Macs do it Better
Ok, so I really like the Mac. The GUI is clean and very functional, the Unix underneath is powerful and secure, and the hardware developed by Apple is top notch and can't be touched.
So here's a list of my most beloved applications that make my Mac experience all the more enjoyable. Hopefully I will be elaborating on each of these programs in some detail later on.
Adium X -- Nice Instant Messenger Client. Very configurable, clean, and cool. 2.0 will be even cooler. Talk on aol and msn and yahoo with one program? I don't believe it!
NetNewsWire Lite -- RSS feed client. Read all of your wicked cool xanga blogs at one time. Lite version is free, and has all the features I could ever want.
SubEthaEdit -- Allows multiple people to edit a single text document from different computers in different locations, in real time! This would be awesome at a business with a bunch of macs on the network. Also is just a really functional text editor in general, especially for working with html / ruby / perl / etc.
QuickSilver -- This is a great way to get around your mac with no mouse needed. I use it to open up programs really quickly, but you could also use it to... browse your iTunes library, open bookmarks, search google / IMDB / any other searchable site, etc etc . If you start using it, you won't stop.
Firefox -- Not mac specific, but the best browser hands down. Safari is nice for some things, but Firefox is just better. Plus open source is always a good thing. So are lots and lots of actually useful plugins.
(And if you are using Internet Explorer on the Mac, don't tell anyone because they will make fun of you. And so will I. )
GmailStatus -- If you are still using crap hotmail or crap yahoo stop. Find someone, and get yourself a gmail account. Set it up and import your contacts, and never touch hotmail / yahoo again. Really, gmail is that much better. I'll 'blog' about that later. Then get yourself the GmailStatus program. This is a simple app that will gracefully notify you of new messages. I believe there are other programs that do this that might be newer, but I like the way this one looks, so I'll stick with it for now.
Sidenote -- Just started using this, but I think it might be really useful. Creates a little note taking box that will hide when you don't need it. But you can create multiple notes within one window, save them, edit them, send them to other programs. Really, think this could be something special. I'll try it out some more and check back...
Voodoo Pad -- Not Freeware like the above ones, but still an interesting program. It allows you to make a personal wiki on your computer as a way to organize ideas and link them to other ideas. It's pretty useful, I should use it more often since I paid for it. But they do have a fully functional free version that limits the number of pages you can create.
Toast -- Certainly not free, but still the best CD / DVD burning program that I've found / tried for the mac.
I also use the built in programs like iTunes, iPhoto, etc. But enough people talk about them, I shouldn't have to. But I might later.
So here's a list of my most beloved applications that make my Mac experience all the more enjoyable. Hopefully I will be elaborating on each of these programs in some detail later on.
Adium X -- Nice Instant Messenger Client. Very configurable, clean, and cool. 2.0 will be even cooler. Talk on aol and msn and yahoo with one program? I don't believe it!
NetNewsWire Lite -- RSS feed client. Read all of your wicked cool xanga blogs at one time. Lite version is free, and has all the features I could ever want.
SubEthaEdit -- Allows multiple people to edit a single text document from different computers in different locations, in real time! This would be awesome at a business with a bunch of macs on the network. Also is just a really functional text editor in general, especially for working with html / ruby / perl / etc.
QuickSilver -- This is a great way to get around your mac with no mouse needed. I use it to open up programs really quickly, but you could also use it to... browse your iTunes library, open bookmarks, search google / IMDB / any other searchable site, etc etc . If you start using it, you won't stop.
Firefox -- Not mac specific, but the best browser hands down. Safari is nice for some things, but Firefox is just better. Plus open source is always a good thing. So are lots and lots of actually useful plugins.
(And if you are using Internet Explorer on the Mac, don't tell anyone because they will make fun of you. And so will I. )
GmailStatus -- If you are still using crap hotmail or crap yahoo stop. Find someone, and get yourself a gmail account. Set it up and import your contacts, and never touch hotmail / yahoo again. Really, gmail is that much better. I'll 'blog' about that later. Then get yourself the GmailStatus program. This is a simple app that will gracefully notify you of new messages. I believe there are other programs that do this that might be newer, but I like the way this one looks, so I'll stick with it for now.
Sidenote -- Just started using this, but I think it might be really useful. Creates a little note taking box that will hide when you don't need it. But you can create multiple notes within one window, save them, edit them, send them to other programs. Really, think this could be something special. I'll try it out some more and check back...
Voodoo Pad -- Not Freeware like the above ones, but still an interesting program. It allows you to make a personal wiki on your computer as a way to organize ideas and link them to other ideas. It's pretty useful, I should use it more often since I paid for it. But they do have a fully functional free version that limits the number of pages you can create.
Toast -- Certainly not free, but still the best CD / DVD burning program that I've found / tried for the mac.
I also use the built in programs like iTunes, iPhoto, etc. But enough people talk about them, I shouldn't have to. But I might later.
posted by vlandham at 11:13 PM
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