There are many websites where you are required to register an account though you aren’t at this MacHouse weblog. The number of websites on the Internet is increasing exponentially. So one major problem that you and I may be facing is how to manage all accounts comprehensively.

From time to time, we mention a Mac shareware title called PasswordMaster. It allows you to store accounts quite effectively. We like it a lot. A problem is that this shareware title is no longer updated. So Intel Mac users won’t be able to use it natively.

Let me spend a few minutes showing how PasswordMaster works. If you want to add an account, first, click on the Add button at the bottom. Then enter a service name, username, password, and URL. (See Screenshot 01.) If necessary, you can write under Notes additional information like an e-mail address used to register an account. If you are finished, then click on the Save button.

Screenshot 01

Screenshot 02

Screenshot 03

PasswordMaster lets you enter a URL under Website. And if you click on the button to the right (See Screenshot 02.), the default web browser will open and forward you to the URL you have entered. (See Screenshot 03.) That’s quite neat.

Now, as shown in Screenshot 04, I have quite a number of accounts stored with PasswordMaster. It would be nice if I could classify these accounts into several categories. In this way, it would be easier to find a particular account quickly.

Screenshot 04

Screenshot 05

Anyway, for some reason, if you have to back up password data, simply go to Backup Data under Tools. Then PasswordMaster will export a folder containing three files. (See Screenshot 05.) The application itself is replaceable. So, next time, whether or you have reinstalled PasswordMaster or are using the same copy, all you have to do is to choose Restore Data.

So are there alternatives to PasswordMaster? I wasn’t really looking for one. But yesterday I ran into a freeware title called sharedsecrets from ELKOSOFT Software in Germany. So let me show you how sharedsecrets works hereafter. 

After installing sharedsecrets, if you launch it, you will be prompted to enter a password. (See Screenshot 06.) Whenever you access your password data, you have to enter this ‘master password.’ So let me set up mine. Then I will get to the application window. What’s so nice about sharedsecrets is that there are four default categories and you can create more for yourself. (See Screenshot 07.)

Screenshot 06

Screenshot 07

Screenshot 08

All right, then… Let me add a new account. I’m going to press the plus sign button under Secret. (See Screenshot 08.) And, as shown in Screenshot 09, I’ve entered a username, password, URL and my e-mail address under notes. There’s a button next to the URL entry. Let me click on it. (See Screenshot 10.) And Safari will launch itself and go to the URL that I have entered. (See Screenshot 11.)

Screenshot 09

Screenshot 10

Screenshot 11

By the way, PasswordMaster supports 2-byte characters including Greek letters. But it doesn’t support Asian languages. How about sharedSecrets? As shown in Screenshot 12, it’s no problem for me to enter Japanese characters.

Screenshot 12

Screenshot 13

Screenshot 14

Now, let me quit sharedSecrets by selecting ‘Quit sharedSecrets’ under sharedSecrets. (See Screenshot 13) If I re-relaunch sharedSecrets… I’ll be prompted to enter the master password. (See Screenshot 14.) Let me enter it, then. And I get my data back. Again, sharedSecrets recognizes my Japanese characters with no problem. (See Screenshot 15.)

By the way, does sharedSecrets let us backup data? Hmm… It doesn’t let us export data files like PasswordMaster. But don’t worry. Looking at the top of the application, it says ‘localFile.sSs.’ That’s the name of the data file that you can back up. And you can find it inside user/Library/Application Support/sharedSecrets/. (See Screenshot 16.)

Screenshot 15

Screenshot 16

Screenshot 17

Okay. Let me relocate this file and see what happens. As shown in Screenshot 17, I have moved the file to a volume titled RamDisk. So the file is no longer found inside the sharedSecrets folder. If I launch the application… Right… I have to start all over again by setting a master password. (See Screenshot 18.)

Screenshot 18

Screenshot 19

Okay. Then let me put the data file back to where it was before after quitting the application. (See Screenshot 19.) And if I launch sharedSecrets again… I’ll be prompted to enter my master password. (See Screenshot 20.) Then I get my data back. (See Screenshot 21.)

Screenshot 20

Screenshot 21

So far, we like this freeware title. There are two aspects for which we hope the software developer will consider making changes when they can.

1. E-mail address: Nowadays, no website will let us set up an account without an e-mail address, right? So we need one more entry.
2. Default web browser: Even when you set your default web browser to Camino, Firefox, Netscape or whatever, if you click on the arrow button, it’s always Apple’s Safari that will open. It will be nice if the default web browser will launch itself, don’t you think?

Note: The software developer says on its website that one needs OS X 10.5 Leopard to run sharedSecrets. Nonetheless, we have encountered no trouble launching it under OS X 10.4.11 (PowerPC G5).

MacHouse recommendation: This is a very nice freeware title only for Mac users. If you need to manage your accounts comprehensive, we recommend you to try it out.






CutX is a product of ELKOSOFT Software GmbH.

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