well as provide direct links to the websites they’re hosted on.
Soon after Apple officially launched Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard, a bunch of thoughtful fellows have decided to set into place a Wiki for applications that work with the new OS, applications that are prone to buggy behavior, or even programs that aren’t compatible with OS X 10.6. The web page in question contains a list of applications and their compatibility status with Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard. Users are urged to collaborate by sharing their experience using Mac apps and by adding software that isn’t already listed (that includes different versions). Unfortunately, due to abuse, a registration was soon required to be able to edit the list, but the system worked, and still does.
Based on users’ thorough tests, four categories have been established for applications: “Unknown” (for apps that are untested), “OK” (for apps that work fine), “No” (for apps that do not work), and “Warning” (for those with some problems). Additionally, users are encouraged to visit the Discussion Forum to share compatibility information and Snow Leopard tips and tricks.
In a similar manner, the SnowChecker app shows the status of each application that has been tested against Snow Leopard, allowing users to filter their searches, and even see exactly which of their own apps are compatible or non-compatible with Snow Leopard. Tester notes can also be reviewed, to see exactly what issues a given app has on Mac OS X 10.6. The program downloads information directly from the wiki in question. Currently, some 1,750 programs have been tested.