Must Have Applications for Mac

As Mac market share is rising and Leopard released, I decided to write a comprehensive list of all the apps I’m using (in addition to the ones which came installed).

Moving to a new operating system comes always with some broken apps (like Onyx, Carbon Copy Cloner) and some hacks are not needed anymore. Also using old file formats might become impossible or do you have any idea with which software to play MODs and other old music files? PlayerPro used to be the one, but it isn’t distributed anymore (fortunately I have a version installed).

Back to the topic. New Macs have almost all the software a basic user needs (like iLife) so the above list is not long, but it helps making your Mac even more compatible and connected. And what’s best, all the software mentioned below is free expect the Shareware part.

Instant messaging:

• Skype – make calls from your computer.
• Adium, instant messaging application for Mac OS X that can connect to AIM, MSN, Jabber, Yahoo, and more.
• Microsoft Messenger runs now on Intel Macs and includes new collaboration features.

Audio and video:

• VLC, media player supporting a large number of multimedia formats, without the need for additional codecs.
• Joost is internet TV/video.
• HandBrake, convert DVD to MPEG-4.
• Last.fm scrobbles your tracks to Last.fm.

Plug-ins, codecs and other add-ons:

• Soikko on suomen kielen oikoluku- ja tavutusohjelma (aivan ehdoton asennus, kaikessa mitä koneella kirjoitat on tämän jälkeen oikoluku).
• Windows Media Components for QuickTime – you can play Windows Media files (.wma and .wmv) directly in QuickTime Player and view Windows Media content on the Internet using a Web browser.
• Perian adds native support for many popular video formats for QuickTime.
• Xiph QuickTime Components is a set of QuickTime plug-ins that allow iTunes, and other QuickTime-based applications, to play ogg vorbis files.
• Senuti is simple application that allows you to transfer songs from your iPod to your computer.
• Facebook Exporter for iPhoto is a free plugin for iPhoto that enables you to export photos directly to your Facebook account.
• Safari Stand adds many useful features to Safari.

Web clients:

• Transmission is a BitTorrent client for Mac OS X.
• Cyberduck is FTP and SFTP (SSH Secure File Transfer) browser.
• Firefox web browser.
• Acquisition, search and download files (there might be better clients, but I rarely use p2p).

Other:

• GoogleEarth – zoom from outer space to street level in seconds.
• MoodBlast – update simultaneously your web presence to multiple chat clients and web services like Facebook, Jaiku, MSN.
• Serial Box – collection of serial-numbers for the Macintosh Platform.

Widgets:

• Sol – tells you what time sunrise (dawn) and sunset (dusk) are.
• iStat Pro – the ultimate system monitoring widget.
• TunesTEXT – search and save lyrics in music files automatically while using iTunes.
• Currency Converter – 170 world currencies; great when doing online shopping.
• FMI widget – fetches a 5 day weather forecast from Finnish Meteorological Institute.

Shareware:

• Equinox, a powerful planetarium program that has many features for both the beginner and advanced astronomer.
• Barcody is a barcode creator.
• WireTap you can record the discrete audio output of any application, as well as all system audio, or record audio input from any microphone, line-in, or audio input hardware.
• EyeTV software, together with compatible hardware, turns your Mac into both a TV and a Digital Video Recorder (DVR).

In addition to these freeware/shareware programs, must have applications include Microsoft Office or iWork ’08 and Adobe CreativeSuite 3 for all creative professionals.