It had been suggested that I use 1Password a while ago. Since I was already used to using browser-based user/pass management, the thought of purchasing something to input them all over again was discouraging to say the least.

However, due to the good nature of a friend, I was gifted a Mac license of 1Password recently. The interface is slick as hell, and I found that it did a lot more than just give you a notepad to put passwords.

The program is pro all the way and allows you to put in website logins, server accounts, financial information, and even identities. What's even better is that it is now cross-platform, and with a little Dropbox magic, both Mac and Windows are synched. Change a password on my MacBook tonight, go to work tomorrow and Windows has the same thing. The icing is that both platforms have working Google Chrome plugins (my browser of choice) so that you just click a button and it enters your info into the website.

The reason it's called 1Password is that now that I have all my info inputted correctly (which took a whole day) all I need to know is ONE PASSWORD. I made a crazy password as a master and that's it. Start up the program (or access it via plugin), enter that skeleton key, and you're in. What one should now do is generate a bunch of new passwords that are high quality and unique (unlike my crappy ones that I repeat all over the place), because you don't need to remember them (which is why they end up being crappy and repeated). As long as you remember the master password, all the subsequent passwords can be as ridiculous as you want, which makes you more secure overall. This is something I didn't realize until today when it was pointed out, and it really does change the way I think about creating passwords forever.

The only caveat is that the Windows version is obviously a port, design-wise, since the Mac version is so...Mac: in other words, it looks sweet as hell. Microsoft's side looks much less appealing, but thankfully you won't be looking at it much since you'll basically just be interacting with it via browser plugin.

Initial investment is significant, so be prepared to put some time in to get the program full of personal information goodness. On the other hand, you could just fill it in as you use sites, slowly filling the holes. Either way, I highly recommend it. Agile Web Solutions is the developer, so check it out.