Must Have Mac Apps…
I know, everyone has one of these lists, but I would be remiss if I didn’t have my own…Â Â
The difference is I have two lists…
List #1 – For Everyone
1. Quicksilver (free – absolute must have)
Configure Quicksilver to use Bezel interface and install useful plugins. Google Quicksilver and learn basic functionality. This thing is the most powerful productivity tool I’ve ever used. I can’t use a computer anymore without this. I learn something new with it every day.
2. Safari, Sherlock, Stickies, Mail, iChat, iCal, AddressBook, iTunes, Garageband, iMovie, iPhoto, Dashboard (part of OS)
Ok, these are all cool apps that come with OS X. Some of these you might not have a direct need, but you should check them out. They are part of the Mac experience.
3. NetNewsWire (free Lite version / commercial)
RSS Feed Reader. I have the pro version. I probably use this app more than anything else. The free “Lite” version still rocks.
4. Adium (free)
Multi-IM platformer… supports Yahoo and a bunch of others.
5. Camino (free)
The “Macified” version of Firefox. The browser to use when Safari doesn’t cut it. Uses the same rendering engine as Firefox.
6. Parallels (commercial)
This is how you run Windows XP. Or Ubuntu. Or anything else. I try to avoid this since I enjoy the Mac experience and the apps tailored to meet that experience. But when you don’t have a choice, it’s nice to have the ability.
7. NeoOffice (free)
The “Macified” version of OpenOffice. I used this exclusively for a while to see if I could wean myself off of all MS products. It’s still a tad too slow for my tastes, but it really can get the job done and be an MS Office replacement.
8. OmniGraffle (commercial)
This is the Visio replacement on the Mac. Tons of templates available. All of the diagrams that I’ve ever done here were done with OmniGraffle.
9. Twitterific (free)
Twitter client. If you’re into the latest social networking craze, this app rocks.
10. SuperDuper! (commercial)
Backup tool.
11. Transmission (free)
For all your legal torrent needs.
12. Handbrake (free)
Incredible media manipulation tool. Great way to move your video content from one format to another (or to your iPod, iPhone, or Apple TV).
List #2 – For Developers
1. MacPorts (free – absolute must have for the more technical folk)
This is an amazing package installer for all the Linux/Unix apps that you can imagine. Want to install NMap? Use MacPorts. Want the new version of Vi? Use MacPorts. Installing practically anything that’s not a GUI mac app? Use MacPorts. It handles dependencies, versions, everything. It’s as simple as typing – “sudo port install postresql”.
2. iTerm (free)
A slightly better replacement to the Terminal app that comes with OS X.
3. DbVisualizer (commercial)
If you need to work with a database, this is the tool you need.
4. TextMate (commercial)
The most powerful text editor I’ve ever used.
5. Fugu (free)
Most excellent SCP client. *THE* secure way to move files back and forth between Macs / Linux boxen.
6. VirtueDesktops (free)
If you like having multiple desktops (think Unix), this app rocks. This functionality will be supplanted with functionality built into the next version of the Mac OS (Leopard).
7. Xcode (comes with OS)
If you’re fortunate enough to be able to do Unix or Mac development, this is the IDE to use. Although I’ve been supplementing Xcode with TextMate. Xcode is pretty good – I won’t say it’s of the maturity of VisualStudio, but it’s still pretty good.
