Philip Foeckler
Feb 21, 2007
Most desktop earth simulators carry a hefty price tag (EarthDesk and Live Deskpicture each cost $20, not including upgrades). Being a young designer on a budget, I scoured the web for a cheaper alternative and stumbled upon the donation-ware gem, OSXplanet.
Based on the popular XPlanet, OSXplanet matches most its competitors’ features for free. It offers an instant view of global daylight and includes multi-monitor support. But it ups the ante with options to see the entire solar system as well as storms and earthquakes. The live-renderings are brilliantly designed and thankfully more subtle than the bright and colorfully gaudy maps of EarthDesk.
Programmed by 17-year-old Gabriel Otte, OSXplanet also has a highly-customizable Cocoa interface.
For a fascinating visualization of our planet and solar system, or to play a god for the day, give OSXPlanet a try.
1 Comment
Gomez K.
7:00 am
Gaudy? To each his own… OSXPlanet looks cluttered to me while EarthDesk seems more natural. Twenty bucks didn’t seem too heafty to me… only about 15 Euro.