OStatic

Mac-based open source enthusiasts had plenty of great reading material around the Internet in the last few days. From free alternatives to expensive Mac applications and patched bugs, to free BitTorrent options and an "open" computer that ships with the latest version of Mac OS X, here's what you need to know.

Lifehacker gave a rundown of 10 open source options to the costly applications that come with the newest MacHeist bundle. Author Adam Pash suggests using Mint in place of Cha-Ching, Jumpcut or Quicksilver instead of iClip, and Stacks rather than Overflow. While not all the options he mentions are free, the sum total of what he recommends will only set you back about $10 bucks. As an added bonus, readers make a number of other great suggestions in the comments.

Psystar Open Computer made news this week with promises to ship a low-cost desktop computer pre-loaded with Mac OS X Leopard which is, of course, a violation of Apple's licensing agreement. Naturally, the biggest question is how Psystar can legally offer the optional third-party installation. When Information Week's Paul McDougall asked that very question, all a company representative would say is that they are "not breaking any laws." Before you pony up money for the OpenMac, you may want to have a look at some additional questions CNet's Tom Krazit has after doing a little digging.

This week, Apple issued a patch for its Safai Web browser in response to a flaw discovered during a recent hacking contest. According to PC World, the flaw "lies in the WebKit open-source HTML rendering engine used by Safari and several other Mac OS X programs." To learn more about the bug and download the patch, visit Apple's information page.

If you're ready to dip a toe in the BitTorrent pool, have a look at Zero Paid's list of the top five BitTorrent clients for the Mac. While not everything on the list is free, some are open source software apps that are quite popular with Mac users.

• bittorrent
• mac
• Apple
• Lifehacker
• MacHeist
• Psystar
• Safari