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

Essential Programs

powermac666 said:
Well, what do you want to do with your computer?
Click to expand...

exactly, but...

most of the 'essential' software comes on a Mac anyways, you only NEED office if you have to get the compatibility, otherwise you can just use Textedit for your documents, it comes with iLife, and just about everything a basic user needs, if you do design or something and are going to be using your machine for that then there are other programs your going to need to get...
 
powermac666, mainly internet and typing reports etc. No games, but I will be editing images. Will Photoshop suffice?
 
camino is a pretty useful webbrowser if you are on dialup as it is quicker then safari. get it here

system optimiser x is good if you dont really know unix but want to keep your comp running smoothly but i cant remember where i got it.

other than that, office is always pretty useful
 
I use a few applications...

Quicksilver is a launcher/helper application and has become very very useful for me. Before i used Launchbar which I thought was extremely nice as well but it was either Quicksilver ($0) or Launchbar ($30 i think) so i went with Quicksilver... http://quicksilver.blacktree.com i don't have the address for launchbar off hand but you can do a search on google for it

Safari is a nice web browser but it's sort of incompatible at my college, so I have Firefox installed as well. http://www.mozilla.org

I make extensive use of iCal, Word, and MacJournal (for blogging.. i do my writing in this first then post it into wordpress later when it's complete)

A lot of people use Roxio's Toast 6 for their cd burning needs.

I also enjoy using Shrook, it's an RSS reader application for $25, i posted something about this a few days ago in the software forum..

I am looking at doing a full review of all RSS readers i can find and also a full review of all "launcher" applications, (launchbar, butler, quicksilver, etc) in the near future .. i'll of course post the information here. just don't hold your breath as school and the girlfriend take priority.

I just regulary browse versiontracker.com looking for something that will be useful to me.
 
For webbrowsing i'm very fond of mozilla.
No compatibility issues and its fast.

If you have been into the linux world, get fink and x11. (free ofcourse)

To keep you system optimized get Macjanitor (free).

Photoshop is a great app.

Also check out the iLife 04 package. Tons of great products, imovie, idvd, garageband, itunes, ichat, ical, etc...
 
cluthz said:
For webbrowsing i'm very fond of mozilla.
No compatibility issues and its fast.

If you have been into the linux world, get fink and x11. (free ofcourse)

To keep you system optimized get Macjanitor (free).

Photoshop is a great app.

Also check out the iLife 04 package. Tons of great products, imovie, idvd, garageband, itunes, ichat, ical, etc...
Click to expand...

have you tried Firefox? or is that really what you were refering to? there's Mozilla Suite and Mozilla Firefox. I think Firefox is the superior product and with the ability to use extensions it's a great little app that can do a lot.

iLife comes with any new apple computer, so he SHOULD have that if he bought a new mac already.
 
Logik said:
have you tried Firefox? or is that really what you were refering to? there's Mozilla Suite and Mozilla Firefox. I think Firefox is the superior product and with the ability to use extensions it's a great little app that can do a lot.
Click to expand...

having tried mozilla (ugly and cumbersome) and firefox i still prefer camino as it is just plain, simple, powerful and quick! also it looks the most os x like!
 
russed said:
having tried mozilla (ugly and cumbersome) and firefox i still prefer camino as it is just plain, simple, powerful and quick! also it looks the most os x like!
Click to expand...

I haven't actually used Camino yet, I guess I should try it. I just haven't because of the sheer number of extensions you can get for Firefox, the features are worth any ui inconsistancy in my eyes.
 
dogday said:
powermac666, mainly internet and typing reports etc. No games, but I will be editing images. Will Photoshop suffice?
Click to expand...



Word or the Office suite might be handy, particularly as it is a Windows world, by and large. The iMac ships with AppleWorks, which can save for Word compatibility.

Photoshop is great, if you have the $$. Photoshop Elements is less expensive but soes the basics. I'm sure there are other folks here who do more photo editing than me...

iLife is great for playtime, with software for music and photo management, video and DVD creation, and GarageBand.
 
Cool, great suggestions!

Do I need to buy a particular version of PS or will my current one I use on my PC?

Secondly, is Office Mac the same as Office windows in it's features etc?
 
dogday said:
Cool, great suggestions!

Do I need to buy a particular version of PS or will my current one I use on my PC?

Secondly, is Office Mac the same as Office windows in it's features etc?
Click to expand...

You have a license for the PC version only. I know that, at work, we have had a Mac license transferred to a PC license in the past, but don't remember what the charge was to do that. We also already had the PC version, so we didn't have to pay the $25 media fee from Adobe for the Mac CD. I'd call Adobe and see if they even offer this option anymore.

Office is basically the same, I think (Access?). My wife used the PC version enough to say they are very similar.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back