Although my buddy WyldKard recently published a nice list of software available for Mac, some of his choices don’t always match up with the average Apple user. For folks like me that use a computer for email, internet, blogging, music, movies, writing, and Iphone maintenance, here is a list of the programs I couldn’t do without. Oh and did I mention most of them are free?
ClamXav: Virus protection (free) - Sure most viruses, okay like 98% of them are for Windows PCs, but it never hurts to be safe. ClamXav is a free, updated daily virus scanner for the Mac. It is stable, unobtrusive, and works like a charm.
Firefox: Web browser (free) - The Mac version of the best web browser on the market. Fast, stable, and the most secure browser available.
CyberDuck: FTP (free) - For those of you who upload files to a website or server, this is the program for you.
Yemuzip: Compressing folders (free) - One of the only quirks with Mac is that the native compression format is not compatible with Windows. This easy to use zipping application will do the trick.
iWork: Word processing, spreadsheets, and presentations ($70) - As I have said before, why pay $150-300 for MS Office, when iWork runs faster and is easier to use for less than half the price. And yes, iWork applications are compatible with Office 2008.
iToner: Iphone custom ringtones ($15) - About the only thing my Iphone lacks is support for my custom ringtones. iToner solves the problem by allowing me to upload any ringer I make.
Handbrake: Ripping DVDs (free) - Really the shining example of what open source software can be. With Handbrake, ripping any DVD or video file to be perfectly formatted for almost any device is a snap. Perfect for the Iphone.
iPhoto: Photo editing (included) - For the average user, this is all you need to crop, edit, and organize all your digital pictures.
iMovie: Video editing (included) - Ever wish you could edit your ex out of a vacation video or edit the crap scenes out of Star Wars Episode 1? iMovie makes it easy and fun, although admittedly my Star Wars Episode 1 is now just credits and a few explosions...
iTunes: Music and movies (included) - Perfect for organizing playlists, buying digital media, and synching with your Ipod and Iphone. The best digital media program in existence.
iChat: Text, voice, and video chat (included) - Wouldn’t it be nice to use one program to chat using AIM, Gmail, and any other mainstream chatting service. iChat does it all and includes video chat with media sharing.
TimeMachine: Backup (included) - This software allows you to go back in time to snapshots of your computer and recover any file or folder you deleted or edited. It also interfaces smoothly with the TimeCapsule to backup your entire harddrive wirelessly. It makes backing up your data easy and automatic.
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6 comments:
Out of curiosity, why do you prefer Firefox over Safari?
Well, I started with FireFox while I was still on a PC and found it to be stable and fast. Now on the Mac, not only do I prefer the performance and compatibility with most sites compared to Safari, but recently when there was a flash/authentication exploit, Firefox was the first to counter it. In fact, Firefox was immune to the exploit whereas Safari and IE required patches. I also support Firefox as I think it is a viable cross platform alternative that can compete with IE. The fact that it is free and community supported is further icing on the cake.
I wouldn't call IE cross-platform when they've pretty much abandoned OS X.
How can you live without the up and down errors jumping to the beginning and end of input boxes, respectively, by not using Safari?
I didn't mean to imply IE was cross-platform, but that FireFox is nice cross-platform alternative to either IE on the PC or Safari on the Mac.
I'm not sure what error you are describing, but I believe you. :) Safari is a close second to FireFox in my book, but I'll stick with the open-source community supported FireFox. If it works well for me and attacks IE's dominance, I will support it.
One last thing... Have you tried FireFox 3? I have used the beta for months and really like it. Does it have your error?
I don't know why I typed "errors" when I meant "arrows". I'm going to blame subversive spell-checking.
In any case, last I checked, Firefox doesn't allow one to jump to the beginning and end of an input box with the up and down arrows, which is a feature I happen to use a lot.
Ever since Safari adopted Firefox' in-page search system instead of using the traditional find dialogue box, Safari regained my loyalty.
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