MacFusion Editor's Review

MacFusion is a program that allows you to mount FTP and SFTP/SSH directories like they were local volumes or mounted volumes via SMB/CIFS on your LAN (Local Area Network).

MacFusion provides an easy interface that allows you to mount these folders usually with a few mouse clicks. Basically, the application offers a 'Quick Mount' option, that allows you to connect quickly to a FTP or SFTP/SSH directory without a persistent storing of the connection/authentication data.

The other possibility is to use the 'Favorites' list which gives you the possibility to use a bookmarks list for all your remote directories. Depending on the connection type, FTP or SSH, you need to input things like the name of the bookmark, server address, server port if it's a SSH connection, server path, username. If the connection type is a SSH one, you also need to chose the authentication type between password and public key, and you can use some extra options.

The FTP connection type doesn't give you the possibility to input a different listening port for the FTP connection, but it can be used with a little trick by using IP:PORT syntax for the server address. The 'Favorites' window allows you to use the auto-mount functionality for the defined favorites connections.

The 'Preferences' panel is very short and consistent. You can set the application to check for updates when starting up, you set the application to start at login, and you can edit the Sleep/Wake behavior. The Sleep/Wake behavior allows you to use options like: don't touch mounts, unmount on sleep, remount on wake, and unmount on sleep, don't remount.

Pluses: it allows you to mount remote FTP and SFTP/SSH directories like they were local volumes, or SMB/CIFS remote share from your local network if you use one. It features a quick connect functionality that won't store the connection/authentication data. It also features a 'favorites' list, which allows you to use bookmarks for all your connections. The application also supports integration with the KeyChain, so you won't have to type passwords every time when you would connect to a remote directory.

Drawbacks / flaws: the application comes as a beta build, so you might expect some unpleasant surprises. During the testing it was stable and it didn't get stuck or crash at all, but this can't be a warranty.

In conclusion: with all this provided functionalities, and with the Finder integration as a Mac volume, you can kiss good bye your default FTP and SFTP/SSH client. This application makes things more consistent, so usually you can work remotely in a seamless way as you work on your local or local network mounted volumes. The only thing that misses from the FTP/SFTP functionality is the possibility to modify the file permissions, but this can be done by using the Terminal, since the directory is mounted like a local one.

version reviewed: 1.1 Beta 2