Even though two emails to the company went unanswered, I bought it.

This is the equivalent product to DTSearch on Windows and performs just as well.

It indexes files and content (including system files in both Libraries) so you can look for any word or phrase and expect a return set of what it found and where.

It's so fast and the results so complete (on my early 2008 MacBook Pro) that no other desktop search product is worth paying for.

My sole regret is the lack of responsiveness of the developers.

But it's a hell of a product!

I am a management consultant that spends half his time writing proposals, writing papers for my doctoral studies or blogging. I'm always remembering an old file that I could use, but could never find ... that is until I found FoxTrot. On my old Windows system, I would use Google Desktop and maybe, after what seemed like an hour of searching, I might find what I was looking for. More often than not I would not find the file in question.

Once I moved to Mac, the search function was just not enough. I bought an earlier version of FoxTrot and it was ready to go in almost no time at all. I was surprised at how fast it indexed all of my files. I have several old external drives hooked up and have more than a terabyte of old data.

With FoxTrot, I was finding files that I didn't remember having. It was waaaaaay better than Google Desktop search. I now save countless hours of searching and have the confidence to know that if FoxTrot doesn't turn it up, I don't have the file.

I sleep much better since I don't feel quite as disorganized.

The newest version of FoxTrot put everything together in a seamless window rather than have optional windows to the side of the main search window. It is pretty darn simple. You search, you find, you get closure fast.

I've noticed a couple of enhancements in 2.5 so far, more informative process icons for the indices and the ability to share archives over a local network. According to email sent to users there are also fixes for a few Snow Leopard issues

Foxtrot Pro Search has no support. It won't index my Mail - and I've tried to get support twice. I get an automated response - but they don't bother to reply. Be warned! It's a pity, because the indexer is otherwise very impressive, and I'd be tempted to buy it if they supported the product properly.

I've tried all the search apps that I could find. In OS X, I previously used SpotInside, but I switched to FT Pro. It is the best, but, as the previous poster said, it is a work in progress.

FT Professional is theapp that comes closest to the all time champion, the classic App Ultrafind (now free). But it's much faster. The Preview and View options quickly show words in context much more usefully than SpotInside does. One can choose the file types to view (mail, pdf's...) from a side bar, a great time saver.

Documentation is sparse. FT builds its own index and does not use Spotlight's index. That's an advantage, but it does not index some document types that Spotlight can. For these, SpotInside is a good backup. The support, as the last poster says, is spotty. The Support staff has not responded (in public at least) to some recent serious issues. Seee the mailing list at http://www.mail-archive.com/foxtrot-discuss@ctmdev.com/ .

I bought the professional version and don't regret it. I need the extra options, and the program has already paid for itself in time saved. However for most, the Personal version is the true bargain.