What cool little OS X apps do you use?

[evilpenguin21]

I was just curious what little applications people are using to mac OS X that much cooler. Here's what i'm using...



I use Menu Meter (http://www.versiontracker.com/dyn/moreinfo/macosx/17713&page=5). It puts a little upload/download meter in the menu bar so I can see what's going on with my network. It also has the ability to display cpu and ram usage, but I don't use those.

It's also use Delocalizer (http://www.bombich.com/software/local.html) it goes through ever application and removes all of the foreign language documentation associated with them. Unless you are incredibly interested in learning how to use iTunes in Mandarin Chinese, I promise that there is about 200+ mb of space you can free up. (Ignore the website's warning, i've used it on 10.3 and it worked fine)

Finally I use Synergy (http://synergy.wincent.com/) for it's iTunes capabilities.

[onealc]

I have nothing to add, but I'm curious to see the responses. I'm a newly 'reverted to Mac' guy and I'm just getting refamiliarized with everything. it's great to be back! :)

[joeyjojoe]

Konfabulator (http://www.konfabulator.com/) - great program to modify your desktop with cool little tools
VLC (http://www.videolan.org/vlc/) - video player that plays literally everything
LaunchBar (http://www.obdev.at/products/launchbar/) - start applications without taking your hands off the keyboard
Throttled (http://www.versiontracker.com/dyn/moreinfo/macosx/13838) - bandwidth limiter
Sofa (http://www.versiontracker.com/dyn/moreinfo/macosx/18580) - iTunes controller with album cover lookup
Mozilla Firebird (http://www.mozilla.org/products/firebird/)

many more, but i'm drawing a blank ...

[Thirteenva]

slashdock - reads RSS news feeds.

[Makosuke]

These threads seem to pop up very frequently, but the good ones are worth repeating:

Desktop Manager (http://wsmanager.sourceforge.net/) - Virtual desktops for those on a budget; unlike the (also great, and more powerful) CodeTek program, free!

Cocoa Gestures (http://www.bitart.com/CocoaGestures.html) - Gestures are so useful, it's scary. Available in both very capable free and even more powerful paid versions.

[TEG]

Mozilla Thunder Bird - Home Newsgroup Access
Mozilla - Work Mail Access
VLC - Best Video Client for OSX

I'd just like to find a program to make my 10.3 dock clear, like I had in 10.2.

TEG

[Bluefusion]

Synergy (http://synergy.wincent.org) goes without saying--best single addition to the iTunes experience possible.

I'd also add:

- Another Launcher -- (www.macupdate.com/info.php/id/12170) a combination launcher, system monitor, multi-engine search tool, and much, much, more

- iChatStatus -- cool little dohickey that shows your currently playing song in your iChat status message (http://www.ittpoi.com/stem.php?product=com.ittpoi.ichatstatus&type=frameset)

- CocoaGestures, as someone already pointed out. :)

[Pseudonym]

I love iComic (http://homepage.mac.com/xmlguy/iComic/) which is free. I had Konfabulator (see above) for a while but never got the use out of it - must learn Java!

[Horrortaxi]

Originally posted by TEG
I'd just like to find a program to make my 10.3 dock clear, like I had in 10.2.
ClearDock from unsanity.com.

[adt]

I'm sure this question has already been posted dozens of times. Maybe its time to throw all this into a FAQ. Anyone?

I can't effectively use OS X without Launchbar (http://www.obdev.at/products/launchbar/), an application launcher, and Sidetrack (http://www.ragingmenace.com/software/sidetrack/), a must-have for power/ibook users.

I'm finding Temperatur Monitor (http://www.bresink.de/osx/TemperatureMonitor.html) (in the menu bar) to be very very useful, to see how hot the cpu is running during burning/encoding/general browsing, an itunes plugin called TEchRTA (http://www.monmouth.com/~rsr2/software/download) displays 31band eq during songs, so i can see whats going on (i'm a sound tech, some people might find it boring).

Finally, for the pure wank factor, Clicker (http://homepage.mac.com/jonassalling/Shareware/Clicker/) for my t68i and general bluetooth interfacing, as well as XBack (http://www.gideonsoftworks.com/xback.html) to show off to both windows and mac users alike.

Any power users with x11 installed should definitely check out psDoom (http://www.versiontracker.com/dyn/moreinfo/macosx/21327&vid=120587) for OSX - you can run around and kill your open processes in a doom map! Again, great to show off, especially to sys admins!!

Alan!

[mkrishnan]

I'm trying to follow the "install as little software as possible to avoid screwing up the computer" philosophy...which I guess is a little bit like an ex-Windows user's equivalent of elderly people from the Depression era hiding money under their mattresses, but....

I do like:

VETA Universal / Romeo - to use my Nokia 3650 as a bluetooth remote

RAW / MusicSafari - to record radio shows from NPR

I tried some software to help make contextual clicking easier with one mouse button, but it didn't seem to work consistently. Also, I need to find and try out that software that lets you use the side of the trackpad as a scroll bar, like on some win laptops....

Other than that, a plug for <R>, which is an open-source statistics package, which, aside from being well-ported to Aqua, has nothing particularly mac-centric about it. :rolleyes:

BTW, what is sidetrack?

[cleo]

I have a list of my favorite apps here (http://www.dalqe.com/journal/archives/2003/sep/08/os_x_apps_i_cant_live_without.html).

[tjwett]

WeatherPop Advaced
NetNewsWire
Nicecast

[Engagebot]

sidetrack makes the side of your laptop trackpad into a 'scroll wheel'. move your finder up and down the very edge, and it'll scroll the window

[parrothead]

I have a few that I use regularly.

Watson - one of the most useful apps out there.

iSleep - puts my computer to sleep at night and wakes it up, works with itunes.

Macjanitor - forces the OSX utility to run that usually runs only in the middle of the night (I sleep my tibook at night)

DVDbackup - Allows me to copy DVDs to my hard drive to watch later. (this is legal as long as I dont copy the movie into another format) I use it to watch movies I have rented on trips.

EyeTV - Record TV on my Mac.

RegionX - I use this to make my DVD drive switch regions so I can watch the discs I have bought around the world. (this only works because I updated the firmware on my drive to give me unlimited region switches.)

[parrothead]

Engagebot, does sidetrack work well? I downloaded it the other day but didn't install it. I was worried that it would mess things up.

[CalfCanuck]

"A Better Finder Rename" is the best $20 a Mac digital photographer could EVER spend. (For $35 you get the forever upgrade as well). I created my own Apple script in OS 9 to rename images, but this runs circles aorund my old script. The rest of the kit comes in handy at times, but the ability to rename one's photos in a systematic way is a killer photo app!

http://www.publicspace.net/ABetterFinderRename/index.html

Edit- as a further note, I once uncovered a bug and an updated version was posted within a few hours!

[Engagebot]

Originally posted by parrothead
Engagebot, does sidetrack work well? I downloaded it the other day but didn't install it. I was worried that it would mess things up.

it does work pretty well, but the scrollwheel edge of the trackpad is pretty narrow. I guess you dont want it taking up too much area of you're trackpad, but you have to be right up against the edge for it to work. It has an uninstaller tool if you decide you dont want it. i'm on panther and it worked just fine.

[sonofslim]

iSeek!! (http:http://www.AmbrosiaSW.com/utilities/iseek/) so freakin' useful!

[Engagebot]

Originally posted by sonofslim
iSeek!! (http:http://www.AmbrosiaSW.com/utilities/iseek/) so freakin' useful!


Heres what he meant... http://www.AmbrosiaSW.com/utilities/iseek/

[mkrishnan]

Originally posted by Engagebot
sidetrack makes the side of your laptop trackpad into a 'scroll wheel'. move your finder up and down the very edge, and it'll scroll the window

Ironic...this is exactly what I was looking for. Will have to run out and download it. :D

I know some people don't like it, but I really like Sherlock. It's really not bad at finding movie trailers and times/locations...

[Bluefusion]

Originally posted by Engagebot
Heres what he meant... http://www.AmbrosiaSW.com/utilities/iseek/

iSeek hardly seems worth buying when it used to be freeware, and Another Launcher (http://www.petermaurer.de/nasi.php?thema=launcher&sprache=english) accomplishes the exact same thing (and is still free), plus does even more... ;)

[zagato27]

Originally posted by TEG


I'd just like to find a program to make my 10.3 dock clear, like I had in 10.2.

TEG

Try "Transparant Dock". I'm using 2.2 and it works on Panther. My dock is clear and has a magenta border. Also the arrows indicating programs that are open I've changed to red. Works with Panther. There might even be a later version have to check. Cheers

[buckuxc]

I'd like to throw in my 2 cents for both of these programs. Both are great for organizing data, and though they are similar, I've found different functions for each.

VoodooPad (http://www.flyingmeat.com/voodoopad.html) (I use the free Lite (http://www.flyingmeat.com/voodoopadlite.html) version, which works great, although you do get some good features for rather inexpensive full version) uses a Wiki style linking system that let's you use words to link between "pages" in a VoodooPad document, and to everything you can think of outside of it: URL's, folders, other docs, images, whatever.

xPad (http://maniacalrage.net/xpad/) doesn't use Wiki links, but has a free form drawer that let's you simply create notes and categorize them. VoodooPad is more fun, but can be a little too much work on the front end for really quick note making that doesn't need a whole lot of organization.

I am new to both, but currently I am using VoodooPad to organize information around topics in each of my university courses. I am working towards using less and less paper each day, although I'm worried about the strain on my eyes from staring at my screen and even though I'm at a private university, it's small and I feel pretentious whipping out my 12"PB for class notes (given that I'm among the small minority in the school that is entirely dependent on financial aid).

I've used xPad to create my homework list, to do list, things I need/want, phone numbers, etc.

Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but I also discovered a program called DEVONthink (http://www.devon-technologies.com/products/devonthink.php), that is possibly a unified solution to both these other programs, but a little more expensive unfortunately. Any users of DEVONthink?

Anyone of these though is invaluable, and fun to use.

sps

[mkrishnan]

I'm curious about using that software for notes...sounds like a good idea, although I never really find the time to re-write my course notes. :D

What do your notes look like when they're done? Any chance you can post a screenshot?

I wish MS Word had its find text feature implemented like Preview does...would probably accomplish a lot of what you're talking about without having to put in links. At first, I found the RHS drawer irritating, but the way it shows you all the occurences of text at a glance is mucho handy.

On another topic, is there any relatively cheap/free and easy to use software that lets you do minor tweaking to AAC files? What I have in mind is: joining/splitting, cut/copy/paste, and fade-in/out. Something that's a little more powerful than the start/stop time options in iTunes....

[gwuMACaddict]

VLC and MPlayer

i swear, these two little apps would play a MS Word file if you asked them too... they rock my world

:D

[Sparky's]

I agree with the keep it to a minimum rule, being a Graphics professional I have about 3gb of apps I use for work, but when I start playing I have a little freeware thing called "Wire Tap" that allows to record streaming audio directly into iTunes. I have dialed into one of the radio stations in iTunes and let it run for about an hour, and when finished I could replay that entire hour.
OK so I like the blues....

G4-500 OS 10.2.8, 21" Viewsonic P810 (hoping for a 21" Apple flat screen soon) 12gb + 60gb HD 1gbRAM

Woooo, Wooooo

[Maclicious]

Originally posted by sonofslim
iSeek!! (http:http://www.AmbrosiaSW.com/utilities/iseek/) so freakin' useful!

2nd that! I use this every single day! Now, if someone could send me the code so I could search my own hard drive in addition to every other friggin thing on the internet, I'd be in 2nd heaven :-).

[Maclicious]

Large portions of my life, including all my good ideas for future use, life in Stickybrain. www.chronosnet.com

[GetGo]

stickybrain looks like the program I was looking for thanks. How do I grab a web page? I just started using this.

[mms]

NetNewsWire for RSS feeds (new beta also supports Atom feeds)
SubEthaEdit (text editor with sytax highlighting, web preview for HTML using WebKit)
Transmit from Panic for FTP
LaunchBar
Adium (IM client)
Firefox
SafariEnhancer
TinkerTool
MailSmith

[mkrishnan]

Originally posted by mms
SubEthaEdit (text editor with sytax highlighting, web preview for HTML using WebKit)


I deeply respect any product that uses the phrase "Sub-Etha" in its name or marketing. :) I'll use it unless its mostly harmless....

[FightTheFuture]

these guys have alot of mileage and are smack in the middle of my dock:

karelias' watson (http://www.karelia.com/watson/)

and splasm's checkbook (http://www.splasm.com/products/productcheckbook.html)

the checkbook app is really handy if you just want to keep track of your bank accounts.

[Dahl]

Finally I use Synergy (http://synergy.wincent.com/) for it's iTunes capabilities.

I just paid $5 for that great little program, it rules.

But there are problems right now with getting the album coverart from Amazon, hopefully that will be fixed soon. Amazon is not too happy, so it's not a bug. Read the whole story at Synergy's site.
I wonder if Fetch Art havde the same issues with Amazon ? There are a lot of artwork I can't get, even the stuff I know is up on Amazon.

It would be nice if Gracenote could include the coverart, so you get it when you get song titles etc. Is that even possible ?

[stevietheb]

I'm currently using the Synergy 7-day demo. It's so slick looking, yet another app that I can use to make Windows users say, "Oooo, that's sexy" (as my IT buddy whose used Windows since it first came around said when I showed him Expose).

I've downloaded an app called "Desktop Manager" that allows you to manage multiple desktops. Has anyone used this? Does it work well for you or no? The idea of multiple desktops sounds neat, but is it something that is really necessary?

[briankonar]

PathFinder (interesting Finder replacement)
DVDBackup (backup DVD to HD)
DVDRemaster (compress to DVD5)
DVDImager (create burnable image of DVD for Disk Utility)
Butler (sweet customizable menus)
Onyx (system maint., dock customization)
Forty-Two (handy little compressor)
Shape Shifter (themer)
Sofa (iTunes album importer & controller)
VLC (plays what QT can't)

[PickledSquirrel]

Niiiiiice thread :D As new to panther, I've just downloaded nearly half of whats listed above.... The delocalizer found 738 mb of useless gibberish, and Synergy is just sweet :p
thanx for all the good advice

[JonGraves]

RadioLover by Bitcartel: Records iTunes streaming radio and splits the stream into individual songs!

[jeremy.king]

DVDbackup - Allows me to copy DVDs to my hard drive to watch later. (this is legal as long as I dont copy the movie into another format) I use it to watch movies I have rented on trips.


BTW, I think this is only legal if you own the DVD.

Anywho, I regularly use Nicecast (http://www.rogueamoeba.com/nicecast/) to broadcast my music to myself at work. Killer App in my opinion.

[pimentoLoaf]

MacWasher from Webroot (http://www.webroot.com/wb/products/macwasherx/index.php), for cleaning caches, cookies and other items.

MacStumbler (http://www.macstumbler.com) is perfect for finding WiFi networks and displaying their signal strengths.

[josephx]

For days following my upgrade to a G4 Powerbook (and OS X, for that matter), I cursed OS X for lacking collapsible "windowshade" capabilities. For $10, Unsanity Software (same people who made Shapeshifter/Labels [nice before Panther came out]/etc.) came out with a nice modification that not only added windowshade capabilities, but also optional window transparency (hold Ctrl and double-click the titlebar) and minimize-in-place (which isn't something I'm particularly fond of, but it's still a nice perk).

WindowShade X (http://www.unsanity.com/haxies/wsx)

I also endorse the use of MPlayer (which is just as amazing as everyone says it is) and numerous others, but they've already been mentioned.

Cheers,
-joe.

[floatingspirit]

VLC and MPlayer

i swear, these two little apps would play a MS Word file if you asked them too... they rock my world

:D

VLC has better features, but it usually crashes the sound output of my G5 such that I have to restart my computer. That's why I stick with MPlayer OS X 2.

I use:

iFlash for studying languages and etc. (flash card program) http://loopware.com/iflash/

WordNet, a free dictionary http://wordnet.sourceforge.net/

Goban to play the ancient Chinese game of Go http://wordnet.sourceforge.net/

To mute your start up chime: http://www5e.biglobe.ne.jp/~arcana/software.en.html

UnrarX to open .rar files: http://homepage.mac.com/pnoriega/unrar.html

Bittorrent: http://bitconjurer.org/BitTorrent/download.html

[mkrishnan]

For days following my upgrade to a G4 Powerbook (and OS X, for that matter), I cursed OS X for lacking collapsible "windowshade" capabilities. For $10, Unsanity Software (same people who made Shapeshifter/Labels [nice before Panther came out]/etc.) came out with a nice modification that not only added windowshade capabilities, but also optional window transparency (hold Ctrl and double-click the titlebar) and minimize-in-place (which isn't something I'm particularly fond of, but it's still a nice perk).

I fot WindowShade about a week ago and I really like it. It's fun to make your Safari transparent so you can see what's playing on iTunes behind it. :)

I think this will have to be the second piece of SW I've ever paid for, right after MusicSafari or whatever it's called now.

[wowser]

MidiKeys (thitft, no-MIDI keyboard program)

SmallImage

Taco Html

Simple Chord (teaches piano chords)

[bondipete]

Quite simply, if you haven't yet tried Quicksilver (http://blacktree.com/apps/quicksilver/) you are living some sort of sad half-life. It has revolutionised my friend's computer use, and I am in the process of allowing it to revolutionise mine. Try it. You will never be the same again.

[Frisco]

Quite simply, if you haven't yet tried Quicksilver (http://blacktree.com/apps/quicksilver/) you are living some sort of sad half-life. It has revolutionised my friend's computer use, and I am in the process of allowing it to revolutionise mine. Try it. You will never be the same again.

Quicksilver is amazing! It should be built into OS X. Open any application in a second!

[Doctor Q]

I have a little freeware thing called "Wire Tap" that allows to record streaming audio directly into iTunes.Me too. It's from Ambrosia Software: link (http://www.ambrosiasw.com/utilities/freebies/)

[jeffy.dee-lux]

awww man, i totally thought i could get away with not paying for synergy, its pretty sweet. don't worry, i'd pay the 5$ in a second, its just that i don't have a credit card and don't really wanna get one. Anyone here from montreal wanna pay them and send me the serial number? I'll buy you a large poutine.
This is almost as crappy as when captain hector started blowing me up because i never paid for escape velocity nova.

[MacBandit]

awww man, i totally thought i could get away with not paying for synergy, its pretty sweet. don't worry, i'd pay the 5$ in a second, its just that i don't have a credit card and don't really wanna get one. Anyone here from montreal wanna pay them and send me the serial number? I'll buy you a large poutine.
This is almost as crappy as when captain hector started blowing me up because i never paid for escape velocity nova.

Paypal my friend no credit card needed.

[MacBandit]

VLC has better features, but it usually crashes the sound output of my G5 such that I have to restart my computer. That's why I stick with MPlayer OS X 2.


In what way does it crash your sound output? I have had it switch my sound output device but not crash my output but this is on a MDD G4.

[MacBandit]

Quite simply, if you haven't yet tried Quicksilver (http://blacktree.com/apps/quicksilver/) you are living some sort of sad half-life. It has revolutionised my friend's computer use, and I am in the process of allowing it to revolutionise mine. Try it. You will never be the same again.

Please explain in more depth what sort of feature this provides that I so obviously can't live without.

[mms]

GraphicConverter
XFactor
SideTrack (can't live without it)
Adium
MacJanitor

Also, even though it isn't an app, I highly recommend BlogLines for RSS Feeds. I used to use NetNewsWire, which is an awesome app, but what made me switch to BlogLines was that it was web-based, so I could check feeds from anywhere.

[Doctor Q]

Toy Viewer (http://waltz.cs.kobe-u.ac.jp/OSX/toyv-eng.html), a free image viewer with a lot of editing and image conversion features too.

[cb911]

there's lots of apps i've tried, but dont' end up using them for very long.

X Resource Graph (http://www.starcoder.com/xrg/) - a good monitoring style app, as seen in many Linux desktop screenshots. (this is one that i currently dont' use. :p)

MacBoot (http://ittpoi.com/?type=frameset&product=com.ittpoi.macboot) - yay! MacBoot is now compatible with Panther!! :D it changes that grey apple logo at the boot screen, i used this very often with Jaguar, now i'm going to start using it heaps more in Panther.

Follow Mouse (http://www.monkeybreadsoftware.de/Freeware/FollowMouse.shtml) - this is just fun really. it draws a line over everywhere that your cursor goes. so whenever you move your cursor, it draws a line on the screen. really good for tripping people out, but gets in the way a bit when trying to work in PhotoShop. :p

then of course there's ShapeShifter, and i'm using Latium theme, but that's due for a change soon. i think i'll use SIRO (http://homepage.mac.com/dsky/guikit.html) next, it's looking very nice. :cool:

also, MenuMeters, MenuCalendar, WinSwitch (http://winswitch.wincent.com/) is also a really good space saver. it replaces your 'fast-user-switching' name in your Menubar with just your user icon. very good.

i use Desktop Manager as well, really cool. i've also used CodeTek Virtual Desktop, and i think it sucks. really. i mean you can't even do the 'cube' transition that DM lets you do.

GeekTool (https://sourceforge.net/projects/geektool) is also very handy to have. it displays and Terminal output on your desktop. i've got the system.log displayed on the desktop, and it's handy to see what's going on with your system.

i do use Konfabulator as well, but only for one widget - mini Digital Clock.

i think that's about it, no launchers for me, although i did perviously use DragThing, that was way cool. but haven't had the need for one so far in Panther.

[floatingspirit]

In what way does it crash your sound output? I have had it switch my sound output device but not crash my output but this is on a MDD G4.

Hey Bandit,

Basically, all sound output ceases. There's no sound from any app or event, even adjusting the computer's volume settings generates no sound at all.

I have a pair of MA-10D speakers from Edirol hooked up, but even when I disconnect them, no sound comes out of the computer's internal speaker either.

The really curious thing about it though, is that when this happens, iTunes will not play anything. I mean, with a normal stereo, a disc or tape or the radio will be playing, but no sound will come out if the volume is turned down or muted. But with iTunes, nothing will even play, the tracks are not read, just nothing seems to happen. Usually you see the progress or time elapsing as a track plays, but that doesn't happen.

I've relaunced the Finder from the "Force Quit" box, but to no avail.

If I use VLC again and it happens, I'll check the designated output device.

[MacBandit]

Hey Bandit,

Basically, all sound output ceases. There's no sound from any app or event, even adjusting the computer's volume settings generates no sound at all.

I have a pair of MA-10D speakers from Edirol hooked up, but even when I disconnect them, no sound comes out of the computer's internal speaker either.

The really curious thing about it though, is that when this happens, iTunes will not play anything. I mean, with a normal stereo, a disc or tape or the radio will be playing, but no sound will come out if the volume is turned down or muted. But with iTunes, nothing will even play, the tracks are not read, just nothing seems to happen. Usually you see the progress or time elapsing as a track plays, but that doesn't happen.

I've relaunced the Finder from the "Force Quit" box, but to no avail.

If I use VLC again and it happens, I'll check the designated output device.

That would be good to know. Check both the sound output device as stated in VLC and the one in the Sound Control Pane in the System Prefs.

[dontmatter]

Another essential is PTHitunes notifier. Like Synergy, but free. Problem is, I'm not sure where you can get it anymore, because they've put it into a bigger, paid for application I don't like at all, called youcontrol.

Another question.... Anybody ever browse http://www.apple.com/downloads/macosx/apple/ or the various categories, b/c it's the third party things that are cool....or cool and yet to be discovered.

[Dahl]

I can't remember if WeatherPop (http://www.glu.com/products/weatherpop/index.html) has been mentioned, but it sure is a great little program. It is like having the Weather Channel at your finger tips.

[aus_dave]

I like X-Tunes (http://www.pol-online.net/index.php?page=freeware) for controlling iTunes.

[wowser]

Toy Viewer (http://waltz.cs.kobe-u.ac.jp/OSX/toyv-eng.html), a free image viewer with a lot of editing and image conversion features too.

does it also do what SmallImage does?

[FightTheFuture]

as mentioned earlier by bluefusion and briankonar, butler (http://www.petermaurer.de/butler) or as it was formerly known as, another launcher - is really an incredible app. its donorware and after using it more and more you'll really want to pay for it. alot of people are using other apps to control iTunes, and butler has this built in! you can do the usually cool stuff like navigate and rate songs on the fly. its really incredible! as far as the mention of quicksilver, you can do a lot of similar quicklaunch commands with butler and you can customize it so it isn't on your dock! very cool stuff. they are customizing it like crazy it on macosxhints (http://www.macosxhints.com/)

i just tried that httpmail plugin (http://sourceforge.net/projects/httpmail-plugin) that'll let you download messages from the hotmail/msn server into panther's mail.app. it works like butter. so if you have msn as a spam or normal address, you won't have to open a browser to get to it! check it out if it fancies you.

[matthew24]

For the sake of speed I do synchronize my data. (saves the changes):

http://www.softobe.com/

[Doctor Q]

does it also do what SmallImage does?Sorry, I don't know SmallImage. You can pick up Toy Viewer if you care to find out. And please tell us if you do compare them.

[mkrishnan]

i just tried that httpmail plugin (http://sourceforge.net/projects/httpmail-plugin) that'll let you download messages from the hotmail/msn server into panther's mail.app. it works like butter. so if you have msn as a spam or normal address, you won't have to open a browser to get to it! check it out if it fancies you.

I just got this based on your post...SO SWEET! :D Thank you, thank you, thank you (and also, of course, to whoever wrote it!)! And it downloaded my e-mails in Japanese perfectly too. :)

I don't have any folders on my HM account, but I wish I'd had the download folders feature on my Yahoo account using POP...it took me about a half hour of moving msgs back to the inbox, onto mail.app, and back into folders to sync that account the first time. And now everything on the http server is all in the inbox and I have to clean it up. :(

[wowser]

Sorry, I don't know SmallImage. You can pick up Toy Viewer if you care to find out. And please tell us if you do compare them.

Ahh. Toy Viewer is more what i have been looking for. SmallImage is purely for compressing and reducing the size of images, where as this Toy Viewer seems more like a fully fledged version of Preview. Thanks for the tip!

[KooBrewoP]

Maxibidder for ebay snyping

DeepVacume for downloading stuff from a website without having to endlessly point and click

[AssassinOfGates]

Meteorologist (http://sourceforge.net/projects/heat-meteo)

Weather in the menubar but more features than WeatherPop and did I mention its Open Source and free? I love this app. :D

[Doctor Q]

Maxibidder for ebay snyping

DeepVacume for downloading stuff from a website without having to endlessly point and clickCan you provide the links to these programs?

[FightTheFuture]

here are those two apps that koobrewop mentioned:

i just checked these out, but haven't tried them out. seems promising.

maxibidder (http://www.colourfull.com/maxi.html)

deep vacuum (http://www.hexcat.com/deepvacuum/index.html)

deep vacuum looks like a great idea if you want to download a lot of video demos of games your thinking of buying.

[iChan]

I love iComic (http://homepage.mac.com/xmlguy/iComic/) which is free. I had Konfabulator (see above) for a while but never got the use out of it - must learn Java!

I presume you mean Javascript?

[iChan]

BTW, what is sidetrack?

sidetrack lets you use the top edge and right edge of your track pad as a left/right and up/down scrollwheel respectively.

[GeorgeTheMonkey]

Now it seems to me that there are three primary players in the alternative launcher category, each with its own loyal user base but all accomplishing essentially the same purpose: giving you instant access to your computer, files, and applications, without having to navigate Finder to find and use them. I'm particularly curious to see how Spotlight will hold its ground against these guys... when, in effect, it sounds like Spotlight is designed to do the exact same thing, just perhaps with more sophisticated metadata and complete integration with OS X.

There's Objective Development's LaunchBar (http://www.obdev.at/products/launchbar/) (shareware, $39); Peter Maurer's Butler (http://www.petermaurer.de/nasi.php?thema=launcher&sprache=english) (freeware, previously called "Another Launcher"); and BlackTree's QuickSilver (http://blacktree.com/apps/quicksilver/) (freeware).

Although I'd heard of LaunchBar previously, I've never used it until today; a few weeks ago, I discovered QuickSilver (v. B24) and have thoroughly enjoyed it. Today, I both heard about and installed Butler, and revisited LaunchBar as well, to compare.

Perhaps somebody would be interested in doing a complete comparison between the three applications? From my brief experience with the three together, they all seem to do the basic functions equally well and similarly fast. They all seem to take up about the same processing in the Activity Monitor -- all take up 2 threads (which is far better than the process-hog Konfabulator). All three pull up their "search" box with a shortcut key (QuickSilver's and LaunchBar's default with Command-Space; I'm having a bit of a time trying to find where it specifies that Butler's is Ctrl-Space and how I might change it).

Upon a cursory glance, a few things that interested me:

LaunchBar has... extensive configuration to offer, though it can all seem quite daunting. It also has very robust integration with iTunes, and I was able to pull up any individual song, or an Artist, Album, Playlist (or even Composer) quickly. It does have internet searching capability (somewhat), but it's a bit nestled away in the program and not very convenient. It also has the tremendously nifty feature to not only scan Photo Albums in iPhoto, but the actual photos and names of photos themselves, though it opens them in Preview and not iPhoto as I would like. It's also not terribly appealing visually, and pricey for shareware. Overall, I'm not terribly impressed and don't think I'll be using it too much in the future.

Butler has... probably the most profound and cool features, not to mention the most of them, after a bit of customization. Not only does it offer the shortcut key to pull up a little window to search for things, but it plants a little search box in the Toolbar. Click the drop-down arrow, and you can select where to search... Google, IMDB, Dictionary.com, some news sites, etc. It also places two other small icons on the toolbar, next to the search. One is for the Internet -- basically a Bookmark bar -- and the other gives you complete access to your computer, with menus within to show your Applications, Documents, System Preferences, Volumes, Pasteboard (clipboard, essentially -- sounds promising in its uses), and lastly, allowing you to Switch Users on the fly. It also offers tremendous customization; for instance, with just a little bit of effort, I was able to place Next Track and Last Track "smart buttons" for iTunes in my toolbar. Hit any iTunes related smart button, I've found, and it also displays a brief Info window about the song. Already, it seems like this functionality could be a great (and free!) Synergy replacement.

QuickSilver has... pretty much the standard keyboard shortcut/search thing, but it does it all with such style. Apparently, BlackTree has released a v. B25, which outdates my v. B24 -- so I can't say quite yet whether Butler can beat it. (Apparently v. B25 offers further web integration and searching capabilities, likely to match Butler's.) It also offers a fair bit of customization, and thankfully in a less confusing and more simplistic manner than both LaunchBar and Butler do. But the thing I've loved the most about this little piece of software is how it does everything with sheer style. I have it set on Bevel appearance right now (though it does have three other views), which is very akin to Panther's Alt-Tab application switching in appearance (on purpose, I believe). It takes full advantage of the glorious beauty of OS X's icons (application and otherwise), like the Panther switcher, and one real neat thing is when you start typing in your friend's name and -- if you have a Thumbnail image for him in Address Book -- it'll display his image. Very, very sleek. It also has a Clipboard and a Shelf, for you to keep things on as you need them. Finally, it seems to manage things better than Butler, too -- search for a name in your Address Book, and it doesn't spill all out all his information right there, with multiple results for "Joey," "Joey's Cell Phone," "Joey's Work Phone," etc. Instead, it simply displays "Joey," and requires you to hit the right arrow key to see his various phone numbers, emails, and such. With applications and documents, this right arrow key function allows you to define what you want to do with said application or document -- open it, reveal it in the Finder, open it with another application, etc. Cleans up the mess nicely, without a load of results with your search.

All in all, while I still have to download the latest version of QuickSilver, on my cursory review I'm most impressed with both Butler and QuickSilver. I'm very impressed with Butler's fine search thingy that it inserted on the toolbar (though it is removeable), and I also am quite fancying the "smart buttons" I've managed to place up there as well. Still, QuickSilver seems to have it's act more together, and provides a far more appealing experience. LaunchBar I was less than pleased with, and the fact that it costs money while the others are free kinda turns me off.

I'll definitely try to spend more time with Butler, and the new version of QuickSilver, over the next few days, though, and give a report. :)

[Mechcozmo]

I'm surprised that I havn't seen MacStumbler yet. A great program for detecting 802.11b and g networks.

Another one that is slightly less useful, but loads of fun is JARED. I won't spoil the fun your you all...

Toast Titanium 5 is agreat program, cheaper than 6 but does jsut about all that 6 does. At least, I've been fine with 5 and havn't been about to think "Gee, 6 would help out a lot more."

Xbench is a good benchmarking utility, good for seeing how well your computer performs. After running it, I learned that I needed more RAM. So I have some now. :D

[iChan]

for anyone undecided which launcher app to try...

Launchbar, Butler or Quicksilver...

I suggest Quicksilver as it has an option called "Superfulous Visual Effects". Now, any application with that as an option deserves your support.

[chv400]

iProfile allows you to make an AIM profile without using AIM.
http://www.smashsoft.com/iprofile/
Just wondering does anyone know where i can get an OCR app that is OS X and does not run off classic.

[bluebull]

Here's one nobody's mentioned yet: Spy (http://www.silvernetwork.net/products/spy/)
Basically it takes screenshots of your computer and puts them on a website, which is basically just an ip address. It also has real-time views of your computer. It has lots of possibilities, and its best when two people have it so they can "spy" on each other's computers, but its only for mac. :rolleyes:
I've found it pretty useful.

[FightTheFuture]

Now it seems to me that there are three primary players in the alternative launcher category, each with its own loyal user base but all accomplishing essentially the same purpose: giving you instant access to your computer, files, and applications, without having to navigate Finder to find and use them.
thanks for tidying up the "launcher" category of this thread with that thorough synopsis. i myself have tried all three as well. i disliked launchbar cause it was a bit pricey. and i removed quicksilver cause i was too lazy to get the most out of it. for those who are as scared as i am, butler was the best way to go. the interface is very easy to use and when you get the full power out of it, it becomes an app that you really do want to pay peter mauer for.

but when i took a step away from it - butler and launchbar did one major thing that i wanted it to do; making an "os9-like-apple menu". everyone only wants to put their most used applications in your dock, and you don't want to put an app in there thats only used once in awhile, ie. toast. so we use a launcher like butler or launchbar to get the most out of your experience. keep in mind though, this can also be done for free by simply using apples built in os x applescript program. there is an easy tutorial at the bottom of this page from Macworld magazine. (http://www.macworld.com/2004/03/features/panthersecretsdeclassified/)

now the other embedded features such as a quick search tool to find a necessary app, or changing iTunes tracks and ratings on the fly - are definitley worth the install. but i'm sure all of us would rather use integrated features such as spotlight, when Tiger comes out. here's hoping Tiger eliminates other such 3rd-party applications that we use. iFinance would be a good addition ;)

[wrldwzrd89]

thanks for tidying up the "launcher" category of this thread with that thorough synopsis. i myself have tried all three as well. i disliked launchbar cause it was a bit pricey. and i removed quicksilver cause i was too lazy to get the most out of it. for those who are as scared as i am, butler was the best way to go. the interface is very easy to use and when you get the full power out of it, it becomes an app that you really do want to pay peter mauer for.

but when i took a step away from it - butler and launchbar did one major thing that i wanted it to do; making an "os9-like-apple menu". everyone only wants to put their most used applications in your dock, and you don't want to put an app in there thats only used once in awhile, ie. toast. so we use a launcher like butler or launchbar to get the most out of your experience. keep in mind though, this can also be done for free by simply using apples built in os x applescript program. there is an easy tutorial at the bottom of this page from Macworld magazine. (http://www.macworld.com/2004/03/features/panthersecretsdeclassified/)

now the other embedded features such as a quick search tool to find a necessary app, or changing iTunes tracks and ratings on the fly - are definitley worth the install. but i'm sure all of us would rather use integrated features such as spotlight, when Tiger comes out. here's hoping Tiger eliminates other such 3rd-party applications that we use. iFinance would be a good addition ;)
Ah, but you're forgetting one launcher program (which just happens to be my favorite) - DragThing (http://www.dragthing.com/). I don't use it now, but I used to use it in my Mac OS 9 days. It's a great little program and a handy replacement for the Dock.

[iLikeMyiMac]

Netshade (http://raynersoftware.com/netshade/) use for anonymouse web browsing
FetchArt (http://www.versiontracker.com/dyn/moreinfo/macosx/19933) quickly found art for my itunes library
PulpFiction Lite (http://www.macupdate.com/info.php/id/14977) newsreader/rss reader
HandBrake (http://handbrake.m0k.org/) rip dvds
Fetch (http://fetchsoftworks.com/) Simple ftp program
SharePoints (http://www.hornware.com/sharepoints/) share folders with other people on your network without haveing to go through terminal
IEatBrainz (http://www.versiontracker.com/dyn/moreinfo/macosx/22813) Check mp3 tags easliy and quickly

[whyrichard]

i installed quicksilver and it's interesting,

but for some reason now it quits after running for just a minute or two. can no longer make it through a search!


is there a conflict with fruitmenu?


is there a good and free hotkey application?


thanks,
r.

[dotnina]

Proteus (http://www.proteusx.com) <-- instant messaging (AIM, etc.)

Stattoo (http://www.panic.com/stattoo) <-- iCal reminders, date, time, etc. that blend into your desktop

Konfabulator (http://www.konfabulator.com) <-- wins my award for "thing you never thought you needed but now can't live without"

[themapplz]

I've been very happy for these puppies since getting my pbg4
Menumeters
Tigerlaunch
Prefsmenu
Fuzzyclock
Cleardock
iMote
Ratingbar
Volume logic
iTunes Bpm
Mac messenger 3.4
SearchGoogle service

[MikePaulus]

It's not really a "little" app, but I use MacJournal 5-6 times a day to organize everything I do. Oh, and I keep a daily journal, too. :)

http://homepage.mac.com/dschimpf/

[Doctor Q]

I've been very happy for these puppies since getting my pbg4
Menumeters
Tigerlaunch
Prefsmenu
Fuzzyclock
Cleardock
iMote
Ratingbar
Volume logic
iTunes Bpm
Mac messenger 3.4
SearchGoogle serviceI suggest/request that you and other posters put one-line comments about what your favorite apps do, as dotnina did in the post before yours. We could look each one up, but it would be easier if you told us up front.

[MacBandit]

I have a new favorite weather app that resides in the menu bar. I use to use Metorologists but it's gone down hill over the last couple years since real developement stopped on it. You can no longer get weather from NOAA or Accuweather using it just the Weather Channel. Which IMHO really really sucks for weather forcasts. Last night I came a across a program called WeatherMenu (http://www.afterten.com/products/weathermenu/index.html). It gets it's weather information from NOAA and has much better information including very nice radar images.

Also another great program is SAFT (http://haoli.dnsalias.com/Saft/) it adds a lot of cool functionality to Safari including auto saving currently open webpages when you quit. It's horrendous Nagware but worth the $10.

Lastly CocoaGestures (http://www.bitart.com/CocoaGestures.html) is a very cool little add-on that lets you surf tie menu commands to mouse gestures in any Cocoa App.

[noel4r]

Nothin new on my list:
VLC
iSleep
MacJanitor
Launchbar
Acquisition

Stickies (simple and handy)

[melchior]

It's not really a "little" app, but I use MacJournal 5-6 times a day to organize everything I do. Oh, and I keep a daily journal, too. :)

http://homepage.mac.com/dschimpf/

i too use macjournal every day. no other 'notes' app suits my needs better

[zagato27]

Don't know if this one has been mentioned but how about MenuCalendarClock? Pretty slick app that resides on the menu bar and when you need to see the date, it's there. Want the month, no problem just click. Even incorporates "to do" stuff from iCal. Neato! Cheers ;)

[Skizza]

DVD2ONE X...if one were to want to copy a DVD onto 1 blank DVDR, this program compresses the original DVD to 4.4 GB. It allows you to compress "movie only", or the entire DVD if you like the boring comments and awful alternate endings. Which by the way the name alternate ending literally means BAD ending, that's why it was changed to begin with!

[Dahl]

DVD2ONE X...if one were to want to copy a DVD onto 1 blank DVDR, this program compresses the original DVD to 4.4 GB. It allows you to compress "movie only", or the entire DVD if you like the boring comments and awful alternate endings. Which by the way the name alternate ending literally means BAD ending, that's why it was changed to begin with!
MacTheRipper is a really good DVD ripping program as well

[munkle]

MacTheRipper is a really good DVD ripping program as well

Just being pedantic, MactheRipper rips the DVD but DVD2One compresses it to fit onto a single DVD disc. They fulfill different needs. You need an app, like MacTheRipper, to rip the DVD before using DVD2One to compress it.

[munkle]

Don't know if this one has been mentioned but how about MenuCalendarClock? Pretty slick app that resides on the menu bar and when you need to see the date, it's there. Want the month, no problem just click. Even incorporates "to do" stuff from iCal. Neato! Cheers ;)

Preferred it when it was CalenderClock and free!! ;)

[Dahl]

Just being pedantic, MactheRipper rips the DVD but DVD2One compresses it to fit onto a single DVD disc. They fulfill different needs. You need an app, like MacTheRipper, to rip the DVD before using DVD2One to compress it.
I didn't know.
I better check out DVD2one.

Can you back up a DVD to a blank DVD with Apple's default software or do you need something like Toast.

[redAPPLE]

I'm trying to follow the "install as little software as possible to avoid screwing up the computer" philosophy...which I guess is a little bit like an ex-Windows user's equivalent of elderly people from the Depression era hiding money under their mattresses, but....



this is the same thing with me. i do not want to screw up my computer. i once tried the program "fire" and it really screwed up my mac. i had to reinstall everything. anyway, i would like to know if you guys have a type of procedure, how to install, use and test software without screwing up the computer.

does creating a different user and installing, testing and using the software with that user work?

ps: imo, this is a good thread. i with arn and the guys (and gals) could create a spot with a link to the suggestions here. it would even be good, if we could rate the software.

[munkle]

I didn't know.
I better check out DVD2one.

Can you back up a DVD to a blank DVD with Apple's default software or do you need something like Toast.

As far as I know, if you want to create a playable DVD that will be recognised by a DVD player you have to use Toast.

Maybe there is a way of importing a backup DVD into iMovie and then burning from there but I'm not sure. I ust Toast and it's always worked for me.

[MacSA]

Someone needs to make this a Sticky thread. Too many useful Apps mentioned to see it dissapear.

[zagato27]

Preferred it when it was CalenderClock and free!! ;)

MenuCalendarClock http://www.objectpark.net/mcc.html

Well, it's still "free". You just have to say "no" to the annoying pop up asking if you want to register. Actually it doesn't come up that often but just click later. It's starting to wear me down a bit though, actually thinking of registering and sending in the $15. It's a pretty neat little app and probably worth the $ but free does seem better. Cheers.

[radiocore]

superduper - backup/clone/restore (http://www.versiontracker.com/dyn/moreinfo/macosx/22126)

[jsalzer]

I'm amazed we've gotten this far and only one of the apps that I couldn't live without has been mentioned (WindowShade).

Then again, maybe I'm the only one hanging on to my OS9 heritage.

I love FruitMenu - which allows you full access to add aliases to your most used documents and apps to the Apple Menu - just like in the old days. I had originally missed this ability so much that I created a Konfabulator widget to emulate it, but now that I have FruitMenu, life is PERFECT.

Well, almost. In order to fully get rid of the Dock (we don't all have 23 inch screens, Steve), I also use ASM (Application Switcher Menu), which returns the OS9 Application Switcher to the upper right hand corner of your screen. The combo of this and FruitMenu work flawlessly, even though my computer isn't rated to even run OSX (which causes larger hack apps some problems).

Let's see. Carbon Copy Cloner is the only way that I've found, thus far, to make a full backup of my computer without losing a DVD-R to a permissions error. It creates a full backup as a disk image onto my hard drive. Toast then has no problems (permission errors) burning the disk image to a DVD-R. It's not a perfect solution, and it won't work when I get a computer with a HD larger than 4GB, but it's all I can find right now. Anyone have any backup solutions that work for them?

iCan - which I guess is the third thing needed before getting rid of your Dock. It's not perfect, but I trust it with my data. It puts a customizable trash can on your desktop. I use my own PNG's to have empty rings (from Stargate) as my empty trash and rings with Richard Dean Anderson and some light for a full trash. Kind of fun.

KoalaCalc is a very nice calculator that allows you to use your number pad.

QuickImage is a wonderful, out of the way program that adds a contextual menu item on images, allowing you to convert them, change their icon, etc., without ever opening them in an application. You also can open them in QuickImage to resize or make minor adjustments (convert to B&W, etc.). It's just amazingly convenient.

MailCountX is a great little app that puts the number of unread Mail messages onto your menu bar. I opened the package and changed the icon used, but it works great.

Peeper - a handy little tool that searches through any folder you dump on it to look for all images hidden inside. This is especially useful for pulling icons out of packages, such as applications or from the Systems folder, for use elsewhere.

SoundRecorderMacOSX - a wonderful little app that takes the place of - uh - I forgot what it was in OS9 that allowed you to record through the microphone or audio in. I use this to convert audio tapes to CD. No fancy audio editing powers - just a straightforward conversion.

TransLucy - I have downloaded it, but I haven't actually used it because my computer doesn't meet the graphics card requirements (and the program's smart enough to know). It claims to allow you to run a DVD in the foreground semi-transparent while you continue to work on things underneath it. It'll be one of the first things I try with my next Mac.

Now - for my request. Someone needs to port Principia over to OSX. It was a cool little app that put Isaac Newton in the lower left-hand corner of your screen and then made the Apple (from the Apple Menu) shake a little and then fall on Newton's head. Good for a two-second laugh. :)

These are the things that made the jump to OSX a good experience where it would have been a bad experience - to me.

[titaniumducky]

Synergy (http://synergy.wincent.org) goes without saying--best single addition to the iTunes experience possible.

I'd also add:

- Another Launcher -- (www.macupdate.com/info.php/id/12170) a combination launcher, system monitor, multi-engine search tool, and much, much, more

- iChatStatus -- cool little dohickey that shows your currently playing song in your iChat status message (http://www.ittpoi.com/stem.php?product=com.ittpoi.ichatstatus&type=frameset)

- CocoaGestures, as someone already pointed out. :)

I like SizzlingKeys from Yellow Mug Software (in place of Synergy) namely because it's FREE and doesn't use a menubar icon (which slow login considerably).

I also like Schubert It's Word and PDF plugins which allow you to open DOCs and PDFs in Safari.

[melchior]

I'm amazed we've gotten this far and only one of the apps that I couldn't live without has been mentioned (WindowShade).

Then again, maybe I'm the only one hanging on to my OS9 heritage.

These are the things that made the jump to OSX a good experience where it would have been a bad experience - to me.

funny, i have no use for any of these apps. (not exactly true, but they do not do what they do the way i want it)

i've adjusted my workflow to os x more than i've adjusted my os x to my workflow. the only app i could not live without is quiksilver...

[MacBandit]

I like SizzlingKeys from Yellow Mug Software (in place of Synergy) namely because it's FREE and doesn't use a menubar icon (which slow login considerably).

I also like Schubert It's Word and PDF plugins which allow you to open DOCs and PDFs in Safari.

I think the login time slowdown from menu items depends on your machine. My Dual1.42 allows me to start and use apps while the menu bar items are still loading. Also there was a time when I noticed I was having to wait longer and longer for the menu bar items to load so I did a dump cache, daily/weekly/monthly tasks, fsck, permission check, prebind. Now my startup is half the time it use to take and my login is nearly instant even with a half dozen 3rd party menu bar items.

[wwooden]

I just downloaded Delocalizer and it removed 760 mb off my harddrive! I did quite a bit of that type of work myself, but that program was so easy and got a lot more then I ever would have. This has to be one of the best threads yet. I know is has been done before, but I think it's good to do this type ever so often so that new programs can be shared.

[billyboy]

Imagewell is a quick drag and drop "PDF to jpeg compressor" which makes emailing screenshots and so on a breeze.

Filechute is shareware drag and drop "upload files to iDisk", which, with its auto homepage address generator, also makes sending large files a breeze.

Bitplayer is a very nifty QT movie player. Free and works brilliantly, especially the feature that automatically starts the movie in full screen size on a second display.

TextEdit is the best for "word processing"! although MacJournal is very useful for keeping at-a-glance tabs on related documents in various projects.

Ultimate Pen lets you write on your desktop which is great for annotating presentations.

Synergy for iTunes, iAddressX for addresses no less, and phone numbers that can be copied and pasted into Skype which is a pretty reliable VoIP for Mac to landline phonecalls.

God I hope my Mac never breaks down, else my professional and personal life will grind to a massive halt!

Most desired app would be a reliable all in one interface which draws together all the relevant info from Mail, iCal, Addressbook - plus links to VoIP

[Dahl]

Very cool looking catalog software, scan CD's, books and DVD's with your iSight.
Bluetooth friendly too.

www.delicious-monster.com

[lalcan]

Gold: I think Salling Clicker (www.salling.com) really pushes the limits and takes us S-E mobile phones happy users to the state-of-the-art of the Human-Computer interaction.

Silver: AdiumX (www.adiumx.com) is the best IM app by far, and with the addition of script-ability combined with Salling Clicker it rocks!

Bronze: It's a tie between Raging Menace's SideTrack (www.ragingmenace.com/software/sidetrack/index.html) (Trackpad enhancement) and MenuMeters (www.ragingmenace.com/software/menumeters/index.html) (System Performance Measured in the Menu).

Special Mention: LapCop (homepage.mac.com/sweetcocoa/lapcop), a program that helps you to find a stolen Mac (i hope i will never use it but then again it's nice to know it's there) and they have GREAT support personnel.

[MacBandit]

.....................Special Mention: LapCop (homepage.mac.com/sweetcocoa/lapcop), a program that helps you to find a stolen Mac (i hope i will never use it but then again it's nice to know it's there) and they have GREAT support personnel.

Lapcop sounds cool but I'm looking for a free alternative. If anyone has anything that is remotely similar please let me know.

[abhishekit]

Following are the apps that are always running on my pb and if I use someone else's mac I go ahead and install(those which are free) it without even asking them :D
Quicksilver - I think most of you use it. Its in my startup items and absolutely essential. I usually install this on everyone's mac.
konfabulator I only run BetterWhatsGoingOn widget. But its not something I can not do without.
desktop manager Its for multiple desktops. Again absolutely essential for what I do. I have a 12" pb and generally 3-4 completely different things going on.
windowshadeX Its one of the few apps I have paid for. With this app, you can customize the behavior of your windows. Also you can turn any window transparent with hot keys. Its again one of the absolute essential apps as I have programmed my minimize key to hide(and its really inconvenient on some other machine if minimize actually minimizes). And very often if I am working with two windows I make one transparent to see the other.
Synergy I always have it running, but its not something I can not do without.
Salling Clicker I paid for this app. And its always running. But I don't use it now. Still its a very good app.
MenumeterIt shows cpu processes in the menubar. Again, its always running. But its not something I can not do without.

cheers

[amcgee]

I was just curious what little applications people are using to mac OS X that much cooler. Here's what i'm using...

There is only one third-party OS X application that I absolutely, positively, cannot live without, and that is because it serves as the gateway to making OS X realize it's full and awesome potential:

http://fink.sourceforge.net

OS X is completely crippled without a package manager such as Fink. The radiant beauty of Fink is that it brings the ease of use of Debian Linux to the nuclear-powered BSD Unix core of OS X. Kneel before Zod!!!

Add to that a graphical interface via FinkCommander:

http://finkcommander.sourceforge.net

Have you ever seen the magnificent spectacle of OS X Aqua running in tandem with KDE? Oh my goodness. I'm about to pass out at the keyboard from overstimulation and joy. Cue the violins. Someone hand me a handkerchief.

[amcgee]

As far as I know, if you want to create a playable DVD that will be recognised by a DVD player you have to use Toast.

Toast is *not* required to make playable DVDs. You can create an empty DVD image with Disk Utility, fill it with files (in AUDIO_TS and VIDEO_TS subfolders), and then burn it. Toast is simply an easier way to do things, because you can burn directly from files and folders, without having to create an image of the DVD first. I repeat, you don't need third-party software to burn DVDs in Panther or Tiger (I'm not sure about Jaguar, as I haven't looked at that in awhile). In addition, if you want to use a third-party program, there are free and open source programs for burning DVDs or creating DVD images that can be used instead of Toast. Toast is simply popular, it's not hegemonous.

[amcgee]

I also like Schubert It's Word and PDF plugins which allow you to open DOCs and PDFs in Safari.

Those plugins work with *all* browsers, not just Safari.

[amcgee]

Also there was a time when I noticed I was having to wait longer and longer for the menu bar items to load so I did a dump cache, daily/weekly/monthly tasks, fsck, permission check, prebind. Now my startup is half the time it use to take and my login is nearly instant even with a half dozen 3rd party menu bar items.

Yasu is a compact little app that will take care of all of this:

http://homepage.mac.com/jim.mitchell/software/

Boot into safe mode and then run it, so the fsck will be taken care of as well. It can auto-reboot after it finishes, so then you're back to normal. Simpler and cleaner than Onyx and other fancier tools.

[MacBandit]

Yasu is a compact little app that will take care of all of this:

http://homepage.mac.com/jim.mitchell/software/

Boot into safe mode and then run it, so the fsck will be taken care of as well. It can auto-reboot after it finishes, so then you're back to normal. Simpler and cleaner than Onyx and other fancier tools.

Thanks that's the program that I've been using. I should have mentioned that.

[palusami]

cool thread. i downloaded/installed sidebar and am starting to like it more and more. i'm still getting used to using it but i luv the scrolling capabilities.

also downloaded desktop manager and that seems to be a cool multi desktop mgmt program. wish they had more options though for the type of keys that are placed in the menu bar. minor quib but my pb is just so stylin'. :p

i've had konfabulator for some time. i LUV the widgets but still can't justify spending $25 on the program. seems a little expensive to me so i had to uninstall it since i was getting rather annoyed with the little pop-up reminder. if it was like $10 cheaper, then i'd have no problem. that's 25 songs on itunes man (or more if you buy some albums that have a lot of songs on them for $9.99)!

also bought synergy. that was a no brainer. love how it flashes song details from itunes. very nice!

[Shadowbird]

Hm, little programs that I like...

Well, I've had quite a bit of fun with iTaf (http://itaf.sourceforge.net/), I love Mozilla Firefox (http://www.mozilla.org/products/firefox/), particularly with the FoxyTunes (https://update.mozilla.org/extensions/showlist.php?application=firefox&version=1.0&category=Miscellaneous&numpg=10&pageid=2) extension, MPlayer OSX (http://mplayerosx.sourceforge.net/) is a great video player, and I used to use FFmpegX (http://homepage.mac.com/major4/) a lot until I upgraded to Panther and it decided not to run on my system anymore. I'm still trying to figure that glitch out...

[MacSA]

How many of these applications are likely, or unlikely to work with OS X Tiger when it's released?

[FightTheFuture]

How many of these applications are likely, or unlikely to work with OS X Tiger when it's released?
i'm actually hoping we can eliminate a lot of these apps when tiger comes out. dashboard should take over for konfabulator - and spotlight to quicksilver.

[beatle888]

someone mentioned StickyBrain which is a scrapbook type app that lets you organize random snipits of your personal life along with notes pictures, websites. i liked it a lot but the thing thats preventing me from buying it is the fact that when you save a webpage it doesnt retain its original layout. this is just too weird. if i save a website i'd like to view it in its original layout.

does anyone know of an organizing application that will allow you to take notes and add pictures, emails, webpages and still maintain html layouts?

thanks a lot.

[Dahl]

It's not really small (or cheap), but Adobe Acrobat (http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/main.html) lets you save webpages.
But I'm sure there are other cheaper solutions.

[beatle888]

It's not really small (or cheap), but Adobe Acrobat (http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/main.html) lets you save webpages.
But I'm sure there are other cheaper solutions.

thanks :)

but im actually looking for something that allows me to just save the webpage by just selecting all and sending to my "scrapbook" application. or clicking on a web image and using control-click i can choose save to "scrapbook". then when i need to find that LCD tv that i was looking at the other day i can just search in my "scrapbook" for LCD tv and the info will pop up. STICKYBRAIN is perfect but it strips the layout of the webpage.

[arf]

Recently I have stumbled across this (http://www.nervous.org.uk), a RSS reader that learns what topics you like.

Aside from that I am a big fan of the konfabulator, bring on Tiger and all them widgets

[harveypooka]

adium for MSN...very nice little App.
osx planet for great desktop environment.
Acqusition for p2p.

[nagromme]

Fluid - VERY cool customizable screen saver. All kinds of nifty eye candy.

You can even have your iSight (or other) video signal reflect in realtime on the 3D flowing liquid!

http://www.concepthouse.com/products/Fluid/
Or
http://www.versiontracker.com/dyn/moreinfo/macosx/14713

Freeware :)

[amcgee]

I used to use FFmpegX (http://homepage.mac.com/major4/) a lot until I upgraded to Panther and it decided not to run on my system anymore. I'm still trying to figure that glitch out...

There's no glitch, you simply need to upgrade to the latest version. Many open source apps broke and/or were rewritten or recompiled with XCode when 10.3 was released. Anytime you do a major system upgrade and a third-party app stops working, the very first thing you need to do is check for upgrades.

[amcgee]

How many of these applications are likely, or unlikely to work with OS X Tiger when it's released?

Answer: It doesn't matter.

Most of the applications being recommended in this thread are free/open source or inexpensive shareware, so getting an upgrade for Tiger compatibility will be relatively painless. Only certain defunct and no longer supported apps like Carbon Copy Cloner or DVDBackup may end up breaking permanently, but once again, that doesn't matter, because there are already better programs available which people should have switched to using long ago (Carbon Copy Cloner should be replaced by SuperDuper! and DVDBackup should be replaced by MacTheRipper). The most important thing to do before installing Tiger is to find out which apps you absolutely cannot live without, and then see if they are either replaceable by built-in 10.4 tools, or if there is a need for an upgrade. You should plan all this out long before you even touch the Tiger install disks.

[Windowlicker]

Some of you have probably noticed that Synergy has gotten better.. It no more eats your CPU all the time. Makes it much more useful. I finally got to pay the fee too, which I'm happy of because I wanted to pay for it in the first place but couldn't because of the need of a credit card.

[geeman]

Mute your start-up chime: Just keep your finger on the keyboard "mute" button (F3 on my PB15) for a second or two when you hit the Power button.

No need to install anything.




[QUOTE=floatingspirit]

To mute your start up chime: http://www5e.biglobe.ne.jp/~arcana/software.en.html

[jsalzer]

Only certain defunct and no longer supported apps like Carbon Copy Cloner or DVDBackup may end up breaking permanently, but once again, that doesn't matter, because there are already better programs available which people should have switched to using long ago (Carbon Copy Cloner should be replaced by SuperDuper!...

Ugh! CCC's no longer being supported? It's been the best backup solution I could use (to back up everything - not just what Apple wants me to back up). I don't remember what I didn't like about SuperDuper when I tried it, but I do know CCC (to create a disk image that I then burn to DVD) has been my weekly friend. Then again, I just went from a 4GB hard drive to a 40GB hard drive, so it would probably stop working as a solution at this point, anyway. I'll have to try something new this weekend.

Ugh!

[Guntis]

Thanks for sharing your experience!
I'd like to add Butler - small app that sits in the menu bar and adds just 1 icon, but under this icons is whole bunch of useful stuff -- just press Ctrl+Space and start typing appliccation or Contact person's name, and it will find it for you in a second! It has several clipboards which can save their content upon computer shut down or restart, it has Application list, etc etc.

Some other stuff I've found useful:
Accordance - Mac Bible software. Gradual upgrade is also possible.
Audio Hijack / Hijack Pro - grab audio from any application and record it!
Apples to Oranges / iUnit OSX - all kind of conversions.
Captain FTP - FTP client with Randezvous support.
CocoaMySQL - extremely good MySQL frontend with GUI, work with MySQL tables like in Excel - click in the cell and edit it's content :)
Curio - store all your creative ideas for the particular project in one place.
FileWrangler - file batch renamer.
iBackup - free backup utility. Twice saved me from real disaster.
Imprint - print envelopes and labels from your Apple Address Book. Can save results as templates.
MacSword - Mac Bible software for free.
PlainClip - removes formatting from the text in Clipboard.
MacFamilyTree - geneology software. Looks very promising.
Mellel - very good text processor for technincal documentation. Actually for me it's MS Word substitute. I am fully satisfied :)
Jumsoft Money - very simple (too simple?) money management.
MPlayer OS X 2 - real Mac-like media player - for those who don't like QT.
NewsFire - the way RSS feeds were meant to be read.
NetNewsWire - another good RSS reader.
OmniDictionary - free dictionary, can be made also into offline dictionary.
PhaseOne C1 - convert digital SLR camera RAW files into TIFFs or JPGs.
skEdit for PHP and HTML editing.
PrintWindow - print folder and file lists, directory trees.
Salling Clicker - control Keynote presentation or iTunes from your bluetooth mobile phone.
SideTrack - give more power to your PowerBook's trackpad!
Skype - talk to your buddies over the Internet for free! Or call to the landlines for very cheap money.
SlimBatteryMonitor - color your battery info in the menu bar for iB or PB.
Steel - save all your passwords in one password-protected file.
StickyBrain - great place to store all kind of useful info. Just select any text or pictures, press Option-Command-C and it's saved in indexed database.
Synergy - control iTunes from the menu bar.
TimeOut! - for those who forget to excercise while sitting at the computer.
VLC - everyone knows it! Great media player, just playlist isn't as good as in WinAmp or MPlayer OSX.

[Doctor Q]

Only certain defunct and no longer supported apps like Carbon Copy Cloner or DVDBackup may end up breaking permanently, but once again, that doesn't matter, because there are already better programs available which people should have switched to using long ago (Carbon Copy Cloner should be replaced by SuperDuper! and DVDBackup should be replaced by MacTheRipper).A teacher uses Carbon Copy Cloner at school, using step-by-step instructions I wrote, to create a netboot image. Does SuperDuper do that too? The description at Versiontracker doesn't mention it.

The netboot images made by Mac OS X Server itself don't work for a reason our Apple rep was never able to explain, which is why we've relied on Carbon Copy Cloner, which can make perfect netboot images. Now I'm worried we might be left with no working method. Does anyone have a specific reason to expect Carbon Copy Cloner to fail under furture Mac OS X versions?

[urban1985_]

Just wanted to say this is definitely one of the best posts in here. Being new to the mac, I only really knew of adiumx. After seeing this, I've downloaded a bunch of the apps mentioned and I love 'em. Quicksilver has got to be one of my faves. It makes things SO much easier.

thanks!

[puckhead193]

You should plan all this out long before you even touch the Tiger install disks.

That's going to be very difficult :p

[Mitthrawnuruodo]

I just tried Delocalizer. I've seen it before, but dared not use it, as it wasn't tested with 10.3. After reading a couple of the posts in this thread where people had used it without any problems I finally had to try.

It removes 950MB of localization files... :eek: almost a full GB (and my HD is getting crowded by a large iTunes collection)... it's fantastic...!!! :D

My girlfriend just ran it, and it removed 1012MB...!!!

Thanks to those who tried it before me...!

As to other freeware I use regularly:
- Firefox (d'uh)
- Adium X (good to keep up with both msn and icq users)
- SubEthaEdit (plaintext editor, until I can afford BBEdit)
- LyX (latex wysiwyg editor, using it to write my master thesis)

Still the #1 program I use has to be Apples own iTunes. I don't think I could live without it. I dreamed of this kind of program back in the mid 80's, when I spend numerous hours compiling mixed tapes from my vinyl albums (and other cassettes). An easy way to store and access all my music was on the top of my wishlist allready then, and now 15-20 years later I got it. :D :cool:

[BrianX]

SWG, a small app. that displays weather conditions near you.

[IDANNY]

1. Sidetrack
http://www.versiontracker.com/dyn/moreinfo/macosx/20854

2. MenuMeters
link= http://www.versiontracker.com/dyn/moreinfo/macosx/17713

3. VLC
for all your multimedia needs.
http://www.versiontracker.com/dyn/moreinfo/macosx/14738

4. Synergy
Finally I use for it's iTunes capabilities.
http://www.versiontracker.com/dyn/moreinfo/macosx/17100


5. Xpod
iPod music file transfer tool
http://www.versiontracker.com/dyn/moreinfo/macosx/12731

[bblackley]

I work a lot with business professionals and some of them don't know how to tell their email programs not to encode rich text format (native for MS Outlook users). This program will end your WINMAIL.DAT email attachments woes. You drag the WINMAIL.DAT file to the Tnef's Enough icon and the encoded attachments come through great. It is very solid and in four years of use I have only had it wig out on me twice. And you can't complain; it's free.

Go here to try it http://www.joshjacob.com/macdev/tnef/index.html

I am also a fan of the simple, free and feature rich Tex-Edit from TransTex Software. It has a good search replace function and is great at cleaning up emails with funky Windows characters for printing. It has a ton of mileage on my comp. Hint: Learn to use Apple-J. http://www.tex-edit.com/

[BLDun]

I downloaded yasu and delocalizer and neither will open on my ibook once they have decompressed and installed. Both worked great on my G5 but I can't get either to work on the ibook. Any suggestions??

[Pittsax]

This might not really qualify because it's $50, but I've been trying out the demo of YouControl, and I think it's great! It sort of acts as a "catch-all" program for all sorts of different utilities.

http://www.yousoftware.com/control/

[simie]

Here is an old one - remember Pyro! - that fireworks screensaver - only works on classic os.

http://jupiterii.tripod.com/jupiterii2/util/pyro.sit

Loads of old applications on here.

[ic1]

iScroll2 - A nice little hack that gives many pre-2005 PB and iBook trackpads vertical and horizontal scrolling with more functions on the way. Still under development but works as promised so far. I think you may have to uninstall Sidetrack as drivers may not play well together.

http://www-users.kawo2.rwth-aachen.de/~razzfazz/

[micsaund]

iScroll2 - A nice little hack that gives many pre-2005 PB and iBook trackpads vertical and horizontal scrolling with more functions on the way. Still under development but works as promised so far. I think you may have to uninstall Sidetrack as drivers may not play well together.

http://www-users.kawo2.rwth-aachen.de/~razzfazz/

Awesome! Thanks for that tip. Now I don't have to deal with SideTrack and registering or dealing with the pop-up. I actually like the dual finger method, although it'll probably take some time to un-learn the right-side scroll ;)

[asphalt-proof]

Since this program was mentioned, how do you get gestures to work. I have followed the instructions from the website to the letter and I get nothing. Any DETAILED instructions would be helpful. By the way, just downloaded Butler and already I am wondering how I ever lived without it.
Pete

[ic1]

Since this program was mentioned, how do you get gestures to work. I have followed the instructions from the website to the letter and I get nothing. Any DETAILED instructions would be helpful. By the way, just downloaded Butler and already I am wondering how I ever lived without it.
Pete

Assume you are referring to iScroll2. Agree that detailed instructions would help. Best I can do is to say that two fingers scroll (both axes), one finger (even thumb) moves cursor. Could be that your machine is not late enough to benefit altho the app is supposed to check before it completes the install.

Try contacting the author, he'd probably welcome the feedback. If you do, ask him to add a right click function that doesn't involve the ctrl button.

[Eastend]

First off this is a really great educational thread, already use some of these mentioned applications, but some of these sound very interesting. I'll add one for audio freaks. It's not cheap, but Bias software makes Soundsoap 2, this thing is a heaven sent item for me. Soundsoap takes away noise and it will enhance as well. I use it as a plug in on Peak and AudioHijack Pro, but it will work as a stand alone application as well.

Brian

[micsaund]

Not to hijack the thread, but I have a quick question regarding iScroll2:

I have noticed that when using Firefox, I can go forward or backward with a 2-finger sequential tap (ie. back is right finger down then left). I think this is an iScroll2 provided feature but maybe that's wrong. Anyway, this a cool idea, but falls completely flat when I try to use the scrolling...

When I try to place both fingers down to scroll up/down, I *rarely* have the exact simultaneous contact of both fingers on the pad, so the software interprets this as a forward or back browser movement. This is obviously VERY annoying when trying to scroll down a page and I end-up going back/forward constantly instead.

So, is there a way to adjust the time required between a sequential double finger-down to trigger the forward/back to make it more deliberate? If not, is there a way to disable this forward/back functionality (as, for me, it completely destroys the scroll part of iScroll which is what I mostly want)? I looked in the iScroll2 in the Prefs and saw nothing so maybe it's hidden somewhere else?

Thanks,
Mike

[annk]

I just used Delocalizer for the first time, because I read about it in this thread. I got rid of 1242 MB!! :eek:

[walkingmac]

I use many of the apps listed, but one that I think is the most useful to me is dock-it (http://www.gideonsoftworks.com/dockit.html). Which allows you to essentially have multiple docks on the same screen. VERY NICE

[asphalt-proof]

Assume you are referring to iScroll2. Agree that detailed instructions would help. Best I can do is to say that two fingers scroll (both axes), one finger (even thumb) moves cursor. Could be that your machine is not late enough to benefit altho the app is supposed to check before it completes the install.

Try contacting the author, he'd probably welcome the feedback. If you do, ask him to add a right click function that doesn't involve the ctrl button.


Actually I was referring to CocoaGestures (using the mouse to navigate the GUI) not a trackpad. Sorry for the confusion.

[ClarkeB]

I did delocalizer....


it removed 2 GB!

[MacBandit]

Actually I was referring to CocoaGestures (using the mouse to navigate the GUI) not a trackpad. Sorry for the confusion.

In each application you are in you need to go to the application menu and then select cocoa gestures. It only works in Cocoa apps. From there you can turn it on or off configure the activation keys and what commands what symbols control.

[YS2003]

Quite simply, if you haven't yet tried Quicksilver (http://blacktree.com/apps/quicksilver/) you are living some sort of sad half-life. It has revolutionised my friend's computer use, and I am in the process of allowing it to revolutionise mine. Try it. You will never be the same again.

After installing Quicksilver, I am getting the same message when I ran repair permission:
----------------------------------------------------
Repairing permissions for “Ti PowerBook HD”
Determining correct file permissions.
We are using special permissions for the file or directory ./Library/ColorSync/Profiles/Displays. New permissions are 16893
We are using special permissions for the file or directory ./Library/ColorSync/Profiles. New permissions are 16893
We are using special permissions for the file or directory ./System/Library/Filesystems/cd9660.fs/cd9660.util. New permissions are 33261
We are using a special uid for the file or directory ./private/var/at/jobs. New uid is 1
We are using a special uid for the file or directory ./private/var/at/spool. New uid is 1
The privileges have been verified or repaired on the selected volume

Permissions repair complete
----------------------------------------------------

This is something related to ColorSync. I have not even touched ColorSync and I am wondering if this is normal to have Repair Permission fix that ColorSync issues each time Repair Permission runs.

[macbaseball]

PlainClip - removes formatting from the text in Clipboard.

How do you get Plainclip?

[dreamind]

Hi folks,

since a while I tried to collect all these little [nice] mac applications on my website...

as its written there, anybody can send me an email, if something is missing there...

http://www.dreamind.de/mac

so long :)

[Dahl]

I don't know if 1-Click Answers has been mentioned, but it rocks.
Just highlight a word and press option, command and G and you get an instant Dictionary etc.

It's in beta and (still) free.
http://www.answers.com

[NATO]

Fantastic thread guys, some really useful stuff here which I didn't know about!

I tried Synergy and I *WAS* going to try it for the 7 day trial, but after using it for about 30 minutes, I just had to buy it. At €5, it's a bargain!

A little app I use all the time is iScrobbler (http://www.audioscrobber.com). For those who aren't familar with this app, you basically create a free account and download a small plugin which sits on the menubar. Any tracks which are played through iTunes are uploaded to your profile and basically your iScrobbler homepage is updated frequently showing the artists/tracks you listen to most frequently. There's daily, weekly and overall charts and it's interesting to see what you ACTUALLY listen to most of the time!

As well as that, you can link to your friends and see what they listen to, and see 'musical neighbours' who are selected based on their similar listening habits. I've found quite a few new artists this way.

Give it a go, see what you think. I personally couldn't do without that app!

[evilpenguin21]

I don't have any new Mac apps, but I found a few sweet XP imposter apps.

http://www.candylabs.com/approcket/
This is basically Quicksilver for XP... just not as cool.

http://www.mobydock.com/
The most accurate XP dock impersonator.

I use them both at work and they make coding MUCH easier when I can't use my mac.

[zagato27]

As far as I know, if you want to create a playable DVD that will be recognised by a DVD player you have to use Toast.

Maybe there is a way of importing a backup DVD into iMovie and then burning from there but I'm not sure. I ust Toast and it's always worked for me.

Try Popcorn from Roxio. They had a sale/rebate a bit ago. Regulary about $75 I believe but w/ rebate I got it for $15. Simple and works great. Even has Dual layer support....just wish I had a dual layer drive :( . Cheers

[munkle]

Wow, blast from the past! I think I actually made that comment before Popcorn was released! :eek: :p

[zagato27]

Wow, blast from the past! I think I actually made that comment before Popcorn was released! :eek: :p

munkle, ah yes, the past ;) . I was just revisiting the thread to "catch up" and read your remarks. Just thought I'd add my .02 :D . Cheers

[stridey]

I'm sure some of these were mentioned, but I'll just put them down anyway. I use all the regulars of course (Adium X, Konfabulator, Quicksilver, Synergy, DragThing, Sidenote, Tinkertool). Here are some of the less common ones:

Cee Pee You (http://www.unsanity.com)
Sound Source (http://rogueamoeba.com/)
iBackup (http://www.grapefruit.ch/iBackup/)
Debuttonizer (http://512k.org/projects/debuttonizer/)
PrefEdit (http://www.bresink.de/osx/PrefEdit.html)

[Church]

I am going to try WakeOnLAN at the next LAN party I go to. Looks like a great prank program, and also, there's a widget that does the same thing. I can imagine it now. My windoze buddies are getting ready to go to sleep and they are trying to put their computers to sleep, and I keep waking their computers up. Mwahahaha, I see good times ahead.

Link (http://homepage.mac.com/dtl/WakeOnLan/index.html)

[devilot]

Does Delocalizer work w/ Tiger?

[munkle]

Does Delocalizer work w/ Tiger?

Yup and so does Monolingual (http://monolingual.sourceforge.net/) :)

[devilot]

Yup and so does Monolingual (http://monolingual.sourceforge.net/) :)
Thank you!!! :D

[20rogersc]

I'm suprised that SizzlingKeys (http://www.yellowmug.com/sk4it/) has only been mentioned the once, I love and it is so useful. You can set the key combination to play, pause and skip songs, while you are working in any apps.

Another free app I use by Yellow Mug Software (http://www.yellowmug.com/) is SnapNDrag,which allows you to capture the whole screen, or separate windows, and then saving them in the programme, rather than on the desktop.

As quite a few people have also mentioned, I use MenuMeters (http://www.ragingmenace.com/software/menumeters/).

This is a great thread!
::20ROGERSC::

[Daveman Deluxe]

I used Carbon Copy Cloner to make a bootable backup of my hard disk before I upgraded to Tiger. I was wondering if anybody could point me to a way to clone my hard drive under Tiger now that CCC doesn't work.

I use Splasm Software's CheckBook app for keeping my checkbook balance. It has significantly reduced the time I spend grumbling about the fact that my statement and check register don't reconcile. ($17.95, http://www.splasm.com )

I use Finale NotePad for all of my small music notation needs. (Free, registration required, http://www.makemusic.com )

I use iPodBackup for daily backups of my home directory to my iPod. (Free, http://www.amake.us/ )

I use Wincent's Synergy for the iTunes controller. I don't use the menu item, so I just have control-key combinations for global iTunes control. (5€, http://wincent.com )

I use Igg Software's iBiz as my billing and invoicing app. ($29.99, http://www.iggsoftware.com/ibiz/ )

[MacBandit]

I used Carbon Copy Cloner to make a bootable backup of my hard disk before I upgraded to Tiger. I was wondering if anybody could point me to a way to clone my hard drive under Tiger now that CCC doesn't work.

http://www.xlr8yourmac.com/archives/jun05/060905.html

Read article near bottom titled, "Backing up your Hard Drive using Tiger's Disk Utility". It has a couple suggestions including using Pseudo and SuperDuper.

[20rogersc]

I thought we couldn't miss out some great apps that come with new Macs, so it here it goes.

Stickies - so useful to have notes on your desktop.

iCal - plan out your days, and it even shows the date on its icon in the dock.

Stuffit - extracts most compressed files

iLife - everyone knows what these are!

I know probably most people use them, but they require a mention, as they are 'cool apps', and so good for everyday life.

::20ROGERSC::

[derekmcwilliams]

Okay Guys,

I gotta admit -I've read through this whole thread and Im amazed with how much cool stuff is on here..
BUT.. really stupid question coming up.. How do I uninstall these programs? I know that I can just drag most of them from the apps folder and into my trash, but what about all the other stuff, like in the ~/library directory?

Is there an app that will uninstall stuff cleanly? or am I looking at it from the wrong end?

Thanks,
Derek

[mainstreetmark]

I keep a list of software I like. I usually send new Mac owners to this page, but it's got a lot of the stuff you guys mentioned.

http://www.the-alley.net/mark/mac

And I didn't see it mentioned, but Quicksilver lets you assign hotkeys for things like controlling iTunes. It does what Synergy does. If you combine it with the Growl notifier, it's a pretty killer setup that Apple should steal for Leopard.

[Diatribe]

Here's a comprehensive list of basic software and some other hints. (http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=132963)

[stridey]

Okay Guys,

I gotta admit -I've read through this whole thread and Im amazed with how much cool stuff is on here..
BUT.. really stupid question coming up.. How do I uninstall these programs? I know that I can just drag most of them from the apps folder and into my trash, but what about all the other stuff, like in the ~/library directory?

Is there an app that will uninstall stuff cleanly? or am I looking at it from the wrong end?

Thanks,
Derek

If you have Tiger, do a Spotlight search for the app and trash all files associated with it. Otherwise, just trashing the app gets rid of 99.9% of the disk space the app uses, and you might want to keep the prefs file anyway, in case you ever install it again (and want your settings retained). I usually just trash the app.

[cleanup]

I just switched to Mac yesterday, and I already love the way that Mac OS X installs applications. Disk images are the way to go.

Here's a list of apps I've downloaded and am using... I'm never going back to Windows. :)

Adium (http://www.adiumx.com) - multiclient messaging, aesthetically pleasing as well.
ByteController (http://www.macupdate.com/info.php/id/15170) - just like Synergy, but free and faster (no floater yet though)
Tomato Torrent (http://sarwat.net/bittorrent/) - simple and minimal BitTorrent client for Mac OS X
Poisoned (http://www.versiontracker.com/dyn/moreinfo/macosx/20289) - P2P client for Mac OS X, I keep hearing people say it's great, but I can't seem to find anything, no matter what I search for...
VLC (http://www.videolan.org/vlc/) - plays what QuickTime doesn't.
QuickSilver (http://quicksilver.blacktree.com/) - yet to use this religiously yet, but it shows a lot of potential. Faster than Spotlight, and it can do a whole lot more.
X Resource Graph (http://www.gauchosoft.com/Software/X%20Resource%20Graph/) - fast and simple system monitor.
TinkerTool (http://www.bresink.de/osx/TinkerTool.html) - expanded system preferences.

I'm too lazy to search the thread - can anyone recommend a good app. for downloading album art into iTunes?

[macbaseball]

I'm too lazy to search the thread - can anyone recommend a good app. for downloading album art into iTunes?

I used an app called Clutter (http://www.sprote.com/clutter/). It wasn't amazing, but it worked...

[coolosxapps.com]

I decided to take my bookmarks live and created a site dedicated to the apple and OSX user community. 100's of cool osx apps...and more everyday as I have a HUGE list. Sites like this board kept me informed, now it's time to give back...http://www.coolosxapps.com/

gotta go eat an apple...

[MacBandit]

Witch!!! It's a free window/application switcher. It's similar to Apple's Application switcher but it lets you use the option-tab key combination to scroll through open apps and windows and then close, minimize, hide them just like you can from within the Application switcher. There's more though you can also unminimize a window from within it without having to go to the dock.

http://www.versiontracker.com/dyn/moreinfo/macosx/25871

[JensOffersen]

I decided to take my bookmarks live and created a site dedicated to the apple and OSX user community. 100's of cool osx apps...and more everyday as I have a HUGE list. Sites like this board kept me informed, now it's time to give back...http://www.coolosxapps.com
gotta go eat an apple...


You forgot to mention to everybody here that you stole the list of "bookmarks" and the name here (http://coolosxapps.net/oldlist.htm)

The real site is www.coolosxapps.net (http://coolosxapps.net) people! Don't support that theif with his site full of google ads and banners!! :mad: :mad: :mad:

[jsalzer]

The real site is www.coolosxapps.net (http://coolosxapps.net) people! Don't support that theif with his site full of google ads and banners!! :mad: :mad: :mad:

Ya know - I knew I felt dirty when I looked at the link originally posted. So I closed that window and waited for someone who knows more to post something before I, in any way, clicked on something that would give a thief money.

I think it was when a few descriptions were in the first person ("our app"), despite the fact that the poster said he was just collecting bookmarks.

Thanks for the quick catch!

:)

[spyker3292]

You forgot to mention to everybody here that you stole the list of "bookmarks" and the name here (http://coolosxapps.net/oldlist.htm)

The real site is www.coolosxapps.net (http://coolosxapps.net) people! Don't support that theif with his site full of google ads and banners!! :mad: :mad: :mad:

thanks, I had .com on my bookmarks but now i switched it to .net.

[javiercr]

Quicksilver is amazing! It should be built into OS X. Open any application in a second!

I think all the macs in the mac shop in London have it!

i think it's going to be a leopard feature :)

[stridey]

I think all the macs in the mac shop in London have it!

i think it's going to be a leopard feature :)

While that would be awesome, it'll never happen. The average user is mostly mouse-based, and QS would just confuse them. Doesn't really matter, you can still install it yourself. :p

[bellis1]

This Quicksilver program is indeed amazing. I cannot live without it because:

1. I can open apps with just a few keys.
2. I can send short emails amazingly fast without opening anything else
3. And I can set quick notes with ical reminders in seconds (using applescript)
4. And I can get to bookmarks in just seconds

-I'm sure there are other things that I have yet to discover and adapt into my workflow. Does anyone have a good workflow to write quick notes in quicksilver and have it store/send it to another useful app I can search later? Maybe even send webpages, pdfs, etc. that I don't have time to immediately review. Are there any plugines for notational velocity, mac journal, notebook, etc?

And I just got an app today that is fantastic for adding comments to individual emails in mail. It is great for project management and use with spotlight. It's called MailTags.

[cb911]

i'm not sure if anyone mentioned this app before.. but damn it deserves all the mentions it can get.

CoverFlow (http://www.steelskies.com/coverflow/HomePage.html)

http://slartibartfast.herejezus.nl/blog/CoverFlow.jpg

It allows you to browse your albums complete with beautiful artwork pulled from any sources it can find, whether that’s buried in your song tags, collected via Synergy, or looked up on Amazon.

a really great app. even thought it's purpose is simple (to browse you music collection) it does it beautifully. :D

[harveypooka]

This was mentioned on Tao of the Mac and I forgot to download it! Excellent!

[evilpenguin21]

I found some great MP3 tagging tools over the weekend.

http://www.versiontracker.com/dyn/moreinfo/macosx/22813 - ieatBrainz - This a great app that uses audio finger prints (not 100% sure what that means, but it works) to search the music brains database to identify your music. I even had a few jazz songs that I had labeled as unknown that iEatBrainz actually showed me the name for the first time.

http://www.macupdate.com/info.php/id/12083 - Fetch Art - The perfect buddy for iEatBrainz. Once iEatBrainz has tagged all your music, Fetch Art will use the tags and download the album covers from amazon.

[geeman]

Amazing. Truly amazing. Well done for finding such a cool little app!

[ohcrap]

I found some great MP3 tagging tools over the weekend.

http://www.versiontracker.com/dyn/moreinfo/macosx/22813 - ieatBrainz - This a great app that uses audio finger prints (not 100% sure what that means, but it works) to search the music brains database to identify your music. I even had a few jazz songs that I had labeled as unknown that iEatBrainz actually showed me the name for the first time.

http://www.macupdate.com/info.php/id/12083 - Fetch Art - The perfect buddy for iEatBrainz. Once iEatBrainz has tagged all your music, Fetch Art will use the tags and download the album covers from amazon.
Good God, that's incredible. Great find! :D

[XNine]

I use KeyXing, the best hotkey tool for OS X, which was sold off and is no longer available. I also use Dockextender and Candybar for System icons, and Visage for boot panel modifications.

[pubwvj]

Ugh! CCC's no longer being supported?

Fortunately this is not true. Carbon Copy Cloner has been updated to work with Tiger.

[jsalzer]

Fortunately this is not true. Carbon Copy Cloner has been updated to work with Tiger.


Thanks, Bud. Someone else actually pointed that out to me on another thread. The funny part is, the version I had and the newer version from the web site had the same version number. But, luckily, the "newer" one works - making me very happy.

Though I hope the wonderful author is a little more careful to update version numbers when he makes changes in the future. ;)

[dogbone]

I did a search of the thread and X-Assist did not come up. Which I find hard to believe as it is without any doubt the most useful piece of code ever. Before Active-X I was morose, curmudgeonly, and irascible. I'm still all those things of course but now I have X-Assist so I don't care.

It resurrects the old OS9 application switcher on the menu bar.

Hasn't been updated for a long time but it works with Panther and Tiger fine.

http://members.ozemail.com.au/~pli/x-assist/

[Chappers]

Windowshade X because I love the different minimize options esp minimize-in-place http://unsanity.com/haxies/wsx/ this is must have.

VLC is great but I also use Xineplayer http://www.macupdate.com/info.php/id/17492 which is also very cool.
and without the error messages.

[fayans]

Are we forgetting "Skype"? I personally think this is one of the best software innovation and its FREE.

[nw43]

i'm not sure if anyone mentioned this app before.. but damn it deserves all the mentions it can get.

CoverFlow (http://www.steelskies.com/coverflow/HomePage.html)

http://slartibartfast.herejezus.nl/blog/CoverFlow.jpg



a really great app. even thought it's purpose is simple (to browse you music collection) it does it beautifully. :D

Wow. Just found this and I think it's great - reminds me of those jukeboxes you sometimes get in pubs where you can cycle through albums.

I guess the next step would be to allow you to play your music through it - now that would be seriously cool. EDIT: Just realised you can play the album by double-clicking!

[maddav]

GarageSale was good for a bit, most of the other Apps that I've got are the basic/major ones.


btw. 200 POSTS!!

[buckuxc]

While I agree that iEatBrainz is an awesome program (I have 6800 songs and/or other such media in iTunes), you have to be careful and pay attention while letting it tag songs. I have had certain songs that were correct - usually non-album songs, "live" versions and such, but other regular songs too - changed and tagged as completely wrong (i'm talking like some acoustic song by whomever being tagged as leann rhimes or something strange like that). iEatBrainz database isn't 100% right now and even if it gets there the audio fingerprint is not foolproof. Just a word to the wise.

sps


I found some great MP3 tagging tools over the weekend.

http://www.versiontracker.com/dyn/moreinfo/macosx/22813 - ieatBrainz - This a great app that uses audio finger prints (not 100% sure what that means, but it works) to search the music brains database to identify your music. I even had a few jazz songs that I had labeled as unknown that iEatBrainz actually showed me the name for the first time.

http://www.macupdate.com/info.php/id/12083 - Fetch Art - The perfect buddy for iEatBrainz. Once iEatBrainz has tagged all your music, Fetch Art will use the tags and download the album covers from amazon.

[CompC]

Shapeshifter v2.2 (http://www.unsanity.com/haxies/shapeshifter) - Lets you use themes on your computer; you can customise theme, iconset, curserset (if you have mightymouse installed), and wallpaper. Opens .gui files

MightyMouse v1.2.2 (http://www.unsanity.com/haxies/mightymouse) - Lets you change the theme of you cursors. Some shapeshifter themes come with cursorsets that match the GUI.

ClearDock v1.3 (http://www.unsanity.com/haxies/cleardock) - Makes the background of the dock clear or changes dock/application triangle color.

Konfabulator v? (http://www.konfabulator.com) - Lets you run widgets. Similar to dashboard but has been around longer and can run in operating systems older than Tiger.

Amnesty Widget Browser v.? - Lets you run Tiger dashboard widgets in Panther or earlier

LaunchBar - Quickly search through places such as your Safari history or you computer by pressing cmd+space and then typing a short description of what you want

KONFABULATOR WIDGETS

Gir_Desktop! - puts Gir from the Nickelodian show Invader Zim on your screen. Double click to hear a quote.

iChat Bezal - tells you when a user signs off or on in the form of a bezal

iChat Patroller - puts a small list of people in your buddy list on the side of the screen and a green, grey, or red bubble to indicate thier status.

[rickvanr]

Is there an app to keep podcasts out of the iTunes Library?

[MacBandit]

Is there an app to keep podcasts out of the iTunes Library?

How do you mean?

[rickvanr]

How do you mean?

I want podcast in podcasts and music to be separate in Library.

I usually just put a song from my library, and let it play down, and I hate when one of my news podcasts or some other podcast comes on, and it's 20 minutes of talk when I'm not in the mood for talk.

[cb911]

i've noticed the same thing...

i think this is a new feature of the latest iTunes? unless i missed it before, i could have sworn that Podcasts stayed out of the Library. it is annoying when you're listening to much and then
*schwooom*
"the power of your intellect"
*da daaa*
;)

and i can't find any options in iTunes to keep Podcasts contained in their own section and out of the Library...

[MacBandit]

I want podcast in podcasts and music to be separate in Library.

I usually just put a song from my library, and let it play down, and I hate when one of my news podcasts or some other podcast comes on, and it's 20 minutes of talk when I'm not in the mood for talk.

The library is just that a library of every file in iTunes. If you want a song list without something you need to make a smart playlist with that file category subtracted from it.

Think of iTunes as a book library. Say you only like history books but you start at the first shelf and you get a childrens book. The answer is to only view the history books. This is done in iTunes with smart playlists. Smart playlists fill with whatever files fit your criteria and are dynamic meaning the contents changes automatically instantly as you add and remove files from the library.

My biggest gripe right now with iTunes is they don't have a video podcast section in the iTunes music store. Video Podcasts and Audio Podcasts should have their own sections.

[rickvanr]

I know thats how the Library works. It just bugs me that's all. I got used to the Library being music-centric.

[MacBandit]

I know thats how the Library works. It just bugs me that's all. I got used to the Library being music-centric.

Well I've always had a great deal of variety in my music folder from christmas music and comedy to classical and hard rock. It forced me right away to create playlists. When smart playlists came along it was a god send.


Just a suggestion. In the future when you have a new question that you can't find an answer for in another forum create a new thread. You can see how your question derailed this thread from it's original topic of helpful OSX apps.

[GimmeSlack12]

OS X Tiger's Automator is actually very useful:
http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=160184

I made that thread which explains a useful program you can create with Automator, I'm proud of my work, thats the only reason I post that link. Hope you guys figure out it's usefulness as well.

[rickvanr]

Well I've always had a great deal of variety in my music folder from christmas music and comedy to classical and hard rock. It forced me right away to create playlists. When smart playlists came along it was a god send.

Just a suggestion. In the future when you have a new question that you can't find an answer for in another forum create a new thread. You can see how your question derailed this thread from it's original topic of helpful OSX apps.

All things I know, and very unhelpful. Thanks

As to the topic, I use MacFLAC all the time to decompress live shows from http://www.archive.org/audio/etreelisting-browse.php?collection=etree

[evilpenguin21]

Nice, clean bittorrent client
http://transmission.m0k.org/

Really easy DVD->MPEG-4 program.
http://handbrake.m0k.org/

[chrisgeleven]

I know thats how the Library works. It just bugs me that's all. I got used to the Library being music-centric.

Simple solution for this. So braindead that I didn't notice it for months!

Click on Library
Go to Edit --> Show Search Bar
Then select Music on the search bar.

Looky Looky, no more podcasts in your library ;)

[Mitthrawnuruodo]

Time for a little update:

- Firefox (http://www.mozilla.com/firefox/) - at the moment a better (IMO) browser then Safari, remember the two essential extentions: SpellBound (http://spellbound.sourceforge.net/) and Adblock (http://adblock.mozdev.org/). If you need any search engines (like AcidSearch), just make them.
- Vienna (http://www.apple.com/downloads/macosx/internet_utilities/vienna.html) - RSS reader that has completely made me forget Safari.
- Meteorologist (http://www.versiontracker.com/dyn/moreinfo/macosx/16142) - weather forcast in the menu bar.
- iSnip (http://www.apple.com/downloads/macosx/productivity_tools/isnip.html) - extended clipboard, also in the menu bar.
- SpiritedAway (http://www.apple.com/downloads/macosx/productivity_tools/spiritedaway.html) - hides inactive apps after a given time. Priceless on a small screen.
- Quicksilver (http://www.versiontracker.com/dyn/moreinfo/macosx/22549) - a launcher that has changed the way I use my Mac, it has rendered the Dock almost obsolete.
- TextWrangler (http://www.barebones.com/products/textwrangler/) (or SubEthaEdit (http://www.codingmonkeys.de/subethaedit/)), free and amazing text editor(s).
- AbiWord (http://www.abiword.com/) - might be my permanent preferred word processor.
- Adium X (http://www.adiumx.com/) - a very good free multi protocol IM client, though I don't use it much, all the time spend here at MR prevents that. ;)
- Conversation (http://homepage.mac.com/philrobin/conversation/) - a nice Mac-like IR client.
- XRG (http://www.gauchosoft.com/Software/X%20Resource%20Graph/) - monitor your Mac from the desktop, doesn't use too much resources.
- Cyberduck (http://cyberduck.ch/) - nice little GUI s/ftp client.
- OmniDiskSweeper (http://www.omnigroup.com/applications/omnidisksweeper/) - great little tool from the OmniGroup for finding (and removing) all the junk off your HD. Free one day licences available from the Omni site.
- TinkerTool (http://www.bresink.de/osx/TinkerTool.html) - a great way to access many of the hidden options in Mac OS X (how could I forget that) without having to use the Terminal.

[xsedrinam]

If it hasn't been mentioned, SmallImage http://www.iconus.ch/fabien/smallimage2/ is a nice, little freeware application.

[MacBandit]

Did anyone else participate in the MacUpdate software purchase? There were some great apps in it. Browseback is probably my favorite. It's a visual browser history app.

[outofthedark]

To mute your start up chime: http://www5e.biglobe.ne.jp/~arcana/software.en.html


Why would anyone NOT want to hear that sound. It's what every mac user will hear as they enter the gates of heaven.

[Ariez]

I use to not care for QS but i use it more and more lately.

[bimbels]

Holy Crap - I freed up 3201mb using delocaliser! I'm so happy...:D

[brainwave89]

I just found out about an uploader for Picasa Web Albums. They make it so easy. I use my .mac account but this is great for PWA users.

http://www.google.com/mac.html

[CMD is me]

Weatherdoc is a cool app that keeps the temp up in the menu bar.

[Doctor Q]

I've found that Safari's History -> Reopen Last Closed Window menu choice is handy.

[psychofreak]

Why would anyone NOT want to hear that sound. It's what every mac user will hear as they enter the gates of heaven.

I'm not happy hearng the bong when I start up in a lesson...

[iPhil]

I've found that Safari's History -> Reopen Last Closed Window menu choice is handy.



It's very handy when i have 5 windows and 15 tabs+ total when you need to a reboot after software updates ... :o

[Doctor Q]

It's very handy when i have 5 windows and 15 tabs+ total when you need to a reboot after software updates ... :oAh, that's another menu choice: History -> Reopen All Windows From Last Session

[MacBandit]

Ah, that's another menu choice: History -> Reopen All Windows From Last Session

I prefer Saft for that. Although it's not free.

[atluten]

A list of all the applications that I've downloaded and found useful. Cheers.

1. Firefox
2. NetNewsWire (RSS reader)
3. Papers (Great scientific article manager!)
4. Adium (Awesome IM client)
5. Handbrake
6. Neooffice
7. Transmission
8. UnRarX
9. VLC

[BentwoodBlue]

Papers looks slick.. Nice find.
I'm downloading it now.

[i.shaun]

Hmm I don't have time to link it all, but I'll List names, and give descriptions. If it is still currently available upon reading this post, it should come up in a quick search.

I have owned a iMac for about a year now, running OS X 10.4.11 (Tiger)

During my time, I have found a variety of programs and other things useful:

SingThatiTunes -- Widget that can search for lyrics, and auto-save them to iTunes. This has worked much better than any previous one I tried, but alas, won't work on all songs.

Show IP Dashboard widget -- self explanitory... my network utilities shows my network address

Plasma Tube - little lava lamps on your dashboard ..makes it look cool anyway

Firefox - It's the little things I like during browsing, I still use safari for it's "Activity Window" though

Safari's Activity Window - Command+Option+A - Displays everything loading on a particular page. You can download almost any flash movie or music file with it. Look for an item loading in the list with "MB" in it, as most web items are only "KB" in size. Double-click the line, and safari will download the file (great for youtube videos)

Xee - Best "Preview" replacement ever. It can scroll through all images in a folder with the mouse wheel, and also *plays* animated .GIF images. If you're like me and switched from windows to Mac, that would have bugged you for some time.

Perian Quicktime plugins (also works in iDVD) allows quicktime to play a large variety of files. If working correctly, it can play AVIs, just don't try to seek or edit them (that's when quicktime crashes) use VLC to play

$$quicktime Pro$$ edit movies and save them right in quicktime. (not AVI's)

iSquint - Convert video files (even AVIs) into ipod format (then quicktime can edit them easily)

$$Keyboard Maestro$$ -- Shareware, great mac Macro program. control iTunes from keyboard, or do any other macro you like. It can even be used to assign hoykeys to open apple scripts.

$$$EyeTV$$$ - watch & record TV on your mac via USB 2.0

Adium Great multi-functional messaging client. Connect to MSN, Yahoo, ICQ, AOL, Myspace, iChat & more

Transmission - great bittortent client

NetNewsWire - best RSS feed reader I can possibly ask for. Wish windows had one

Audacity - free audio editing program. Reverse audio, split audio, make ringtones.

Capture Me - take screen shots of a movie running in DVD Player.app (OS X screen capture is disabled during movie playback)

coppernicus - free screen recording program.

FunnyPhotographer - free program with some effect that Tiger's Photobooth doesn't have

open office Office utilities that are compatible with Microsoft Office

Paint brush simple paint program, similar to MS Paint

Renamer4Mac Quick, easy file re-namer. Drag files in, select re-name options, click a button, done. I use it to add suffexes (ie MISF_) to all my images (of certain catagories) so that upon import into iPhoto, smart albums will automatically pick it up. Great way to organize.

UnRarX - unpack .RAR files.

Command+Option+Control+8 - inverted screen

Command+Option+I with multiple files selected, this shortcut will open one "get info" window, displaying combined file information. (ie: size of all selected files)


http://alexp3.googlepages.com/content.html - google's helicopter game

if you view the source, you can download the .swf file and play offline!

That is it for now. I will continue to personalize my mac as time goes on.

[i.shaun]

****, I guess not all HTML works on here.

[SBG88]

I cannot for the life of me remember a program I used to use.

I can't believe I can't find it because this is where I stumbled upon it in the first place.

It is a program that stops other programs from phoning home or connecting to the internet. I remember the icon was a cartoon face or like a smiley face?

[fuzzynavo]

I cannot for the life of me remember a program I used to use.

I can't believe I can't find it because this is where I stumbled upon it in the first place.

It is a program that stops other programs from phoning home or connecting to the internet. I remember the icon was a cartoon face or like a smiley face?


little snitch? (http://www.obdev.at/products/littlesnitch/index.html)

[reubs]

I cannot for the life of me remember a program I used to use.

I can't believe I can't find it because this is where I stumbled upon it in the first place.

It is a program that stops other programs from phoning home or connecting to the internet. I remember the icon was a cartoon face or like a smiley face?

It sounds Little Snitch.

http://www.obdev.at/products/littlesnitch/index.html

[SBG88]

yes, thanks. that's a hard program to search when you can't think of any part of the name.

[Skywaterbanjo]

Is there any utility that puts a small icon in the menu bar when the hard drive is being accessed?

[liptonlover]

I have a few....
grab is great for screenshots of all sorts and sizes.
classic stickies are great for notes.
TextEdit is awesome... it's light, free, but has all the features I need for my typing.
R-Name changes the name/extension of a bunch of files at once.

[.michael]

Looking through I didn't see anyone put up Appcleaner.

This is a great app. Most people just drag and drop their applications in the trash but don't notice HOW MUCH they are not getting. With Appcleaner I have got rid of so much stuff. One app I used with Appcleaner ended up getting rid of like a million files! One of THE BEST apps.

Links ;http://www.versiontracker.com/php/qs.php?mode=basic&action=search&str=AppCleaner&srchArea=macosx&submit=Go

[vandozza]

Is there any utility that puts a small icon in the menu bar when the hard drive is being accessed?

istat menu's puts an icon in the menu bar with drive capacity, and in it's dropdown box it shows drive activity.

not exactly what you want, but might help?

also menumeters might be able to do this, but i prefer istat menus, and havn't used menumeters for many versions.

[FightTheFuture]

Looking through I didn't see anyone put up Appcleaner.this is pretty cool. it beats paying for appzapper. i use apptrap. (http://konstochvanligasaker.se/apptrap/) it's system pref pane that prompts you to remove the associated files from your system when you delete an app from the finder. although there are a few uninstaller apps out there for os x - does anyone know which one is the most thorough?

[fivepoint]

istat menu's puts an icon in the menu bar with drive capacity, and in it's dropdown box it shows drive activity.

not exactly what you want, but might help?

also menumeters might be able to do this, but i prefer istat menus, and havn't used menumeters for many versions.

Actually iStat can be adjusted in the preferences to show HD access as opposed to capacity/space left. So yes, iStat is the answer to his question. Menumeters is another alternative.

[vandozza]

Actually iStat can be adjusted in the preferences to show HD access as opposed to capacity/space left. So yes, iStat is the answer to his question. Menumeters is another alternative.

good find!

i had a quick look into the pref's but didn't see this option.

(if you check the mode dropdown, you can set the icon to display drive activity.)

[BengalDuck]

I probably use at least a dozen of the .apps promoted in this thread. I've also probably contributed in the past, but I can't be sure if it was this one or another. Either way, these might be repeats...

Dockless (http://homepage.mac.com/fahrenba/programs/dockless/dockless.html) allows for running applications to be removed from the Dock entirely. This program is perfect for people who like a super-clean dock but multiple programs running in the background. I use(d) it for MenuShade (http://www.nullriver.com/products) and Stattoo (http://www.panic.com/stattoo/), among others.

The only mac os x souulseek client I could ever get to work properly, s o u l s e e X (ttp://chris.schleifer.net/ssX/).

I use VLC, Quicksilver, Adium, SuperDuper, UnRar, X, and Speed Download as well. Those are pretty standard, though, as maybe half or more of this community seems to use those.

Also, I wouldn't link it here because some may say it's used for illegal intentions (although I did already link ssX, so maybe I'm just a hypocrite...) but Senuti is great for those who use their iPods as external hard drives/thumb drives.

I'm a big menubar fan, so Mail Status Control (http://www.versiontracker.com/dyn/moreinfo/macosx/25655), iRun (http://homepage.mac.com/fahrenba/programs/irun/irun.html), Ejector (http://www.jeb.com.fr/en/ejector.shtml), LogMeIn (https://secure.logmein.com/home.asp?lang=en) (while not a true "program," it is still a great tool), and finally EasyWMA (http://www.easywma.com/), because for some reason the Windows version of iTunes converts .wma files but the Mac OS version cannot.

[odog402]

Anyone recommend a good torrent app? I'm currently using Tomato.

[reubs]

Anyone recommend a good torrent app? I'm currently using Tomato.

Transmission is the best that I've found. I know that some folks love Azureus, but it was just too bloated for me. uTorrent on XP is really good and full of features, on OS X I do think Transmission is the way to go.

[FightTheFuture]

I know that some folks love Azureus, but it was just too bloated for me. azureus (http://azureus.sourceforge.net/index.php) has been discontinued and is now vuze. i also didn't like that torrent app - felt very resource heavy. i agree that transmission is the best there is, make sure you open those ports and only download legal torrents.

[deathbyart]

azureus (http://azureus.sourceforge.net/index.php) has been discontinued and is now vuze. i also didn't like that torrent app - felt very resource heavy. i agree that transmission is the best there is, make sure you open those ports and only download legal torrents.

I and a couple of friends for some reason have a hard time running Transmission. It decides to close on its on, just when ever it feels like it. Which is frustrating.

[LizKat]

Is there any utility that puts a small icon in the menu bar when the hard drive is being accessed?

Why not just use Activity Monitor, and pick Disk Activity for the dock icon setting. Unless you loathe the dock and keep it hidden....

At least it's "free" since it comes with the OS.

[Skywaterbanjo]

Thanks for the suggestions. I guess I was just looking for a menubar addon that would just show when the disk was active. I used to have one for my mac IIe!

[ump3]

Transmission is the best that I've found.....Transmission is the way to go.

100% Great little app. Does everything you'd need, and gets regular, useful updates.

[WayOutWest]

VLC, UnrarX, Adium and I swear by transmission. It is very very light. I loved uTorrent on my XP machine and this is a great alternative while they work on an OSX port (and they are). Also using Frostwire for file sharing.

[MotleyPete]

Recently I found Miro (http://www.getmiro.com/) to be useful.

It's a free Open Source internet TV app, but I mainly use it to organise videos on my hard drive in watched folders. Unlike iTunes, it doesn't care what format the files are in and seems to play anything.

Fluid (http://fluidapp.com/) Is also cool. It makes little apps out of webpages and even turns them into easily accessible menulets. Great if you listen to a lot of internet radio and want to have them all in one place, tucked out of the way on the menubar. Good for MoblileMe too.

[firstapple]

Personally I love Skitch (www.skitch.com).

I use this app the most to post pictures in forums, etc.

[Tom B.]

Grand Perspective (http://grandperspectiv.sourceforge.net/) is a really cool free application, which shows you the size of all of you hard drive's individual files in relation to each other. Here is my 160Gb hard drive, and all of the orange blocks are videos:

_http://sixpop.com/files/379/GrandPerpective2.png

[QueenZ]

Skitch - Awesome screen capturing and sharing program
PathFinder - A LOT better than Finder (but not free)
CoverSutra - global hotkeys for iTunes ;) Very handy
VLC - the best media player as it can play literally anything..

Also Transmission - the best torrent client and flickr uploader to upload pictures to my flickr account..

[Chase R]

I just downloaded iRecordMusic. It's a great app for recording music off any website. It's basically a web browser that allows you to record any music being played off any website. Pretty nice for grabbing brand new singles and such. You can even save the music files as Apple Lossless files and have the option to automatically add them to iTunes. BTW, I just use the demo version. You just can't do recordings longer than 15 mins... not really that big of a deal.