Best softwares for mac?

We get this question often enough that I'm amazed there isn't a sticky for this topic. Come on, KaosDG! :)

Some apps I use:

Adium. Better than iChat, though iChat plus the Chax add-on is pretty damn good. Still, Adium supports more IM protocols and is updated more often (though that's a relative timeline: Adium often takes months and months to iterate versions.)

Reeder. Great frontend for Google Reader. Great iPad-like simple design. Supports sending articles to Instapaper or Readability. Very handy.

Alfred. The successor to Quicksilver.

MPlayerX. More capable than Quicktime X + Perian, IMO.

Sparrow. As much as I like the way Mail was revised for Lion, Sparrow still does a better job, IMO.

Dropbox. Shouldn't have to introduce this.

iStat Menus. Great taskbar widget app. Finer-grain control over the clock, a network traffic meter, internal temperatures… displays whatever you want.

1Password. A must-have app. Probably the finest password manager out there.

The Unarchiver. Replaces and improves upon OS X's built-in archive utility.

BetterTouchTool. Allows for fine-grain customization of multitouch gestures, among many other features.
 
fps4ever said:
Boot Camp to Windows 7
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Nah, I run Parrallels. The Integration is fantastic. Plus, it allows me to run Windows on one monitor and OSX on another with seemless movement between them. It should work much better next week when my new Mac Mini arrives along with my 2x1080p 23" displays(That will be my new office computer, freeing up my MacBook Pro for travel).
 
Aptana Studio
Google Earth
Ripit
Steam
Transmit
Windows Phone 7 Connector (works with Zune HD, which is why I have it)
 
Dew said:
Nah, I run Parrallels. The Integration is fantastic. Plus, it allows me to run Windows on one monitor and OSX on another with seemless movement between them. It should work much better next week when my new Mac Mini arrives along with my 2x1080p 23" displays(That will be my new office computer, freeing up my MacBook Pro for travel).
Click to expand...

He's trolling.
 
Terpfen said:
We get this question often enough that I'm amazed there isn't a sticky for this topic. Come on, KaosDG! :)

Some apps I use:

Adium. Better than iChat, though iChat plus the Chax add-on is pretty damn good. Still, Adium supports more IM protocols and is updated more often (though that's a relative timeline: Adium often takes months and months to iterate versions.)

Reeder. Great frontend for Google Reader. Great iPad-like simple design. Supports sending articles to Instapaper or Readability. Very handy.

Alfred. The successor to Quicksilver.

MPlayerX. More capable than Quicktime X + Perian, IMO.

Sparrow. As much as I like the way Mail was revised for Lion, Sparrow still does a better job, IMO.

Dropbox. Shouldn't have to introduce this.

iStat Menus. Great taskbar widget app. Finer-grain control over the clock, a network traffic meter, internal temperatures… displays whatever you want.

1Password. A must-have app. Probably the finest password manager out there.

The Unarchiver. Replaces and improves upon OS X's built-in archive utility.

BetterTouchTool. Allows for fine-grain customization of multitouch gestures, among many other features.
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+1 on this list!
 
Peteman100 said:
+1 on this list!
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Me too, this is pretty much my list too. I don't care much for mplayerx, and I haven't checked out Sparrow yet, but the rest of this list is on my essential apps list.

I want to add Pixelmator, and Backblaze for unlimited backup.
 
I forgot to list Delicious Library 2 on my list. It's a great program for cataloging books, movies, tools, etc.
 
Jerome36 said:
Aptana Studio
Google Earth
Ripit
Steam
Transmit
Windows Phone 7 Connector (works with Zune HD, which is why I have it)
Click to expand...


WHAT? Does it also connect to the MarketPlace? What? Gonna try it, sounds awesome.

edit: Where did you get it?

edit 2 one a different computer and was able to search for it on the MS website.
 
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Thanks for the recommendation on MPlayerX, sorta reminds me of KMPlayer for windows.

And the must have for me is smcfancontrol, I just like to be able to set the fan speeds manually.
 
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Is there any software to make the 3 buttons on the top left work like the buttons in Windows on the top right?

The + button annoys the hell out of me. Makes no sense how it works.
 
Oh yeah, Better Touch Tool. Customize the shit out of your trackpad, mouse, or keyboard. And it's free, but I highly suggest donating a few bucks, since it's great software.

I have no affiliation with the guy who writes it, other than I'm a huge fan of the software.
 
Liver said:
WHAT? Does it also connect to the MarketPlace? What? Gonna try it, sounds awesome.

edit: Where did you get it?

edit 2 one a different computer and was able to search for it on the MS website.
Click to expand...

Unfortunately it doesn't give you the Zune Marketplace :( Although you can use the program to sync your iTunes library to your device. I downloaded it from the Mac App Store. Just type in "Windows Phone" and it'll be the first (and only) choice.
 
List of programs used since I bought my MacBook Pro a couple months back:
iCal
TextEdit
Safari
iTunes
Quicktime Player
Disk Utility
Calculator
DVD Player


Oh, you mean stuff that's NOT included? Here's what I've installed:
Transmission - Bittorrent client. Used to download media
Handbrake - Used to re-encode media to something Quicktime Player/AppleTV can use

That's it.
 
check out caffeinated instead of reeder
and growl should have been mentioned, imo
 
Here's what I use, highlights are bolded:

  • 1Password: Damn fine pw manager.
  • Fidelia: Lets me use AU monitoring and effects with my local music.
  • Pixelmator: Very fast, efficient image editor, cheaper than (but not as powerful as) Photoshop
    [*]    Spotify: Music service.
  • BatChmod: Useful utility for changing file permissions. Use carefully!
  • Dropbox: File sync.
  • DaisyDisk: Disk space usage analyzer.
    [*]    Audacity: Audio editor.
  • Vox: Lightwieght way to play music, I have it set as the default player for all music files. Unstable on Lion, though.
  • Reeder: Brilliant RSS feed reader.
    [*]    SabNZBd+: Usenet downloader.
  • Transmit: Excellent FTP/SFTP/etc client.
    [*]XLD: Audio converter, convert all those WAVs to FLACs or ALACs.
    [*]    VLC: famous video player
  • MPEG Streamclip: Versatile video tool.
  • iWork: Nicely featured office suite, Keynote absolutely kills Powerpoint.
  • The Unarchiver: handles every compression ever, except for StuffitX.
  • Cinch: Windows Aero Snap for Mac
  • Mixxx:Free DJ App
  • Sparrow: Great email client, made redundant by Lion's new Mail.app
  • Caffeine: Small app to keep your mac from sleeping the display, useful when you need it.
 
TeeJayHoward said:
List of programs used since I bought my MacBook Pro a couple months back:
iCal
TextEdit
Safari
iTunes
Quicktime Player
Disk Utility
Calculator
DVD Player


Oh, you mean stuff that's NOT included? Here's what I've installed:
Transmission - Bittorrent client. Used to download media
Handbrake - Used to re-encode media to something Quicktime Player/AppleTV can use

That's it.
Click to expand...

You should consider the alternatives for some of those programs. There are better free alternatives. Most of them they are universally better.
 
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