The "Official" Must Have Free Apps/tools Thread

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link= http://www.versiontracker.com/dyn/moreinfo/macosx/20854
sorry but it deserves everyone of those mentions a great application. A great app that really lets you control your trackpad. A must have if you have an ibook or powerbook.

MenuMeters Also another great app to tell you if your computer is actually working.
link= http://www.versiontracker.com/dyn/moreinfo/macosx/17713

Cool, another Official app/tool thread.

AL-FAMOUS said:

LittleSnitch (alerts you to any connections trying to be made)
....
Dvd2onex
(this is for legal back-up ONLY, for more infomation on how to back-up things private message me)

Click to expand...

I really like those apps too but they aren't free... $25 for Little Snitch and $50 for Dvd2OneX.... isn't this a "free" apps/tools thread? On Windows, i use DVDShrink which is similar to Dvd2OneX but completely freeware... anything like that for Mac? And Little snitch functionality is in many free firewall programs for windows (Zonealarm for instance)... any on Mac that are free?

Adium, Netnewswire lite, Romeo, KTA Tennis, Mactracker, Poisoned, Skype, VLC, MPlayer...

MS Office (oops)

iTunes Art

I really liked this one. I've tried many other apps that gather the Album Cover art for iTunes songs/albums but this is the best by far.

It's called Clutter.

Launch Clutter when you have iTunes open. As a song is playing, Clutter automatically looks up the album art. Once found, under the File menu select copy to iTunes and BAM, it's there for the WhOLE album. Sweet.

One note. If it doesn't find the art, just go under the File menu and choose "Find cover in Amazon". Just type in different variations of the artist or song and i'm sure it'll pop up.


Enjoy,
~e

DVD Ripper, Acquisition, SafariSorter, VLC and LimeWire

wiretap

Clutter is awesome.
Just the thing I've been looking for. Have put all my CDs on my iPod and don't have the real CDs with me while I'm up at Uni.

Just to throw my hat into the ring:
Wiretap

I have found this very useful in different circs. It runs 'on the top' of any application and takes up little processor
* take a funny quote from a DVD and use it as a system-beep
* record internet radio to listen to later
etc.
- you must obey all copy-right laws though, I guess..

It's another Ambrosia app. These guys make the BEST games. Anyone played Escape Velocity Nova? or the classic Pegleg? or Maelstrom? That was back in the day. Totally addictive. Any sooo-weeeet graphics.
Anyway, this is by them!

eclipse525 said:

I really liked this one. I've tried many other apps that gather the Album Cover art for iTunes songs/albums but this is the best by far.

It's called Clutter.

Launch Clutter when you have iTunes open. As a song is playing, Clutter automatically looks up the album art. Once found, under the File menu select copy to iTunes and BAM, it's there for the WhOLE album. Sweet.

One note. If it doesn't find the art, just go under the File menu and choose "Find cover in Amazon". Just type in different variations of the artist or song and i'm sure it'll pop up.


Enjoy,
~e

Click to expand...

wow what a cool programme! thanks for that link!

Most of the free apps I use are bundled with OSX... but there are a bunch of them, from Safari and iApps to Grab and DigitalColor Meter.

Others I use (or used to use before getting retail software to replace them) are:
-Okito Composer (word processor)
-Taco HTML Edit (great simple little app for editting web code)
-Kung Log (blog utility)
-Firefox (Web browser.. secondary to Safari)
-Poisoned (P2P)
-Transparent Dock (activates "hidden dock features")
-Audio Recorder (extremely simple recording app)

AACconverter. It's FREE!!! It lets you convert iTMS AAC files to unprotected AIFF.
Got it at http://www.versiontracker.com/dyn/moreinfo/macosx/21234

AmigoMac said:

Adium, Netnewswire lite, Romeo, KTA Tennis, Mactracker, Poisoned, Skype, VLC, MPlayer...

MS Office (oops)

Click to expand...

It would be useful (this is not addressed just to you, Amigo) if instead of just listing a bunch of programs you gave a quick description of what each program does, like AL did in his original post. Links would be helpful, as well.

coconn06 said:

It would be useful (this is not addressed just to you, Amigo) if instead of just listing a bunch of programs you gave a quick description of what each program does, like AL did in his original post. Links would be helpful, as well.

Click to expand...

I just want to promote the web searching.
I will tell how to fish, I won't give the fish. J/K

Adium: Messenger
Netnewswire lite :RSS reader
Romeo: Bridge between Nokia 3650 and iBook (BT controller)
KTA Tennis: Game
Mactracker : Apple computers database
Poisoned 2P,
Skype : Messenger, Internet Phone,
VLC, MPlayer... Video players.
MRChat: Macrumors IRC Client.
MacJournal: if you are a writer.

Absolutely essential : Carbon Copy Cloner. Again, absolutely essential software.

Mike Bombich has made it donation-ware, which means it runs with all features but you're welcome to send him a donation if you find the tool useful.

I know I have.
Best,
Logicat

These threads always seem to pop every once in awhile but I'm a fan of them so I'll play along

AirStumbler: wireless network discover tool. I prefer it to MacStumbler.
Backlight: allows screensavers to be used as desktops, works great with MarineAquarium
WClock: menu bar clock with pop down calendar, now that Calendarclock/MenuCalendarClock has become shareware.
iCal Birthday Shifter: takes birthdays from Address Book and makes them into events in iCal.
iGetMovies: copies Quicktime movies from the iTMS and Safari to your desktop.
iPhoto Buddy: allows you to make multiple iPhoto libraries. Indispensible app which makes iPhoto that much better.
JAlbum: generates photo galleries for your website. Who needs .mac?
Quicksilver : application launcherx10. Closest thing to Spotlight at the moment. Greatest freeware app full stop.
TinkerTool: gives you access to additional preferences settings.
VLC: for all your multimedia needs.
Onyx: maintenance app.
MacUpdate: last but not least, the place to get all your freewares/sharewares!

That should be do for now! I'm a big fan of the Mac developer scene, and am constantly amazed at the quality of the freeware/shareware apps available. Download and support them people!

mine

most people have named the good ones, I'll share then ones I haven't seen yet:

getTunes : allows you to copy music from people sharing it through iTunes on your network

GCam: Really quick way to record something from any firewire camera

Dent Du Midi: adds MIDI options to GarageBand

MacJanitor: does basic maintenance on computer system

Just to to confirm what others have said about SideTrack, VLC, iPhoto Buddy-----I use these pretty much everyday and don't even realize how important they are anymore.

LaTex is just about my favourite free app for producing professional looking technical documents. I use the front end TeXShop.

Bibliographer --this is the best tool for doing Bibliographies. I use it a lot. Very customizable, very easy to learn and use, and runs on anything from OS 8 to OS X to System 7.5.3.

Every student should have this software...

as in the What cool little OS apps do you use? Thread i've enthusiastically urged people to give butler a go. its a great second dock/os9 application menu as well as a quicksilver-esque fast finder launcher. it also customizes smart items to skip itunes tracks, control volume, and rate music on the fly. very customizable and the only thing you'll run in the background of your machine. it is donorware, but you'll feel like paying for it.

I've recommended it before, I'll recommend it again:

Cocoa Gestures (there's a lightweight free version that I use, and a beefy shareware version.)

Gestures, for those not familiar, let you set a hotkey or hotbutton (on a multi-button mouse) that, when held in combination with drawing patterns ("gestures") with the mouse, will execute various options. Single biggest timesaver/hand movement reducer I have ever installed on a computer, period (and I've been using 'em since the before there was a Mac).

Gives a three button mouse more power than a seven button mouse.

Awesome tip for web browsing: Program the menu items for your most heavily used links as gestures, and you can hit your favorite pages with a flick of the wrist.