Meerkat 1.5: Great SSH Tunneling Gets Even Better

I'm please to announce the immediate availability of Meerkat 1.5! The best Meerkat release yet, Meerkat 1.5 features a number of under-the-hood improvements, as well as a complete visual overhaul in the user interface. I'd like to take a moment to highlight some of the most useful changes.

At the top of the list is a long-requested feature: automatic retry of tunnels. While Meerkat already automatically reconnects tunnels when you change networks, sleep and wake your Mac, or have an interruption in connectivity, now Meerkat takes this a step further. A tunnel is retried at increasing intervals, so a minor network hiccup won't require your attention if the tunnel can't connect on the first try. In fact, if you eventually get an internet connection and if the server is up, you should likely never see the error dialog again. Meerkat works tirelessly behind the scenes to keep your tunnels up and running. What's more, a quick glance at either the main window or the menu bar will let you know if Meerkat is working on getting a tunnel back online.

Automatic Retry In Action
(click to enlarge)

Another solid improvement in Meerkat 1.5 is much better error reporting when there is an immediate connection problem. If your server is down, you forgot to turn SSH back on, or there is a password problem, Meerkat will tell you exactly where SSH is having the problem. And if a password no longer works, Meerkat will automatically remove it from your keychain so that you can be prompted for the new one, optionally saving it back into the keychain for future use. Combined with Meerkat's existing strengths in allowing you to choose which passwords stay in the keychain and which exist only in your head, as well as effortless SSH agent integration, all of your authentication needs should be covered.

Most visibly, Meerkat 1.5 has been given a big facelift. Each element of the main user interface was scrutinized, tiny tweaks were made here and there, and we think the results speak for themselves. There is a more pleasing balance to the main window while providing a bit more info.

Old Main Window (click to enlarge)

New Main Window (click to enlarge)

A more dramatic change is seen in the tunnel editing. What was once one panel with a disclosure view for advanced options is now two tabs, again lending a more balanced look while being clearer to read at a glance and more pleasing to the eye.

Old Tunnel Edit (click to enlarge)

New Tunnel Edit - Basic (click to enlarge)

New Tunnel Edit - Advanced (click to enlarge)

There are many other niceties to be found under the hood of Meerkat 1.5. We've put a lot of work into both requested features as well as unrequested tweaks that we feel are big improvements. In addition, Meerkat's product page features a slew of short, one-minute screencasts highlighting Meerkat's main features. And as always, Meerkat features a 14-day unrestricted trial, so why not download Meerkat now?

As a final note, I just wanted to say thanks to both our software customers as well as our clients. Code Sorcery Workshop has recently celebrated three years as a business. Every day is still new and exciting and better than the last. I look forward to another three years -- and beyond -- providing software and services to people around the world. Thank you.