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What cool little OS X apps do you use?

Here's one nobody's mentioned yet: Spy
Basically it takes screenshots of your computer and puts them on a website, which is basically just an ip address. It also has real-time views of your computer. It has lots of possibilities, and its best when two people have it so they can "spy" on each other's computers, but its only for mac. 🙄
I've found it pretty useful.
 
GeorgeTheMonkey said:
Now it seems to me that there are three primary players in the alternative launcher category, each with its own loyal user base but all accomplishing essentially the same purpose: giving you instant access to your computer, files, and applications, without having to navigate Finder to find and use them.
Click to expand...
thanks for tidying up the "launcher" category of this thread with that thorough synopsis. i myself have tried all three as well. i disliked launchbar cause it was a bit pricey. and i removed quicksilver cause i was too lazy to get the most out of it. for those who are as scared as i am, butler was the best way to go. the interface is very easy to use and when you get the full power out of it, it becomes an app that you really do want to pay peter mauer for.

but when i took a step away from it - butler and launchbar did one major thing that i wanted it to do; making an "os9-like-apple menu". everyone only wants to put their most used applications in your dock, and you don't want to put an app in there thats only used once in awhile, ie. toast. so we use a launcher like butler or launchbar to get the most out of your experience. keep in mind though, this can also be done for free by simply using apples built in os x applescript program. there is an easy tutorial at the bottom of this page from Macworld magazine.

now the other embedded features such as a quick search tool to find a necessary app, or changing iTunes tracks and ratings on the fly - are definitley worth the install. but i'm sure all of us would rather use integrated features such as spotlight, when Tiger comes out. here's hoping Tiger eliminates other such 3rd-party applications that we use. iFinance would be a good addition 😉
 
FightTheFuture said:
thanks for tidying up the "launcher" category of this thread with that thorough synopsis. i myself have tried all three as well. i disliked launchbar cause it was a bit pricey. and i removed quicksilver cause i was too lazy to get the most out of it. for those who are as scared as i am, butler was the best way to go. the interface is very easy to use and when you get the full power out of it, it becomes an app that you really do want to pay peter mauer for.

but when i took a step away from it - butler and launchbar did one major thing that i wanted it to do; making an "os9-like-apple menu". everyone only wants to put their most used applications in your dock, and you don't want to put an app in there thats only used once in awhile, ie. toast. so we use a launcher like butler or launchbar to get the most out of your experience. keep in mind though, this can also be done for free by simply using apples built in os x applescript program. there is an easy tutorial at the bottom of this page from Macworld magazine.

now the other embedded features such as a quick search tool to find a necessary app, or changing iTunes tracks and ratings on the fly - are definitley worth the install. but i'm sure all of us would rather use integrated features such as spotlight, when Tiger comes out. here's hoping Tiger eliminates other such 3rd-party applications that we use. iFinance would be a good addition 😉
Click to expand...
Ah, but you're forgetting one launcher program (which just happens to be my favorite) - DragThing (http://www.dragthing.com/). I don't use it now, but I used to use it in my Mac OS 9 days. It's a great little program and a handy replacement for the Dock.
 
i installed quicksilver and it's interesting,

but for some reason now it quits after running for just a minute or two. can no longer make it through a search!


is there a conflict with fruitmenu?


is there a good and free hotkey application?


thanks,
r.
 
istuff i like

I've been very happy for these puppies since getting my pbg4
Menumeters
Tigerlaunch
Prefsmenu
Fuzzyclock
Cleardock
iMote
Ratingbar
Volume logic
iTunes Bpm
Mac messenger 3.4
SearchGoogle service
 
themapplz said:
I've been very happy for these puppies since getting my pbg4
Menumeters
Tigerlaunch
Prefsmenu
Fuzzyclock
Cleardock
iMote
Ratingbar
Volume logic
iTunes Bpm
Mac messenger 3.4
SearchGoogle service
Click to expand...
I suggest/request that you and other posters put one-line comments about what your favorite apps do, as dotnina did in the post before yours. We could look each one up, but it would be easier if you told us up front.
 
I have a new favorite weather app that resides in the menu bar. I use to use Metorologists but it's gone down hill over the last couple years since real developement stopped on it. You can no longer get weather from NOAA or Accuweather using it just the Weather Channel. Which IMHO really really sucks for weather forcasts. Last night I came a across a program called WeatherMenu. It gets it's weather information from NOAA and has much better information including very nice radar images.

Also another great program is SAFT it adds a lot of cool functionality to Safari including auto saving currently open webpages when you quit. It's horrendous Nagware but worth the $10.

Lastly CocoaGestures is a very cool little add-on that lets you surf tie menu commands to mouse gestures in any Cocoa App.
 
MenuCalendarClock

Don't know if this one has been mentioned but how about MenuCalendarClock? Pretty slick app that resides on the menu bar and when you need to see the date, it's there. Want the month, no problem just click. Even incorporates "to do" stuff from iCal. Neato! Cheers 😉
 
DVD2ONE X...if one were to want to copy a DVD onto 1 blank DVDR, this program compresses the original DVD to 4.4 GB. It allows you to compress "movie only", or the entire DVD if you like the boring comments and awful alternate endings. Which by the way the name alternate ending literally means BAD ending, that's why it was changed to begin with!
 
Skizza said:
DVD2ONE X...if one were to want to copy a DVD onto 1 blank DVDR, this program compresses the original DVD to 4.4 GB. It allows you to compress "movie only", or the entire DVD if you like the boring comments and awful alternate endings. Which by the way the name alternate ending literally means BAD ending, that's why it was changed to begin with!
Click to expand...
MacTheRipper is a really good DVD ripping program as well
 
Dahl said:
MacTheRipper is a really good DVD ripping program as well
Click to expand...

Just being pedantic, MactheRipper rips the DVD but DVD2One compresses it to fit onto a single DVD disc. They fulfill different needs. You need an app, like MacTheRipper, to rip the DVD before using DVD2One to compress it.
 
zagato27 said:
Don't know if this one has been mentioned but how about MenuCalendarClock? Pretty slick app that resides on the menu bar and when you need to see the date, it's there. Want the month, no problem just click. Even incorporates "to do" stuff from iCal. Neato! Cheers 😉
Click to expand...

Preferred it when it was CalenderClock and free!! 😉
 
munkle said:
Just being pedantic, MactheRipper rips the DVD but DVD2One compresses it to fit onto a single DVD disc. They fulfill different needs. You need an app, like MacTheRipper, to rip the DVD before using DVD2One to compress it.
Click to expand...
I didn't know.
I better check out DVD2one.

Can you back up a DVD to a blank DVD with Apple's default software or do you need something like Toast.
 
mkrishnan said:
I'm trying to follow the "install as little software as possible to avoid screwing up the computer" philosophy...which I guess is a little bit like an ex-Windows user's equivalent of elderly people from the Depression era hiding money under their mattresses, but....
Click to expand...

this is the same thing with me. i do not want to screw up my computer. i once tried the program "fire" and it really screwed up my mac. i had to reinstall everything. anyway, i would like to know if you guys have a type of procedure, how to install, use and test software without screwing up the computer.

does creating a different user and installing, testing and using the software with that user work?

ps: imo, this is a good thread. i with arn and the guys (and gals) could create a spot with a link to the suggestions here. it would even be good, if we could rate the software.
 
Dahl said:
I didn't know.
I better check out DVD2one.

Can you back up a DVD to a blank DVD with Apple's default software or do you need something like Toast.
Click to expand...

As far as I know, if you want to create a playable DVD that will be recognised by a DVD player you have to use Toast.

Maybe there is a way of importing a backup DVD into iMovie and then burning from there but I'm not sure. I ust Toast and it's always worked for me.
 
Someone needs to make this a Sticky thread. Too many useful Apps mentioned to see it dissapear.
 
munkle said:
Preferred it when it was CalenderClock and free!! 😉
Click to expand...

MenuCalendarClock http://www.objectpark.net/mcc.html

Well, it's still "free". You just have to say "no" to the annoying pop up asking if you want to register. Actually it doesn't come up that often but just click later. It's starting to wear me down a bit though, actually thinking of registering and sending in the $15. It's a pretty neat little app and probably worth the $ but free does seem better. Cheers.
 
The Apps That Saved My Mac

I'm amazed we've gotten this far and only one of the apps that I couldn't live without has been mentioned (WindowShade).

Then again, maybe I'm the only one hanging on to my OS9 heritage.

I love FruitMenu - which allows you full access to add aliases to your most used documents and apps to the Apple Menu - just like in the old days. I had originally missed this ability so much that I created a Konfabulator widget to emulate it, but now that I have FruitMenu, life is PERFECT.

Well, almost. In order to fully get rid of the Dock (we don't all have 23 inch screens, Steve), I also use ASM (Application Switcher Menu), which returns the OS9 Application Switcher to the upper right hand corner of your screen. The combo of this and FruitMenu work flawlessly, even though my computer isn't rated to even run OSX (which causes larger hack apps some problems).

Let's see. Carbon Copy Cloner is the only way that I've found, thus far, to make a full backup of my computer without losing a DVD-R to a permissions error. It creates a full backup as a disk image onto my hard drive. Toast then has no problems (permission errors) burning the disk image to a DVD-R. It's not a perfect solution, and it won't work when I get a computer with a HD larger than 4GB, but it's all I can find right now. Anyone have any backup solutions that work for them?

iCan - which I guess is the third thing needed before getting rid of your Dock. It's not perfect, but I trust it with my data. It puts a customizable trash can on your desktop. I use my own PNG's to have empty rings (from Stargate) as my empty trash and rings with Richard Dean Anderson and some light for a full trash. Kind of fun.

KoalaCalc is a very nice calculator that allows you to use your number pad.

QuickImage is a wonderful, out of the way program that adds a contextual menu item on images, allowing you to convert them, change their icon, etc., without ever opening them in an application. You also can open them in QuickImage to resize or make minor adjustments (convert to B&W, etc.). It's just amazingly convenient.

MailCountX is a great little app that puts the number of unread Mail messages onto your menu bar. I opened the package and changed the icon used, but it works great.

Peeper - a handy little tool that searches through any folder you dump on it to look for all images hidden inside. This is especially useful for pulling icons out of packages, such as applications or from the Systems folder, for use elsewhere.

SoundRecorderMacOSX - a wonderful little app that takes the place of - uh - I forgot what it was in OS9 that allowed you to record through the microphone or audio in. I use this to convert audio tapes to CD. No fancy audio editing powers - just a straightforward conversion.

TransLucy - I have downloaded it, but I haven't actually used it because my computer doesn't meet the graphics card requirements (and the program's smart enough to know). It claims to allow you to run a DVD in the foreground semi-transparent while you continue to work on things underneath it. It'll be one of the first things I try with my next Mac.

Now - for my request. Someone needs to port Principia over to OSX. It was a cool little app that put Isaac Newton in the lower left-hand corner of your screen and then made the Apple (from the Apple Menu) shake a little and then fall on Newton's head. Good for a two-second laugh. 🙂

These are the things that made the jump to OSX a good experience where it would have been a bad experience - to me.
 
Bluefusion said:
Synergy (http://synergy.wincent.org) goes without saying--best single addition to the iTunes experience possible.

I'd also add:

- Another Launcher -- (www.macupdate.com/info.php/id/12170) a combination launcher, system monitor, multi-engine search tool, and much, much, more

- iChatStatus -- cool little dohickey that shows your currently playing song in your iChat status message (http://www.ittpoi.com/stem.php?product=com.ittpoi.ichatstatus&type=frameset)

- CocoaGestures, as someone already pointed out. 🙂
Click to expand...

I like SizzlingKeys from Yellow Mug Software (in place of Synergy) namely because it's FREE and doesn't use a menubar icon (which slow login considerably).

I also like Schubert It's Word and PDF plugins which allow you to open DOCs and PDFs in Safari.
 
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