Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

nim6us

macrumors member
Original poster
Nov 20, 2012
82
2
Again I'm new to Apple, and I'm wondering if there are any amazing Apple programs that I'm missing out on. On PC I have some must installs like CCleaner, VLC, just odds and ends really. But I wonder if there's any open source software that really improves your experience on your Mac. I know this is kind of general, but I'm interested in all answers.
 

Qaanol

macrumors 6502a
Jun 21, 2010
571
11
I'd say give it a few weeks/months, and if you notice yourself wanting to do something that you can't make happen, then look for programs to accomplish that.

If you just want to customize things, there are BetterTouchTool and TinkerTool, as well as plenty of Terminal commands, but be careful because you can easily mess things up if you don't know what you are doing.
 

sonicrobby

macrumors 68020
Apr 24, 2013
2,482
526
New Orleans
Assuming its not already pre-installed on your system, iPhoto is amazing for photo organization.

Other than that and the other built-in software, there isnt much else I use.

Though if you dont mind, what are your uses for the mac? (ex. video editing, games, browsing, music creation, etc.) that might help us make some more suggestions.

*I will provide a list later of apps I have*
 

talmy

macrumors 601
Oct 26, 2009
4,725
332
Oregon
I've recently discovered "Should I Sleep" which makes sleeping intelligent and is great if you make use of sleep to save batteries/electricity. BetterTouchTool (already mentioned) or BetterSnapTool (less features but in the app store). CheatSheet helps one learn keyboard shortcuts in applications (free, but not in app store).

All the major programs I use (except for Should I Sleep and CheatSheet) are discussed on my webpage: http://almy.us/macsoftware.html
 

nim6us

macrumors member
Original poster
Nov 20, 2012
82
2
This is my first Mac, it's my daily driver. Mostly just surfing the net, word processing, watch movies. I do some light photo and audio editing. Whenever I'm doing work I'm using RDC to remote into other systems.

I mean I guess the sign of a good OS is that all the programs it needs to be healthy come installed. But with PCs I'm so used to the ritual of running all these system maintenance programs, I guess that's what I'm mostly concerned with, just keeping my laptop in good health and running smooth.
 

Weaselboy

Moderator
Staff member
Jan 23, 2005
34,071
15,493
California
This is my first Mac, it's my daily driver. Mostly just surfing the net, word processing, watch movies. I do some light photo and audio editing. Whenever I'm doing work I'm using RDC to remote into other systems.

I mean I guess the sign of a good OS is that all the programs it needs to be healthy come installed. But with PCs I'm so used to the ritual of running all these system maintenance programs, I guess that's what I'm mostly concerned with, just keeping my laptop in good health and running smooth.

That is pretty much a non-issue with OS X as it takes care of itself. You don't really need things like defrag or maintenance apps.

Since you mentioned VLC, there is Mac version of that app that is good for playing video formats OS X does not natively support.

I am a big fan of the launcher app Alfred.

For an "office" type app you might take at the free LibreOffice.
 

talmy

macrumors 601
Oct 26, 2009
4,725
332
Oregon
I don't know if it is still relevant, but on all my previous macs I have had techtool, and I plan on getting it with my new mac asap

Hopefully not relevant. Maintenance and repair software, and even the need various maintenance tasks, gets quite controversial and probably belongs in other threads.
 

Stupotpot

macrumors 6502
Jun 16, 2013
324
301
Newcastle Upon Tyne
I've recently discovered "Should I Sleep" which makes sleeping intelligent and is great if you make use of sleep to save batteries/electricity. BetterTouchTool (already mentioned) or BetterSnapTool (less features but in the app store). CheatSheet helps one learn keyboard shortcuts in applications (free, but not in app store).

All the major programs I use (except for Should I Sleep and CheatSheet) are discussed on my webpage: http://almy.us/macsoftware.html

Love cheat sheet...I'm new to mac but as I'm using an MBA I find keyboard shortcuts the natural way to go...but learning them?! Really helps thanks for the heads up!:)
 
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.