Hi guys, I just got a Mac, long time Windows user. Any must have apps? I am already porting some of my old Windows ways such as getting Firefox and getting VLC Media Player for those .avi files. Now I am thinking of downloading Open Office for my word processings and stuff. What Mac apps should I get?
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Must have Mac applications?
- Thread starter stanny
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There's a good list of Mac applications here on Mac Rumors: http://guides.macrumors.com/List_of_Mac_Software
Depends on what you are looking to do. But consider these:
OpenOffice.org 3.0.1 (latest), but it does not properly handle Right-to-Left languages.
NeoOffice, current is 2.2.5, but 3.0 Early Access is out (based on O
rg 3.0.1) and very stable. It is more Mac-like than Org and it properly handles Right-to-Left languages.
Those who financially support NeoOffice can have NeoOffice 3.0 Early Access. There are only two full time people involved, but they are very responsive to questions/needs. See NeoOffice forums
OpenOffice.org 3.0.1 (latest), but it does not properly handle Right-to-Left languages.
NeoOffice, current is 2.2.5, but 3.0 Early Access is out (based on O
rg 3.0.1) and very stable. It is more Mac-like than Org and it properly handles Right-to-Left languages.Those who financially support NeoOffice can have NeoOffice 3.0 Early Access. There are only two full time people involved, but they are very responsive to questions/needs. See NeoOffice forums
Congrats on the new Mac
I've found quite a few apps that I really like since I switched just over a year ago, but on the Mac you'll find that most apps are paid-for. Usually they're quite cheap and come with free trial versions.
My personal favourites that I use most are:
Scrivener - very well thought out writing application, for serious writing
iWork - quite cheap (though not as cheap as NeoOffice) but very well polished. I love Keynote and Numbers, and Pages is quite good too.
TextMate - for HTML and Ruby coding
Aperture - because I've got a digital SLR. I shoot in Raw and this rescues lots of photos that aren't quite right. It's a pretty fantastic programme.
VMWare Fusion - I work on Windows, and I use Fusion a lot
Task Paper - Very simple but I use it quite a bit
Superduper - You can use Superduper to create a bootable backup of your Mac on an external disk. If your Mac drive dies, just plug the disk back in and it boots up exactly as it was! You simply can't do this on Windows.
There are others too, but I use them less - Microsoft Office Home is good but I like iWork, Omni-Graffle is nice but I hardly seem to use it, Adobe Creative Suite is of course the flag-ship of Mac software (and is much cheaper if you're a student) but I'm not a designer so it's not something I use miuch.
I doubt that list was what you were after, but you don't say what you want to do with your Mac. Firefox and VLC are excellent choices, by the way. Also, Mac The Ripper and Handbrake are good for extracting DVDs and converting them to iTunes format.
I didn't like NeoOffice at all. Maybe the new Org with it's native OS X version is better, but I've already got an Office suite.
I've found quite a few apps that I really like since I switched just over a year ago, but on the Mac you'll find that most apps are paid-for. Usually they're quite cheap and come with free trial versions.
My personal favourites that I use most are:
Scrivener - very well thought out writing application, for serious writing
iWork - quite cheap (though not as cheap as NeoOffice) but very well polished. I love Keynote and Numbers, and Pages is quite good too.
TextMate - for HTML and Ruby coding
Aperture - because I've got a digital SLR. I shoot in Raw and this rescues lots of photos that aren't quite right. It's a pretty fantastic programme.
VMWare Fusion - I work on Windows, and I use Fusion a lot
Task Paper - Very simple but I use it quite a bit
Superduper - You can use Superduper to create a bootable backup of your Mac on an external disk. If your Mac drive dies, just plug the disk back in and it boots up exactly as it was! You simply can't do this on Windows.
There are others too, but I use them less - Microsoft Office Home is good but I like iWork, Omni-Graffle is nice but I hardly seem to use it, Adobe Creative Suite is of course the flag-ship of Mac software (and is much cheaper if you're a student) but I'm not a designer so it's not something I use miuch.
I doubt that list was what you were after, but you don't say what you want to do with your Mac. Firefox and VLC are excellent choices, by the way. Also, Mac The Ripper and Handbrake are good for extracting DVDs and converting them to iTunes format.
I didn't like NeoOffice at all. Maybe the new O
rg with it's native OS X version is better, but I've already got an Office suite.Seriously, I'm not trying to be jerk and I'm usually not one to say this (at all), but just give the forum a search. There's literally tens if not hundreds of threads just like this one covered in abundance.
Congrats on your new Mac and enjoy it!
how come every thread in this forum has a dude complaing about someone not using the search function
jesus if you had time to write 4 lines complaining you could of at least typed 3 or 4 programmes for the TS
i.e transmission, visual hub, u torrent, etc etc
When similar information is contained in multiple threads, it makes it very difficult for subsequent users/searchers to find answers to their questions/problems.
Probably the reason Doctor Q created this sticky.
I would say must haves would be:
Mozilla Firefox (good for certain toolbars or webpages incompatible with Safari)
VM Fusion or Parallels
Growl
EasyWMV or Flip4Mac (if you want to view windows format videos)
Photomatix Pro (great for easy photo edits and HDR photography)
Logic (if you are recording music)
Final Cut (if you are doing heavy duty movie editing)
It depends mostly on your level of demand from your machine I suppose.
Mozilla Firefox (good for certain toolbars or webpages incompatible with Safari)
VM Fusion or Parallels
Growl
EasyWMV or Flip4Mac (if you want to view windows format videos)
Photomatix Pro (great for easy photo edits and HDR photography)
Logic (if you are recording music)
Final Cut (if you are doing heavy duty movie editing)
It depends mostly on your level of demand from your machine I suppose.
One essential is learning how to use MRoogle to search the forums for commonly-discussed topics such as this. MRoogle will find threads that the standard forum search will miss.
http://www.google.com/search?num=10...ite:forums.macrumors.com&as_qdr=y&btnG=Search
http://www.google.com/search?num=10...ite:forums.macrumors.com&as_qdr=y&btnG=Search
Give the guy a break , he probably just wants a few essentials before he tests his new Mac out,remember that feelin ??, one essential I'm surprised no one has mentioned yet is little snitch http://www.obdev.at/products/littlesnitch/index.html
Squared5's MPEGstreamclip is good for video work, not essential but worthy of note. http://www.squared5.com/
luck
~m
Squared5's MPEGstreamclip is good for video work, not essential but worthy of note. http://www.squared5.com/
luck
~m
I was hardly complaining, rather, I was suggesting the OP do a search, because in within 10 seconds he'd find hundreds of suggestions rather than waiting for people to simply post the same applications found in countless other threads. In doing so, I believe my 'complaint' was quite a bit more relevant than your offering.
However, to appease you I'll offer some of my favorites not already found in this thread:
1. Evernote
2. Skitch
3. Path Finder
4. 1Password
5. FotoMagico
6. Graphic Converter
7. Onyx
8. KeyCue
9. RipIt
10. Adium
A couple apps I use:
PGP Desktop, for complete hard disk encryption. FileVault is good for protecting the home directory, but if my laptop gets stolen, I don't want license keys for applications falling into an intruder's hands, so keeping them from being able to boot the OS is a good thing. I also use TrueCrypt for images compatible with Windows.
iWork.
StuffIt Deluxe (I've always liked the program historically since it replaced PackIt III ages ago.) One of its main strengths is to be able to put error correction into a StuffIt archive so if a bit gets flipped, or a header/footer gets munched, all the data contained inside still has a high chance of being recovered.
MobileMe for the iDisk functionality. I use this as my main place to store documents (although I periodically back up the iDisk to a StuffIt archive every so often just in case.)
Mozy. Time Machine is great for "oh crap" moments, but I also use the Mozy client just in case both the backup drive that I copy to and the drive on the Mac go kaput at the same time.
PGP Desktop, for complete hard disk encryption. FileVault is good for protecting the home directory, but if my laptop gets stolen, I don't want license keys for applications falling into an intruder's hands, so keeping them from being able to boot the OS is a good thing. I also use TrueCrypt for images compatible with Windows.
iWork.
StuffIt Deluxe (I've always liked the program historically since it replaced PackIt III ages ago.) One of its main strengths is to be able to put error correction into a StuffIt archive so if a bit gets flipped, or a header/footer gets munched, all the data contained inside still has a high chance of being recovered.
MobileMe for the iDisk functionality. I use this as my main place to store documents (although I periodically back up the iDisk to a StuffIt archive every so often just in case.)
Mozy. Time Machine is great for "oh crap" moments, but I also use the Mozy client just in case both the backup drive that I copy to and the drive on the Mac go kaput at the same time.
Personally, I find this thread very helpful, I've been using macs for over 20 years and have seen lots and lots of changes and growth. It's amazing to see how awesome these machines have become and how I've not kept up with it. Many of the programs I use now are basic ones that my kids need for school (like Pages) and unzipping programs like Zipeg. I will definitely be checking out the suggestions ~ maybe they will be just what i've been looking for and didn't even know it!
1. Launchbar
2. 1Password
3. Things
4. Transmission
5. Adium
6. Skitch
7. Cyberduck
8. App Zapper
9. Dropbox
10. Net News Wire
11. Visual Hub
12. Coverstream
13. Adobe Photoshop Elements
Thinking about getting path finder. Want to see though if the finder can totally be replaced.
2. 1Password
3. Things
4. Transmission
5. Adium
6. Skitch
7. Cyberduck
8. App Zapper
9. Dropbox
10. Net News Wire
11. Visual Hub
12. Coverstream
13. Adobe Photoshop Elements
Thinking about getting path finder. Want to see though if the finder can totally be replaced.
If you want to optimize QuickTime and also make safari and front row work better, install:
1. Perian
2. Flip4mac
3. XiphQT
If you do not want advanced video editing features like QuickTime pro, these codecs eliminate the need for vlc.
Other recommendations include:
Burn, aMSN, clamxav, handbrake, transmission, urban terror, unarchiver, seashore, neooffice, max, bibdesk, jumpcut, ....
All these suggestions are free.
1. Perian
2. Flip4mac
3. XiphQT
If you do not want advanced video editing features like QuickTime pro, these codecs eliminate the need for vlc.
Other recommendations include:
Burn, aMSN, clamxav, handbrake, transmission, urban terror, unarchiver, seashore, neooffice, max, bibdesk, jumpcut, ....
All these suggestions are free.
http://usingmac.com/2008/11/12/100-free-applications
It's not a complete list, but it's pretty comprehensive.
It's not a complete list, but it's pretty comprehensive.
