MacOS – Is there a Mac application that lets you manage google docs from the desktop

I know you said you didn't want to use a browswer, but if you use Chrome, it should be possible to save a site (like GMail for example) as an application on your desktop, which will then allow you to run that application without all the fuss of a browser.

1. Click the Tools icon (or Page Menu)
2. Select "Create Application Shortcut"
3. Profit!

You can achieve this with google-docs-fs in concert with MacFUSE.

For more information, refer to the Online Manual for google-docs-fs which lists all the prerequisites needed for installation and has installation instructions for Mac OS X.