Your Favorite Apps for OS X
I’m an app junkie. Without fail, my favorite blog posts/topics are the golden nugget applications that people can’t live without on their OS X system. No matter how often I come across a blog post/comment thread of this topic I find at least one cool application I didn’t know about before.
Because I don’t think you can get enough of this stuff, here’s my list, then a list of links to similar posts for when you’ve got a few extra minutes/days/hours to kill. And please, comment with your lists as well. Because no matter how common you think the apps are that you use, there may be somebody out there that hasn’t heard of it.
My List of must have apps for OS X:
Absolute First Installs
- Firefox – web browser, duh. (free)
- SideTrack – for iBook/PowerBook trackpads. enables tap as RIGHT click (shareware)
- Quicksilver - app launcher…TONS more (I’ll write up about this soon) (freeware)
- desktop manager – multiple desktops (freeware)
- MenuMeters - menubar monitors of your system (freeware)
Everyday Use
- Gmail Status - if you’ve got gmail, puts notification in menubar (freeware)
- SubEthaEdit - awesome network collabborative code editor. geat for ANY text editing work (free for personal use)
- Cyber Duck FTP – terrific gui ftp (and sftp) client. true os x look and feel (free)
- Synergy - menubar iTunes controls (shareware)
- MenuCalendarClock - drop-down calendar from menubar clock. full version integrates with iCal (shareware)
- BluePhoneElite – Bluetooth on screen caller id and sms helper for your cell phone (free)
System/Utility Stuff
- Onyx/Cocktail/MacJanitor – all basically do the same thing, which is clean up junk that accumulates on your system. Run unix tasks to refresh your system from time to time. All worth a try for when your system seems to be bogging down. (I believe they’re all free
- TinkerTool – allows you to change some of the defualt OS X settings to be more in line with your usage style (freeware)
- Growl - system wide universal notifier (free)
- uControl - allows remapping of keys. I use to disable Caps Lock for instance (free)
- GeekTool - allows you to place logs, unix command outputs, web urls, etc at the desktop level for monitoring. great for TOP processes (free)
- APE Manager/ClearDock/Windowshade X – allows many haxies from Unsanity/gives control of your dock coloring/double click title bar of window to collapse in place like os 9 (free/free/shareware)
- AutoPairs - automatically pairs Quotes, parens, etc. great for coders (free)
- JDiskReport – as I’ve covered here before on TAB, awesome way to find out where your hard drive space is going (free)
Just Plain Cool
- Paparazzi! – takes full screen shots of any webpage for which you enter the URL. very slick. (free)
- Audio Hijack Pro – record any sound from any app, apply effects, and more (shareware)
- LineIn – pipe your line in jack from any device (free)
- Notational Velocity – truly cool note taking/todo list creating/db-word processor. Just check it out. (free)
Ok, that’s my list. I really tried to keep it short. Really. You should see the insanity that is my Applications directory…
So here are some links to other threads/listings of great OS X applications you may or may not have heard of:
43Folders.com – this list will take you FOREVER to get through…So worth a few hours of your time.
tuaw.com – a relatively small but good look at some other apps
So what about you? The lists I’ve typed and linked above should cover most everything (I’d think), but as I said, I have yet to come away from a listing/comment thread without finding something new and awesome to take-up a home in my Applications directory. So let’s have it!
Tom on January 28th, 2005 at 2:59 pm
I never thought I would ever use Desktop Manager! Thanks!
jem on January 28th, 2005 at 3:08 pm
Mailsmith, BBEdit, SpamSieve, LaTeX, DragThing, NetNewsWire, OmniWeb, OmniGraffle, Keynote,
Josh Pigford on January 28th, 2005 at 4:25 pm
I’ve gotta give huge props to QuickSilver. It’s changed the way I use my mac.
And Adium is just fantastic as well.
Eric on January 28th, 2005 at 5:56 pm
Brickhouse to put a gui on apple’s firewall. Macaroni to automate the maint scripts and repairing permissions. Default Folder to navigate faster and give shortcuts to folders.
Jonesy on January 29th, 2005 at 4:03 am
Man, how can no-one have mentioned NewsFire yet? It oozes quality and is perfection. Get thee to the website ASAP and see for yourselves! http://www.newsfirerss.com/
Staff Comment nick santilli, TheAppleBlog on January 29th, 2005 at 10:46 am
Jonesy -
I use NewsFire now and then, but for whatever reason I’m a bigger fan of the Sage RSS extension for Firefox. I’ve got NewsFire, but for me it’s not the pants, which is why it wasn’t mentioned in my post.
But yes, as far as RSS readers go, it’s quite nice.
Jack on January 30th, 2005 at 1:00 pm
Cocktail isn’t free. You can use it for a few days as nagware, then you have to buy it. Onyx is free though.
Rico on February 3rd, 2005 at 11:32 pm
Thanks for your list.
Last Monday i recieved my first Mac (mini) and your list helps me to start….
Faith on February 4th, 2005 at 10:34 pm
Pixen, a pixel art graphics app.
m on March 21st, 2005 at 3:27 pm
CSS EDIT to create, modify and grab css styles – SEXY!!! Icy juice to chat via ICQ by using good-looking software.
m
Dr. Sudeep Bansal on June 23rd, 2005 at 6:07 am
Macjournal, Adium, Netnewswire lite, VoodooPad Lite, Audio Recorder, Audacity, Mac The Ripper, Onyx, Nisus Thesaurus, Skype, Subethaedit, VLC. And best part is – all are free
coolosxapps on July 9th, 2005 at 2:36 pm
Truly a great resource thanks. I will definitely link to your blog from http://www.coolosxapps.com
michaelbeijer on July 10th, 2005 at 10:44 am
Quicksilver, less is more; less is more…
An evolving framework for accessing and
manipulating many forms of personal data. Quicksilver
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Mike on September 23rd, 2009 at 8:30 am
Can anyone tell me if there will be an app that works like the Nokia phone a Speaking ID Caller that speaks your name when the person calls you
Many Thanks