While most of the Mac blogosphere has been occupied with a certain other browser release, the OmniGroup, a stalwart of NeXT and OS X software development, has made four of its own previously commercial apps, including the very appealing OmniWeb browser, completely free of charge. The other applications in question are presentation improver OmniDazzle, useless file remover OmniDiskSweeper, and developer tool OmniObjectMeter.

Back years ago, pre-Safari and Firefox, my brother and I would debate constantly about which the best OS X browser. He said OmniWeb, and I always argued in favor of Chimera (which turned into Camino). The reasons were pretty clear. I was a college student and poor, and he was gainfully employed and could afford to pay for his browser. Also, I had a 12″ Powerbook, and he had a 17″ model, so the large amount of screen real estate needed to take advantage of all of OmniWeb’s cool features was no sweat for him.

A lot of time has passed since then, Camino has improved dramatically, and so has OmniWeb. I’m still no convert, but I’m more tempted than I have ever been. And free DiskSweeper! That’s awesome!

Hat tip: Gruber