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Must have software for ibook?

galstaph

galstaph

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Jul 24, 2002
812
2
The Great White North Eh
I just placed my order for my new ibook :D , now I need software to fill it.
Any recommendations above the software given by apple?
I'm using it for school (finishing my BA then going into law), maybe a small game or two?
Any thoughts?
 
Open Office is a Must, Or Microsoft office for Mac, but I refuse to use anything Microsoft related, Open Office does just as good of a job, if not better.
 
You should always test run your new machine AS SHIPPED before
adding anything, just in case.

Once you are sure everything is working O.K.

You'll be pleasantly surprised how many truly useful applications are already included in your applications folder.

AppleWorks is fine for most text document needs
and you can always copy paste the content to an e-mail.
You can also use Text Edit for simple documents.


Open your System Preferences from the dock. {Square with the Apple
and the switch}

This is your control panel for all your personal tweaks.
Network Settings, Appearance Settings, Mouse and KB settings
and so on.

Once there open your Energy Saver prefs and set your sleep setting to NEVER. You don't want your system to got to sleep while you're installing
any OS software.

Then once you're online, open Software Update and download and install any current OS updates and patches.

EVERY time you install software, you should open your disk utility
and "repair permissions" after you log back on.

Utilities are located in your Applications folder.

Mac Starters Guide has lots of recommendations.
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/132963/

My essentials basics are mostly available through Versiontracker

Lil Snitch personal firewall.
Adium Instant Messenger client.
Pixel Tester 2.1
Stuffit Delux
BBEdit
File Buddy
Pacifist
Temperature Monitor
Real Player
FireFox
Carbon Copy Cloner
KDX Client
Open Office
iWork

Optional Purchase Items

Microsoft Office
Toast Titanium
PGP Desktop
FileMaker Pro
Adobe Acrobat Pro


MacGames is good for Game reviews.

Oh and you can trash IE completely! :D

I'm sure others will have some other recommendations, but this is all that comes to mind at the moment.

Enjoy!
 
NeoOffice/J is a better OS X port of OpenOffice (Word for Mac isn't too bad, though). Also, QuickSilver.
 
Obviously I don't know what your needs are but this is what I've got that's useful. Big expensive stuff first.

1. Office 2004 - given this by a Microsoft employee as a gift.
2. Photoshop CS - Elements a good alternative?
3. Virtual PC - came with office
4. Corel Painter - got it cheap
5. OmniOutliner - came free with powerbook.
6. Rapidweaver - truly excellent quick website tool.
7. Transmit - best FTP client
8. TextWrangler - free!!!
9. Xcode and the developer tools - free!

Ironically the most important apps to me (the one's I use nearly every day) were the cheapest - namely the developer tools and TextWrangler. The really expensive apps I use rarely but are a real god send when I do. Anyone that tells you that OpenOffice is better than MS Office is deluding themselves. It's a lot cheaper and if that's your principal driver then by all means go ahead. But openoffice reminds me more of a windows app than MS Office does. It's awful and ugly.

Of the stuff I've actually paid for Transmit and Rapidweaver were the best value.

If you've got a supported bluetooth cellphone I'd recommend heading over to taniwha.org.uk to get GPRS scripts for it. I can use my T610 as a GPRS modem and send an receive SMS messages using it and address book.
 
galstaph said:
I just placed my order for my new ibook :D , now I need software to fill it.
Any recommendations above the software given by apple?
I'm using it for school (finishing my BA then going into law), maybe a small game or two?
Any thoughts?
Click to expand...

Go to Apple's on line store and check out the software. They even have reviews/opinions from people who use the stuff.

It's a start. :p
 
Depending on what you want, AbiWord is a great word-processer, better than the one which is part of OpenOffice/NeoOfficeJ.

Desktop Manager is surprisingly useful, as this makes the screen a lot less cluttered.

Coconut Battery is useful if you want to check your battery's well-being.

Also have a search around the forums for other threads, like What cool little OS X apps do you use? and .

::20ROGERSC::
 
Even thought there are many threds on the topic O feel compeled to add as well! I am going to say that the most important applications that I use are:

X11
Fink + fink commander
(with these you have the world of *nix open to you)
also MS Office for mac is much better than open office (until we get Oo2!!!Yeah!)
I will also state adium for chating alongside iChat
LaTex is awesome for writing papers (try TexShop)
Quicksilver
Firefox (many of the others that people mentioned will not be said again)
There are just so many!!!

hope this helps, the other apps that i use are a little more specific to what I do (phys chem) so I doubt they would help
 
Mozilla

Mozilla (for those times when web pages won't work with Safari) - and the suite comes with a nice WYSIWYG html editor. Oh, and it's free.

And Quicken 05 is nice for keeping track of all that $$$ we spend on macs.
 
moonislune said:
Mozilla (for those times when web pages won't work with Safari) - and the suite comes with a nice WYSIWYG html editor. Oh, and it's free.
Click to expand...

Oh...ands its a hog. *;o)
 
SpaceMagic said:
SubEthaEdit is the best HTML editor + previewer there is. Period. (IMHO of course :p)
Click to expand...

Naw....I think VI is the best HTML editor. But thats my opinion too.
 
I'm using it for school (finishing my BA then going into law), maybe a small game or two?
Click to expand...

I'm a future lawyer as well, although I still have another 2 1/2 years to go on my BA.

Anyway, I'll echo what a few other people have said: you definitely need firefox and VLC media player. These programs are great.

I don't know if you have an ipod already, but iPodRip will transfer your itunes library from your old computer to your new one. As for games, Sim City and games of that sort are always fun. Also, 3D Desktop Aquarium is a great screensaver that will impress anyone at the Student Union, the local coffee shop, or anywhere else you may take your mac.
 
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