Essential Mac OS X Applications...
- Acquisition - Gnutella file sharing client
- Adium - Multi-protocol instant messenger client
- Address-o-sync - Sync multiple Macs without .Mac
- Amadeus - Great tool for audio enthusiast
- Audio Hijack Pro - Custom audio output filtering
- Backlight - Menu extra toggles screensaver as your desktop
- BurnX Free - Burn multiple sessions on CD
- Butler - Get more out of Finder
- CandyBar - Change your application and system icons
- Carbon Copy Cloner - Easy-to-use backup/cloning utility
- Chmox - An OS X native CHM file (Compiled HTML/eBook) reader
- Cocktail - Simplifies use of UNIX functions in OS X, and more
- Colloquy - IRC client
- CSSEdit - Visual CSS style editor
- DeepVacuum - Download entire websites
- Default Folder - Expanded functionality in "Save As.." dialogue boxes
- Deja Vu - Schedule regular file backups
- Delicious Library - Catalogue your books, cd's, games, dvd's
- Dimensionizer - Contextual Menu to display an image’s dimensions
- DeskShade - Hide desktop icons, terminal lock, and more
- Desktastic - Doodle on your desktop
- Dock-It - Add multiple multi-fucntion docks
- DragThing - An alternative to the dock
- DV Backup - Use your DV camera as a backup medium
- Evocam - Webcam application with built in web server, FTP, etc.
- FileJuicer - Extract images from Powerpoint, PDF, HTML, and CAB files
- Fink - Unix Ports for X
- Firefox - Open source web browser
- Fugu - An SFTP, SCP and SSH frontend
- Huevos - Customisable search engine helper
- HyperEdit - live previews of HTML and PHP pages
- iBank - Intuitive personal finance manager
- iBiz - Self-employed time billing manager
- iConquer - 1-to-6 player world conquest game
- iPodDisk - Utilize your iPod as an iDisk
- iRooster - Great free alarm clock
- iWipe - Secure disk and file deletion
- iZoom - Crop and resize your photos
- LiteSwitch X - Keyboard application switcher
- Little Snitch - Alerts you of outgoing network connections
- MacJanitor - Great tool for running & rescheduling OS X maintenance tasks
- MacMame - Multi arcade machine emulator
- MacSniffer - View all traffic on a network connection
- MacTheRipper - Go Ahead, Back that DVD up
- MacTracker - Database of all Mac models
- Mac Vim - The aqua version of Vim
- Mail.appetizer - Enhance Mail with this small but handy notification plugin
- Mplayer for OS X - Another great video player
- Net Monitor - Network throughput monitor
- Net Tool Box - Handy tool for the toolkit - for network issues
- NetNewsWire - RSS aggregator (If you're gonna use one, use NetNewsWire)
- Onyx - System tweaks and configuration
- OSXvnc - VNC remote control protocol
- PDF Browser Plugin - Allows web browsers to display PDF files
- Pixen - Pixel graphics editor
- Quicksilver - Application launcher and much more
- RCDefaultApp - Preference pane to set default applications
- Renamer4Mac - Rename files en masse. Useful for digital cameras
- SideTrack trackpad driver - Enhanced trackpad driver for Apple Laptops
- Simon Extreme - Classic Milton Bradley Simon game
- Skype - Uses P2P for phone-over-internet talking
- SubEthaEdit - Use Rendezvous for collaborative editing
- Synergy - Adds iTunes controls to your menu bar
- Transmit - FTP client
- Unison - Usenet newsreader handles messages, files, & media
- Virtue - Virtual desktop manager
- VLC - Play DivX encoded movies (and more).
- VoodooPad - Notepad with many advanced features
- Word Browser Plugin - Allows web browsers to display Word files
- xPad - Notebook/scrapbook supports drag & drop
- XRay - Expanded version of the Finder's "Get Info" window
- xScope - Suite of screen tools for UI designers
What would you add to this list?
Linotype FontExplorer X: iTunes for fonts.
MarsEdit: NewNewsWire’s blog editor sibling
SuperDuper: best backup utility
Itunes plugins
Gaslight, very nice visual and free
http://www.steelskies.com/gaslight/
Coverflow, nice way to select songs by browsing through album artwork instead of names.
http://www.steelskies.com/coverflow/HomePage.html
Screensaver
Soundstream “is a Mac OS X screensaver created with Quartz Composer.
It consists of a randomly moving particle generator (reminiscent of Flurry) that reacts to the sound level picked up by your computer’s microphone.“
http://www.pcheese.net/software/soundstream/
A couple of things:
1. Acquisition is not free (but its very good—even does Torrents!)
2. Camino should replace FireFox on the Mac. FireFox is a sad port of a Windows application, and is a complete dog on the Mac.
3. I prefer NewsFire to NetNewsFire. I find it a lot simpler and better designed.
urls would be nice to see with recommendations.
Bare Bones’ TextWrangler surely belongs on this list!
renicer is a must… 1.2.9 is at versiontracker. It magically makes your computer “faster”, by raising the priority of whatever app is currently being used. Can also be set to have the opposite effect on what’s not being used. Very handy.
vuescan
I think iScroll is a better app than Sidetrack…
I’m suprised noone has mentioned WindowShade X by unsanity. This little app reproduces the windowshade effect from OS9 when you doubleclick on a window’s title bar. Best $10 I ever spent for a program.
We started using SuperDuper by Shirt Pocket alongside Carbon Copy Cloner. It is free to use but registration allows for incremental backups using sparse images. It does everything that CCC does but the interface is much nicer.
How could they forget Volume Logic from Octiv? Makes all your iTunes tunes sound like they’ve been completely re-mastered and makes even the worst audio systems blow you away. Awesome.
How about CyberDuck:
“Cyberduck is a open source FTP and SFTP (SSH Secure File Transfer) browser licenced under the GPL with an easy to use interface, integration with external editors and support for many Mac OS X system technologies such as Spotlight, Bonjour, the Keychain and AppleScript.“
The title says “Essential Mac OS X Applications”. Not “Essential FREE Mac OS X Applications”.
LaunchBar is essential. But it’s trialware, not free.
LAUNCHBAR LAUNCHBAR LAUNCHBAR
basically i wouldn’t enjoy using a mac without it.
ive used it in comparison with quicksilver and in my opinion it doesn’t compare.
get it at http://obdev.com
TextWrangler???
I can’t believe no one has added the old standard Mac apps that are always my first recommendations to new Mac users:
BBEdit for html - commercial, and their free companion TextWrangler.
Graphic Converter - view and translate almost any graphic format to any other.
I can live without almost every other app on the list or among the suggestions (the exceptions being CarbonCopyCloner and Transmit).
RBrowser is another good ftp client.
Another vote for skEdit. Great app.
I would replace CarbonCopyCloner with SuperDuper! It’s a much better backup app.
Also missing from the list - Wallet from Waterfall Sofware. Great little app for generating and storing passwords and other information. http://waterfallsw.com/
I would also remove/supplement Firefox with Camino. It’s a much more mac like gecko browser. The only real reason to use Firefox over Camino is if there is a certain extension that provides a feature you can’t get in Camino.
SafariStand should also be on the list. It’s a great addition to Safari.
X3D and VRML for Mac - how can one suffer without it?
OpenSource VRML/X3D browser for (among other platforms) OS X,
managed by me.
http://www.crc.ca/FreeWRL
I like Barquee way better than Synergy:
http://www.fourminutemilesoftware.com/barquee
Indeed! TextMate is badly missing.
http://macromates.com/